Jacob scared me sometimes. I never feared for my life, but I did fear for my heart. After all, they weren't the same. I knew he'd never hurt me, but there were some days when I thought I'd hurt him. Tonight was one of those nights.

I honestly thought he was going to kiss me, but he dropped his hand, seemingly changing his mind. Part of me was glad.

Then he hugged me, same as always, and kissed my hair, not the same as always. My heart thumped erratically in spite of my brain's wonderings. I was thinking too much.

He was so kind and warm. And suddenly so very handsome. Strikingly so. Something had happened over the last couple of weeks. When I brought the bikes over, he still had that boyish look to him. The Jacob whose eyes bore into mine tonight was so different. He was taller and stronger. His muscles, particularly in his arms and shoulders, were bigger and stronger, but with the lean elegance of a swimmer or a runner. His jaw now possessed a gloriously sharp angle that I didn't recall before. The Jacob who placed his hand under my chin and forced my eyes to meet his was more of a man than I had realized. I wasn't quite sure as to when or how that had happened.

He had changed, but so had I.

I wasn't the same girl that he - Edward - had left all those months ago. That girl was gone, and she wasn't coming back. The wind that rushed in my ears as I dropped down towards the Pacific reminded me that nothing is forever. Like the wind, time is fleeting, and I'd let enough fly by. It was time to move on, I decided. However, the water that Jacob forced from my lungs reminded me that I'd gone too far. I couldn't believe that he'd saved me from myself again. What a fool I was. There was little time to waste.

Tomorrow, I'd begin to put the pieces back in place.

And I did, starting with an early breakfast with Charlie.

For the first time in ages, I think, I woke before him. Surveying the damage that we'd done to my well stocked pantry over the last few months, I began to realize some of the effects of my recent behavior. The pantry was essentially bare. Memories of the diner and pizza boxes flitted through my mind. I sighed. Charlie deserved better than what I'd given to him.

However, there were eggs and a box of pancake mix in the pantry. They seemed alright, so I whipped up a batch, placing the final product on the table just as Charlie walked down the stairs.

He stared at me, similar to the way he did at dinner last night. I stared back.

"Good morning, Bells."

"Good morning, Dad. Sleep well?"

"Uh huh, sure. You?"

I thought for a moment. With a smile, I realized that last night was one of the first nights that I'd not had a nightmare. Edward was gone, and I was fine. "Yeah, I did. Now, eat up before your eggs get cold."

After we ate, I poured each of us a cup of coffee. He read the paper, and I made a grocery list.

"The kitchen is in a sad state, so I'm going to the store. Any requests?"

Charlie put the paper down and stared at me again. He sighed. "Are you okay, kiddo?"

"Yeah, I am. I - " I swallowed and offered him a half smile. "I'm really sorry, Dad."

He looked down and smoothed out the sports section. "It was never you I was mad at."

I fought back tears. "How about pot roast?"

"Sounds great. Take my card."

"Okay. You want stuff for sandwiches?"

"Yeah. Get some fruit and veggies, too. Harry's heart attack made me nervous. He's not - he wasn't too much older than me."

I frowned. "We should both be eating better than we have anyways. I'll get some raw spinach or something for salads. We could both use the green."

"Okay. I'm getting you a cell phone today, too. I didn't like not being able to get a hold of you yesterday. I don't care that Billy knew where you'd be. I didn't. That's not cool, kid."

I nodded. "Nothing fancy. I only need it for you and Renee."

He folded the paper. "What about Jake?"

I shrugged. "Maybe Jake, too."

"Uh huh," he replied, folding his paper and grabbing his wallet. "Here's my card. Grab whatever you want for the week. Since we ate with Billy and Jake yesterday, would you mind if I invited them over for pot roast tonight?"

"Not at all. Could be fun."

He headed out the door and I to the kitchen sink.

I gave the kitchen a good, thorough, top-to-bottom clean, which it desperately needed, and then made my way to the bathroom, also in an equally sorry state. I sighed. Never again would I neglect my dad this way.

Jake called at around 9:30 to let me know he was on his way. I surveyed the house for any obvious dirtiness and decided it was fine before running upstairs to get cleaned up.

I wasn't sure what to do about Jake. He was wonderful and honest and caring, but, frankly, he frightened me a little. It was too easy with him. I felt like if I got swept up in him that the shoe would drop like it did with the Cullens. But wasn't that the point? To put yourself out there regardless of where the shoe was? Besides, Jake was a different shoe altogether. While a big part of me knew that he'd never do what they did, it was still at the back of my mind, and I knew it was all because of Edward.

Suddenly, I knew what I needed to do, and soon. I needed to move on, and I needed to get in touch with Angela and Jessica. Tomorrow. Besides, I'd neglected them as well. And I owed Jessica for the stupid stunt I pulled at the movie theater.

It was supposed to be warm outside, so I settled on a soft, brown peasant top and jeans. I sighed. This felt like a date sort of outfit. In that moment alone, I hated Alice for leaving more than ever. I fidgeted with the top, adjusting it until it clung the right way. My hair was another story. I just left it down. Nice and easy. Only the top would suggest any extra thought went into my outfit. It still felt date-like.

The doorbell rang, so I went downstairs. It was Jake, who at first glance seemed to be casual as well. A second look told me he had similar difficulties getting dressed this morning as well. He paired a black t-shirt with dark jeans, which seemed simple enough, but the belt and boots were things he never wore. It was usually a sneakers and no belt sort of thing for him. I fought back a grin.

"Hey, Bells. You ready to go?"

I nodded. "Sure thing. Let me grab my purse and Charlie's card."

He raised an eyebrow. "We going shopping?"

"I need to go to the grocery store. You can come with me if you like."

"Sure thing. What do we need?"

"Lots. I've got to restock the house... I've been slacking for a while. Time to fix that. It's long overdue. Plus, I'm making pot roast tonight."

His hand flew to his stomach. "Sounds delicious."

"Good," I teased. "You and Billy are invited."

He grinned widely. "Excellent. Let's get to it then."

We climbed in the Rabbit. "Store or truck?"

"Truck," I replied. "Let's go ahead and take care of that. As long as the roast is on by one we'll be fine."

He nodded. "Off we go."

The normally peaceful, quiet drive felt suffocating.

"We should turn on some music," I suggested.

He stared at me like I'd grown three extra heads.

"What?" I felt my cheeks burn.

"Sorry. I just thought you hated it."

Oh. "I did, but things are changing. Put on something good. Surprise me."

He nodded, taking it in. "Okay. I've already got something good in here."

He pressed the power button on his stereo, and a band I didn't recognize flooded the speakers.

"Who is this?"

"City and Colour. They're pretty chill."

I listened for a bit. "I like them. Acoustic is good."

He grinned. "Thought you might."

The rest of the drive was filled with the sounds of this new band filled that filled the speakers and the rush of wind from the open windows. It was perfect. Even the part when Jake took my hand in his. I didn't fight it for once and instead just let him go for it. And the world became a little less frightening.

He stiffened a little when we arrived at the cliff, but otherwise showed no reaction to yesterday's events. I had no regrets, save the part where I technically drowned and scared Jake. That part I wasn't okay with. Now was the time to fix things though.

He threw the Rabbit into park. "I can follow you to the grocery store, or we can drop off your truck. Which would you rather do?"

"Just follow, then we can just hang out for a bit at the house after I put the roast on."

He nodded. "Lunch?"

"We'll pick up something good at the store."

To say our grocery run was interesting is an understatement. It was probably the most fun I'd ever had running errands.

Jake pushing me around in the basket while I directed him around the aisles was probably the highlight. It was just silly and fun.

I bought bread for sandwiches and two baguettes to go with dinner; canned tomatoes and vegetables; several varieties of dry, whole wheat pasta; chicken stock, beef stock and vegetable stock; tons of pasta; romaine lettuce and raw spinach for salads; fresh tomatoes; red and green peppers; shiitake and button mushrooms; and lots of fruit. Plus, frozen lasagna and pizza for nights when Charlie was on his own. Not that there would be many. Then we hit the meat counter, and Jake's eyes lit up as I gave my orders to the deli case manager and butcher. I bought three kinds of lunch meat, plenty of cheese, a massive roast and three whole chickens.

"I think this is good for now." The basket was practically overflowing.

He just grinned. "You're amazing."

I blushed. "Sure, sure. Let's go."

The total wasn't entirely atrocious, but I saved the receipt for Charlie. He'd just be happy the kitchen would be stocked again and that we'd have regular, hot, wholesome meals on the table again. Yes, all would be good.

Jake loaded his trunk with the groceries and then followed me home. It took two trips each and the kitchen table was covered with food. When we went to put everything away, I had some trouble getting the fridge to shut. Charlie would be very happy indeed.

"What do you need me to do?" Jake asked, watching me start to prep the roast.

"Dice up the potatoes and mushrooms, then toss them in the slow cooker after I season the roast and set it in there."

We worked well together. He obviously knew his way around the kitchen, having helped take care of Billy for the last several years. The easiness of it all was a little unsettling. I pushed the feeling out of my mind and focused on the present. The present was good. Jake was good, not to mention good for me. He was different.

We made sandwiches for lunch, straightened up the kitchen and then settled down in the living room.

"Movie?" he asked.

"Sure thing. You pick."

He settled on Raiders of the Lost Ark, one of my and Charlie's favorites, before joining me on the couch and taking my hand in his. I think I surprised him when I intertwined our fingers, but he didn't question it. When Indy shot the big guy in the middle of the market, I found myself sinking into his side. Jake sighed happily, and I found myself grinning.

It wasn't until Indy found Marion in the tent that I realized that Jake was staring at me.

"What?" He was making me feel self conscious.

"You seem different today."

"Good different or bad different?"

"Good. Very good, actually. Is - is this because of yesterday?"

I sighed. "Yes, but not for reasons that you think. It's because I realized what a wreck I've been, and I'm making up for it. I'm feeling more like myself. When I jumped off the cliff - "

"Walked. You walked off the cliff."

"Oh. Well, it felt like a huge leap to me."

"Go on."

"Okay, when I jumped off of the cliff, I felt more free than I had in a long time. All of the bad just seemed to melt away. I'm glad I did it, but I still hate that I scared you. It wasn't my intention. Please know that, Jacob."

"I do," he relented, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. "Just promise me you'll never do that ever again. At least not alone. I'll go with you if its something you really want to do."

I smiled. "I think it was a one-time thing, but I'll keep that in mind if I change my mind."

He nodded and returned his attention to the movie, placing his arm around my shoulders. "Love you, Bells."

I sank into his side and took a deep breath. He smelled good. "You, too, Jake."

When the movie ended, he turned to me, his arm still around my shoulders. "Want to watch another?"

I checked his watch - it was 3 o'clock. "Sure. It'll be a while before Charlie gets home anyways."

"You pick."

"Nope. Surprise me. Otherwise I'll throw on something British that Charlie can't stand and I know you'll completely hate."

"Say no more." He jumped up and swapped out the DVDs.

When Sense and Sensibility came on, I just stared at him. "You sure?"

He nodded. "My sisters have this one. It's not so bad. I actually kind of like it."

I just went with it. It was one of my favorites. The parallels of the movie and my situation with Jake were not lost on me, nor him I'd bet. He just pulled me closer.

When I teared up, Jake noticed.

"Aw, Bells," he whispered, wiping them away. "Don't cry."

"I can't help it. This movie always does that to me."

He chuckled, and I adjusted to meet his eyes. "It's sweet, and you're adorable."

When his fingers brushed the stray hair out of my eyes, I felt him tense, like he was wondering whether he should have done so or not. It was in that single moment that I made my decision.