A/N: I wrote both chapters back to back, so I figured I'd share them with you the same way. **HM**

Copyright information: These characters aren't mine, they belong to Stephanie Meyer, who's nice enough to let us play with her toys, as long as we give them back in one piece.

Bella

Not wanting to appear too eager, or like the socially awkward pariah she knew she was, Bella took her time getting ready, choosing her favorite pair of jeans then taking an uncharacteristically long time choosing a shirt. She decided to brush my hair out, which took a long time since it did not seem to want to comply with her plan of smoothness. The humidity was still not her best friend. Finally, she was out of reasons to dawdle, having decided that makeup was too much. It was, after all, a party at the Black house, not the prom. Just the thought of the prom made her shudder. If she could avoid that disaster waiting to happen for the rest of her natural born life, she'd be a happy camper.

The truck fired up with only minimal protest and minimal coaxing on Bella's behalf. Shaking her head, she started the drive to the reservation. Normally, The Beast was, well, a beast to get started, particularly in the morning. She wasn't sure what to make of that, but decided not to think too much of it, or read anything into it. It could just be that The Beast was having a good day.

The drive to La Push was not a long one, even given the geriatric speed that she was forced to drive. The Beast wasn't as young as he used to be and had been known to turn off if she tried to make him go over fifty. Pulling into the Black's driveway, she saw that she wasn't the first one there and immediately felt better about herself. No one likes to hang out with someone who's desperate. The front door opened and Jake stepped out, waving to her with a huge grin on his face. Good grief, when had he gotten so huge? His smile was contagious though and she quickly got out of the truck and headed towards him. Well, that was what she had in mind anyway. Halfway across the yard her toe stuck on something and she fell, barely keeping her face out of the dirt. 'Seriously?' she thought to herself, 'Cool, Bell, real damn cool.'

An arm slipped under her middle and lifted her easily off the ground and she felt another blush burn its way across her face. "Wow, Bella," Jake said from a good number of inches above her, "That was pretty damn graceful, even for you. It's nice to see that some things will always stay the same."

Gritting her teeth, she said, "Thanks, Jacob. Now please put me down."

There was a laugh from the porch and she looked from under her hair to see that there were easily seven people on the covered porch. 'Great' she thought, her blush deepening, 'The entire reservation has now seen me look like a clumsy idiot. Super-freakin'-duper.'

Jake seemed oblivious to her embarrassment and said, laughingly, "Not on your life, Bells. I want to be sure you're safe first." Then he proceeded to carry her all the way to the porch where he set her down on the steps with a huge grin. Ugh, would the indignities never end? She looked up at him to chew him a new one when she realized that she had to look up, way up, to get a good view of his face. By no standards was she considered tall, unless among pygmies counted, but he was even more massive than she had first thought. Furrowing her brow, she said, "What are they feeding you, Jake, you're enormous!"

Everyone on the porch laughed at that, and she realized that in addition to Billy, there were several people on the porch that she didn't know, which embarrassed her even more. She opened her mouth to stammer something quasi-intelligible when Billy saved her. "Don't worry, Bella, that hole's a real ankle breaker. I keep trying to get that big lump to fill it, but he always seems to forget."

She smiled at him, thankful for the save and said, "Well, now I'll get on him about it, too."

Jake groaned, "Alright, alright, I'll get the shovel and fill it now, will that satisfy the two of you?"

Billy laughed, "Yep, sure will. Bella, I don't think you've met anyone yet, my son seems to have forgotten his manners. You might remember some of them, but I'll remind you of their names just in case. These are Mr. and Mrs. Clearwater, their daughter Leah, their son Seth, Quil, Embry, and Sam over there on the end."

She nodded to each of them in turn and was about to say something when Jake tugged on her hand, "C'mon, you're the reason I've got to fill that stupid thing; the least you can do is keep me company."

Shaking her head, she said, "Nice to meet all of you, I've got to go babysit now."

They laughed again and someone, Leah she thought, said, "Ooh, Jake, babysit? That's gotta sting your fragile male ego."

He laughed it off, "Not really, at least she's paying attention to me."

The ever present blush reappeared as he dragged her off the porch towards the shed. Halfway there, she tried to pull her hand out of his grip, but failed. With a quiet resigned sigh, she walked next to him. "Seriously, Jake, have you been into the Miracle Grow or something? I know I've not seen you in a while, but this has got to be close to a new world record for growth spurts."

He laughed easily and she felt something in her chest flutter. "Nope, just clean air and all the food I can put away."

They reached the shed and he let go of her hand for a moment to open the door and grab the shovel. Once he had the door shut, he took it again and it felt easy, disturbingly easy if she examined it too closely, which she wisely chose not to. He looked down at her and smiled, "It has been a while, hasn't it? Like three months at least."

She nodded, "Yeah, at least. What have you been up to, besides growing like a weed?"

He shrugged, "The same really, hanging out with the boys, school, that sort of thing."

Another huge grin crossed his face when they reached the hole and he started filling it. "I got an email the other day from one of my best friends. They moved away just before you got here, but he said that they're thinking of coming back soon."

"Moved away?" she asked, confused, "I didn't know that people moved off the reservation often."

He laughed, throwing dirt into the hole and packing it down, "Not on the reservation, silly girl, in town. I do know people that don't live here on the res, you know."

Now she felt like a moron. "Oh…oh. Well, you've got to be glad that he'll be moving back, right?"

He shrugged, with another easy laugh, "Sure, sure. We were really close friends, at least, once my dad and his dad had a talk. Before that," he shrugged again, patting the last of the flat, "Sometimes my dad can be a bit strange, he was really mad that we'd become friends. But after he talked to the Doctor and your Dad, he was alright with it."

Now she was really confused, "The Doctor?" she asked, "Why did Billy need a Doctor? And what does Charlie have to do with anything?"

Jake laughed, reached out and took her hand again, leading her back to the shed, "He didn't need a doctor, my friend's dad is the Doctor. And Charlie really likes him, the Doctor I mean, so that went a long way. It took a few poker nights at your house, plus a few visits to the Doctor's house before my dad chilled out."

They'd reached the shed and instead of putting the shovel inside, he leaned it on the outside and turned to her, "Want to take a walk? They just started making food and haven't gotten the grill hot enough yet, so it'll be a while before we eat."

She nodded, "Sure, a walk would be great."

He led her into the forest, following an old path that was barely visible to her eye. Luckily, it seemed that Jake knew where he was going and she was, surprisingly, content to follow his lead. They walked in silence for a few minutes and even her hazy sense of direction told her that they were heading towards the beach.

Jake looked over at her and said, "Did I tell you how glad I am to see you today?"

She blushed, ducking her head so that her hair hid her face for a moment. "No, but you just did. Thanks. I'm really starting to be glad that I came. I've not really been out lately."

Did she just say that out loud? Thank goodness it was just Jake, he'd known her for too long to be put off by her inability to keep her inner monologue where it belonged, on the inside. He laughed, the sound ringing through the trees, and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Then I am really glad that you chose today to break your pattern."

They broke through the trees and it seemed that the whole of the Pacific lay before them, the sun breaking through the clouds for a moment to paint the tips of the waves in liquid gold before disappearing again. She smiled up at him. "This is one thing you can't get in Arizona. It is amazing."

He looked down, "Yeah, it sure is. Breath-taking actually."

It was silent for a moment before she looked up at him and realized that he was certainly not talking about the ocean. She blushed again and looked down at her feet, unsure of what to say. He laughed and tugged her down a path that would lead them eventually to the beach. "The people in town must be blind, I would've thought that by now you'd be used to compliments."

She was saved from having to say something by tripping over a root. For a split second, she thanked her genetics for her clumsy nature, but that thought died when Jake reached out and caught her, pulling her to his chest. Her senses were assaulted by him, the way he smelled, the feel of him where they were pressed together and the surprising heat that radiated off of him. It made it impossible for her to think, let alone speak, so she just stood there. He was very close to her and she felt her heart skip a beat in response. She was starting to get uncomfortable and tried to get free, with no success at all. So she just looked up at him. Wow, a little voice in the back of her head said, he's got really nice skin…and very nice eyes, the kind you could stare into for hours... Suddenly, she was a little dizzy. He chuckled and set her on her feet. "Lucky for you, I'm here to save you, huh?"

She nodded mutely, shaken by her reaction to him. It was Jake, for crying out loud! Her oldest friend here in Forks, the one she'd made mud-pies with as a kid, the ever present good natured boy from her sporadic childhood visits here, Billy's boy who came over from time to time to check on the truck. Jake. Not someone that should be making her feel like this…like, well, like a teenager in the throes of hormones.

He gave her hand a squeeze and pulled her into motion, leading her down the path again, chatting good-naturedly about his school, his friends, his father's latest exploits and she obviously made the right responses, he didn't notice that she was a million miles away. What was up with her brain today? If her body wanted her to be interested in someone, why him? Why not, say, Mike? She suppressed a shudder at the thought. He was a little too polished, a little too slick for her blood. Was this what she'd been looking for? Was this why she'd had the pull to stay here in her own personal hell? Jake? Seriously? She continued in that vein, arguing with herself about his merits until they reached the split that wound down the cliff face. He turned to her and said, "Be careful now, Bells, this part is steep."

Her traitorous heart thudded again when he called her what her mom and dad called her. Once he'd turned to start down, she frowned and shook her head. Had she lost her mind? Bumped her head harder than she'd thought on one of her many spills? Wait…what if his attention was nothing but friendly? Ugh, why had she not thought of that before? There was no way he was interested in her, there were plenty of pretty girls here, of that she was sure. They all had the same golden brown skin that Jake had, the same thick black hair that begged to have fingers in it, the same eyes. She frowned harder, shaking her head, glad that he couldn't see her. This was no good, now she was jealous of some nebulous female that may or may not exist, jealous that Jake might have eyes for someone. What was wrong with her?

She was so caught up in her internal debate that, she didn't see him stop until she collided with his back. "Sorry, Jake," she said breathlessly, "I didn't see you stop."

He smiled at her, chuckling. "That much was apparent, lucky for me I'm made of stronger stuff than you can knock down with your little feather weight."

She blushed, but not so deep this time, and stepped around him, determined to be cool. Or at least what passed for cool in Bella world. The beach spilled out before them all the way to where the waves were crashing. Smiling, she said, "I really do love this view. Despite the cold."

At her words, the wind gusted around them, making her glad she'd grabbed that jacket out of The Beast. They started walking, side by side but not touching, her carefully picking her way over the rocks, him watching her while she was distracted. After a few minutes, he asked, "I feel like I've been doing all the talking, how are things up your way?'

She shrugged, "Pretty alright, I suppose. Charlie's the same old Charlie. School's the same old grind. My mom is trying to convince me to leave all this and run away to Jacksonville."

Jake stopped walking for a moment. "Leave? Really?" His face showed some emotion that she couldn't identify immediately. It was moments like this that she wished she was better with people or at least better with emotions. But she truly was her father's daughter, and the year of living here had only honed that. She didn't say anything for a moment, waiting for him to speak again.

He started walking again, almost too fast for her to be able to keep up. He still wasn't speaking, so she chose the Charlie path, and let him work it out in silence. They reached a fallen tree and he stopped. The tree appeared to have maybe journeyed from somewhere else through the sea, it was bleached white as only driftwood can be, but it still had its roots and branches, though she had no clue which end was which so she designated the end they were at the 'top'. She was going to sit on one of the lower branches when he reached out and picked her up as easily as if she weighed no more than a leaf, and set her on one of the higher ones. Not so high that she couldn't get down, but high enough that when he sat, they were eye to eye. Still, he didn't speak, instead chewing his lower lip with that same look on his face, his hands tight on the branch that he sat on. She was very confused and really wanted to know what he was thinking, but it was contrary to her nature to ask, so she lightly swung her feet and watched the ocean continue its endless assault on the shore.

After what might have been fifteen minutes, he cleared his throat and said, "Don't go. Please."

She'd forgotten what they'd been talking about, so she just looked at him for a long minute, completely lost. "Pardon?" she asked.

He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Damn it, Bella! Don't go, don't move to Jacksonville. I know I've got no right to ask you but, still."

Bella furrowed her brow for a moment, "You don't want me to move, Jake?"

Jake snorted in frustration, "No, Bella, I don't want you to move."

Tipping her head to the side, she said the first thing that popped to mind. "Why?"

He looked away, staring at the ocean, "I just don't, Bella. I want you to stay."

She was going to say something when he turned back to her and leaned in, suddenly very close. "I can try to give you a reason to stay if you'd like."

Her mouth dried out instantly and the buzzing sensation returned to the inside of her head. "Oh-oh really?" she said quietly and rather stupidly in her opinion.

Jake chuckled and reached up to tuck an errant piece of her hair behind her ear, his fingers lingering on her cheek. She was hardly aware of it, but she leaned slightly into his touch, his skin was calloused from working on his car, he was so very warm and she was always so very cold. The moment stretched out into an eternity as she watched him weigh something in his eyes, then he leaned in and lightly brushed his lips over hers. She gave a tiny gasp and her eyes slid closed of their own accord. He slipped his fingers into her hair, the light grip holding her completely still. Just as softly, he kissed her cheek, his lips barely touching her skin. She did not move, was not able to in fact, it seemed that his touch completely turned her brain off. Her mind was not prepared for the touch of his lips on her jaw, and her gasp was more audible this time and she found that her hand had found his shoulder and was pulling him closer. He moved to her neck, kissing her softly again, chuckling quietly when her fingers tightened on his shoulder. Some part of her brain was trying very hard to have something coherent to say, or at least think when Jake made a quiet noise and suddenly his mouth was on hers again, the tenderness was still there, but it quickly vanished as her lips instinctually parted. The last vestiges of her logic flew out the window as she pulled him closer. Time either stopped or stood still, she couldn't tell which it was and truthfully didn't care. A distant noise clamored for her attention but she refused to relinquish even the smallest part, she'd found something delightfully unexpected to focus on. That was why the voice startled her so bad.

"Woooo!" hooted Quil from about fifty feet away while Embry wolf-whistled and clapped.

She gasped and jumped back from Jake. Rather, she tried to; Jake refused to let her go, instead holding her where she was and kissing her mouth one more heart-stopping time before he let her go. He broke off a stick and hurled it cheerfully at his friends.

"Whatever you want, it better be good," he said with a grin, "Really damn good."

She blushed and dipped her head, her hair hiding her face from them. They just laughed and Quil said, "I thought it was a good reason at the time. Lunch is ready."

Jake looked at her, tucking her hair back behind her ears with a grin. "Good," he said, standing up and lifting her down from her perch. For a moment, he held her close to him and while the heat radiating from him was warming to the core, it made her shiver too. "I'm starved."

The boys howled in laughter and she resigned herself to staying this shade of red for the rest of the day.