Title: Fishing
Series: Pre-Twilight
Characters : Billy, Charlie, Jake, Bella
Pairing: Jacob/Bella (friendship)
Charlie and Billy had always like fishing.
Bella and Jake had never been a fan. As it was they were going fishing today. Bella suspected it had something to do with Sarah. Sarah Black had died only a couple of months earlier. Jake hadn't smiled a lot since she had been here. Bella supposes she can't blame him. After all his mother had just died. It's not like he had much to smile about.
She supposes this is an attempt to get him out of the house.
It's the only reason she is going. She thinks he might need some time outside. Jake and Billy should probably also spend some time together. And if she had to suffer trough one afternoon of fishing to make him smile she would gladly do it. She wishes there was something she could do for him. But she knows there's nothing she can do. There's nothing she can say.
Jake's not exactly thrilled at the prospect.
Two hours later Bella can't exactly blame him. She's sure she's never been more bored in her life. It wouldn't have been so bad if they could actually talk. But Billy and Charlie had requested complete silence. Something to do with Fish staying away from to much noise. For them it might have been nice. For Jake and Bella it made everything even more boring.
They ended up whispering.
Years later Bella can't truly remember what they talked about. Nor what game they were playing. Whatever it was it made her stand at some point. And since she was Isabella Swan, the clumsiest girl in Forks, she fell. In the water. She must have looked like a drowned cat. There was complete silence. For about five seconds. Then they all three began to laugh with her. Usually Bella hated being laughed at. She hated it. She was ready to say something when her eyes fell on Jake.
He was not just smiling. He was laughing. He was happy.
And she's sure it's the first time he's laughed so hard since his mother died. And she doesn't have the heart to take it away from him. For those couple of seconds he had forgotten she was gone. It's all she could give him. He made to help her out. But she wanted to make him laugh more. So instead of accepting his hand she pulled him in the water.
She supposes she's lucky he didn't see it coming.
It's the only reason it worked. The only reason why she was strong enough to pull him in the water. She didn't think it was possible but Billy and Charlie actually started to laugh harder. Now they were two drowned cats. Bella didn't even care if they got sick. Suddenly Jake cries out: 'Dad! I caught a fish!' Everybody turns to him. And sure enough Jacob Black is holding a fish in his hands. A live fish.
Complete and shocked silence.
Billy and Charlie never expected this. It only took them a couple of seconds to recover though. Bella had a picture of that day. They were both on the picture (and they did look like drowned cats) grinning. It's the happiest picture of Jake that year.
And so it was that on that Friday in the middle of summer Jacob Black – with a little help from Isabella Swan – caught his first fish.
It just wasn't in the traditional way.