Chapter 3

Thanks for being patient, guys. This chapter is off the beaten path, so it took more time.

Hope it's all right. Thanks for reading =]

I'd spent the rest of the week in La Push, trying to keep Charlie happy, even though Jacob was always out. It was at night when he made his brief appearances, laying quietly outside my window until I gave a little wave. I never used the lock anymore, just in case he wanted a drier spot to rest, and more than once I found my pillow scrunched up on my floor. I wasn't letting myself dwell on the fact that a vampire used to watch me sleep just in case it came out in my dreams. If I ever screamed in my sleep, he never let me know. Finally, he called. It was good to hear his voice again, he had started to seem like a ghost to me.

"Hey Bells." Impossible that his voice had gotten even deeper. It must be the time away.

"Jacob! Everything OK?"

"Sure, sure. I'm off tomorrow, just letting you know."

"Great! Can I come in the morning?" I hoped I didn't sound desperate, then decided I didn't care.

"'Course. It'll be nice to be around you when you're conscious again. Geez, you talk loud."

"Mmmk. See you then, Jake." His comment had made me blush deeply, and I didn't want to give it away in my voice. Better to be short and sweet.

Charlie was, of course, extremely satisfied with this new turn of events. He was always mentioning Jacob, gauging my reactions and laughing at my color changes. I avoided the topic with him as much as was humanly possible.

The next morning I left the house before he had a chance of attack, roaring my old truck to life after several minutes of profanities. I slid out of the driveway at a ridiculous volume and began the short drive to La Push.

When Jacob's house was in sight, my stomach started going crazy. I pulled up, killed the engine, and stared. The morning light framed the little house in bright colors, enhancing its inviting image. I badly wanted to be inside, to see his bright smile fill my view, but I was moving in slow motion. A whole day together would mean talking, lots of talking. Probably about me and him. The only physical contact I'd had with him was during sleep, and I was afraid to move too fast. I'd had lots of thinking time, and I wanted to do this right. I was too good at screwing things up.

The door was unlocked, so I crept inside and looked around. It looked deserted. I searched the rooms, starting quiet and gradually getting louder as I stumbled over clutter. Nobody was home, but I had no idea where to look for them. Who was out this early, besides me? I walked out to the porch, hoping to see someone recognizable walking by. I got lucky.

"Embry!" His turned his head in my direction and then began jogging towards me.

"Morning, Bella. I was waiting for you; Jake & Billy had to talk to some of the elders for a little while, just some…stuff." He grinned, and I could tell from his eyes how tired he was.

"Is it gonna take long?"

"Shouldn't be. With, uh, the," he swallowed the word. "Yeah, well, everything is pretty normal again." I just nodded.

"I'm heading over to Emily's." He padded his stomach. "Come with me and wait. He'll find you easily there."

I hoped silently that Sam would be out, as well. Emily always seemed more approachable when she was alone. It wasn't that Sam was unkind, but when they were together, it seemed like no one else was in the room. One couldn't help but feel uncomfortable intruding on their happiness.

Luckily, Emily was alone, sitting at the little kitchen table. She smiled broadly when we walked through the door.

"Hello, guys. I knew one of you would be over soon, so I made some breakfast. Bella, you're more than welcome to it." She waved her hand casually to the stove behind her. Embry made a beeline for the pots and scooped out some bacon and eggs. With an overflowing plate, he sat down beside Emily and dug in. I grabbed an apple and took an empty seat.

"So," Emily began. "What's going on?" Her eyes met mine, and I shrugged. Embry answered for me.

"She's waiting for her lover to get back." I stared at him, my eyes big. They rolled back to Emily.

"Um, actually Jacob said he was off today, so…" Emily was trying not to laugh at Embry's grin.

What a little punk, I thought, but I smiled in spite of it all. That was the general idea, right? That's why I had been so eager to come down this morning? To be with Jacob, to quench my thirst for him. The image of his smile floated into my mind. I thrummed my fingers on the table. Emily smiled.

"Well, he shouldn't be long. Sam said the meeting would be brief, and…and I think I hear them now."

"Yufph," Embry managed, his mouth full.

I looked expectantly at the door, thinking I could see his approaching shadow, my eyes tricking her. My mind raced again and I bit my lip, unsure what would happen once we spent time together today, once he walked in through that door..I closed her eyes.

"Bells," a voice said softly. Even next to Embry, I only now felt my temperature rise.