Bella POV

The weekend moved quickly after the latest Victoria sighting. I still spent the night at Kim's and Saturday I worked. It was easy to get distracted at times, and forget that I should be tense. Being on La Push would calm me. My friends did that.

I spent midmorning on Sunday at Clear Water's, Leah's families business. Although now it seemed more like it was becoming Leah's place. I had always enjoyed the bookstore/café, but it felt different now and more relaxed. I also couldn't deny Emily's pastries. It was always relaxing to be there with a book and a scone.

Especially when I was in time to catch a show.

When Leah took over the business she hired Kim to work in the bakery with Emily. She also hired some help for the bookstore end with Athan Waye. Athan was a writer who now lived in Forks, though he used to visit La Push as a kid, and Leah barely remembered him, though he seemed to remember her. While she acted irritated with him half of the time, he was a good fit for the shop.

Now I noticed a different dance between the two. Leah would go out of her way to avoid him, which seemed to make Athan confused. I was too at first, until I saw Leah's expression. And then I knew.

I waited until Leah came over to sit with me on her break before I said anything.

"Hey you buying that book or what?"

"So when did you imprint on Athan?"

Leah hissed as she sat and looked to see if anyone was around. "Emily told you?"

"No your face did. Why didn't you just tell me yourself."

"Because it doesn't matter, I'm not doing anything about it."

"You told Emily." I stuck my tongue out at her, hoping to lighten the mood.

"No Emily saw it happen. It was the day I phased, I came back into the store and saw him and…"

"That was it." I finished. "Well I'm sorry."

"Thank you." She sighed. "I know I could tell you and you'd understand it's not necessarily a good thing."

"When that connection is so quick and strong it makes you feel like you've lost the control in it."

"Exactly." She looked at me. "I guess you and Edward are kind of like imprinting."

"We can be." I shook my head, not wanting to think about it. "Are you sure you don't want to try and do anything about Athan? You could just try dating."

"The more I see him out of work, the worse it will get. I don't want to be vulnerable like that again. Although…"

"You can understand Sam and Emily now." I finished again.

"Yes. It's part of the reason why I accepted the pack. I didn't have the harsh feelings anymore. I just wanted to wait until the choice was mine. I did miss my best friend though. I can admit now that I was more in love with the idea of him rather than him himself. You and Jacob remind me of us."

"That's better than hearing we should be together."

"You know, I think that's the reason it happened with Sam and I. Part curiosity and part everyone telling us we should date."

"You succumbed to peer pressure."

"Ha, in a way. Well, now you know."

"I think you should give him a chance. You don't have to be happy about it, I get why you're not but you can't be a cynic forever."

"Hey, it's me." She laughed and went back to work.

The rest of Sunday was spent catching up on work with Jessica and Angela. The others couldn't hang out so we three ended up doing homework and talking. From time to time I could hear a wolf in the background, but attempted to ignore it. They were probably just communicating, since there was no alarm in the howls. Instead I listened to Angela gush about Eric and Jessica's complaints over Mike. It felt normal and easy; making part of me wish it could always be like that.

I wouldn't change a thing though. The only part I wished could be different was what I had to keep from my human friends. They would never know all of me. Then again, not everyone could handle what really was. So I looked at the girls and enjoyed the time I had to hang out with them.

I had been dreading. It was lab day in biology and I felt my feet dragging when I walked into the school. Morgan was more cheery seeing as Embry wasn't in La Push, but patrolling around the school. The Cullen's were gone hunting, except Esme and Jasper, who had more recently. The others didn't go far, but a few of the pack still stuck close in case.

I went to class and waved at Jasper across the room. I hated labs, but felt relieved when I saw we were merely looking at slides, not as difficult as I thought. We didn't have to work in groups, just identify on our own. Some people were chatting as the teacher left the room, waiting for us to finish our identifications. I was doing alright with mine when I heard Tracy Willis curse and looked to see her crouched on the floor. It appeared that she dropped a slide and in the act of trying to pick up the glass, she cut her hand. It didn't look serious until I caught the look on Jasper's face.

I didn't think, I just acted and went to the front of the room to Jasper. He had never looked more like a vampire and I could hear his throat growl in protest as I grabbed his arms.

"Jasper look at me."

He did, and with his now alert senses I could tell he was breathing in my more alluring scent. "Don't." He said, but still leaned close to me.

"What's wrong with him?" Tracy asked.

"Jasper is sensitive to blood Trace, no big just makes him sick. Can you tell Mr. Vagliardo I'm taking him to the nurse?"

Tracy nodded as I tugged Jasper out of the room. It was surprisingly easy, though I believed it was because I had now distracted him with my blood rather than Tracy's.

I could see he was battling the urge, but I couldn't tell which part of him was winning.

When we reached the parking lot I made sure no one was around or looking. It seemed we were safe, so I turned back to Jasper. His eyes were still dark and strained, his posture coiled towards a pounce. He shook with the little effort he had left in holding back. "Hey. Jasper. Look at me. Look at who it is. It's me, it's Bella. This isn't you. It's ok, you're ok."

He looked at me but I could tell didn't see yet. He was still being consumed by that other part of him. I knew he could kill me quite easily, but he still battled through it, focusing on me to probably remind himself who I was and what losing control would mean.

Without hesitating I drew him close and wrapped my arms around him. He was surprised by the move and probably the scent and remained still.

"Bella, run." He rasped, but didn't move away himself.

"I'm not going anywhere Jaz. You're fine, you didn't hurt anyone, and you're not hurting me. Just think about who you are, not what."

I felt him nod and slowly relax. I'm not sure how long it took but eventually he sighed and hugged me back. He was still shaking but I knew the worst was over.

"I'm so sorry."

"You did nothing wrong. It was just wrong place wrong time, but everything is ok."

"You shouldn't have come out here, I could have lost it."

"It's not my style. You would have done the same for me." I glanced around the lot. Did you run here?"

"Esme."

"Right. Keep up appearances. Well, come on. We'll go to the house, I don't think anyone will notice you're not at the nurse. You can't go back to class."

"No, but I don't know if I should be in a truck with a human either."

"You won't hurt me, I don't think you could. I'm not leaving you alone."

"Bella, I don't want to…"

"You don't want to mess with me." I interrupted, and got in the truck, knowing he'd follow. "When are the others getting back?" I added when he got in the passenger seat.

"This afternoon, though I suspect they'll be early once Alice sees what almost happened." He sounded angry with himself. "Thank you. I really don't know if I had the control. Having you there reminded me."

"Don't mention it." I smiled over at him. That's what we do."

"Family." He said, but I couldn't find it in me to answer. "That's what you'll always be Bella, even if things with you and Edward stay as is. Your acceptance of what we are was enough but the things you continue to do for us and how you act…" He trailed off and smiled. "No matter what, you'll never stop being my sister."

I blinked as the tears swam and I turned on to the Cullen's long road. At the top I saw Esme, standing on the porch and looking anxious. "It looks like Alice has sent out the alert." I said to Jasper and parked. He had already darted to Esme and I saw him nodding to her questions by the time I got out of the truck and walked over.

"Do you need to feed?"

"I think I'll wait for Alice to get back. I'm guessing I ruined their trip for mountain lions."

"They should be back here soon." Esme looked to me. "I hardly know what to say. You continue to make me thankful."

"It was nothing Esme."

"It was a great deal more than nothing." She linked her arm through mine as we walked into the house. "I hope Renee and Charlie are proud of the woman they raised.

I chuckled as I sat at the kitchen counter. "I think Charlie is, but he didn't really raise me. And Renee…" I searched for the right description. "She provided for me, she kept me safe, but she didn't raise me. I think she forgot the whole teaching and guiding step of parenting."

Esme seemed sad. "I suppose in this time that goes with what happens when people have children young."

"I don't think it was her age. She doesn't have that mother instinct and gene like you do."

She smiled. "I always knew it was what I was meant to be."

"Renee never had that. She never thought of kids, didn't have that craving to be a mother. She knew she didn't want to give me up. And she did better than most thought she could. She probably even surprised herself. I know she loves me, she just never understood me." I looked down at my hands. "I think in part I loved you all because you did get me, and I wanted that sense of family."

"You completed ours, you know that. You fit." Esme gripped my hands in hers.

"I fit here. And that's when I really understood all of what I didn't as a kid. I never belonged anywhere else but here, that was the problem. It wasn't anything wrong with me."

"There's nothing wrong with you." Jasper agreed.

"I still wish your mother was different to you." Esme sighed.

"She loves me, that's what counts. Also in having to learn and attend to myself I think she did me a service. I've always been able to solve problems and take care of things, which is something my mother could never do." I looked from our meshed hands to Esme's eyes. "Besides I have another.

As she understood she rose and skirted the counter while holding her arms open to me. Esme truly had all my mother had lacked to give me, and I knew I'd love her all my life. As I rested my chin on her shoulder my eyes met Edwards as he stood at her back. He looked at Jasper and back to me and Esme. I knew he had read minds to fill himself in and knew everything from the school to here. His eyes softened as they kept on mine. I saw the emotion brewing there and I opened my mouth to say the things I was starting to think about once more. He did the same, and then the others burst in.

Alice went straight for Jasper, who related the story while the others listened and Carlisle came over to thank me as Esme had. All the while, my eyes never left his, until Alice bounced over to me.

"I'm so mad at you." She practically sang.

"You are not." I retorted. "You and I both know he wasn't going to lose it." I looked at Jasper and winked. "He waited for you to hunt though."

"Yes we should get to that." Alice rushed to kiss my cheek and leave with Jasper, likely all in the same five seconds.

"Bella…." Edward started and seemed at a loss.

"I know." I smiled at him. "That's what we do."

And I realized not only had I belonged in Forks and La Push, but I belonged with not just one, but both of my familes. I was believing once again that I had never stopped, and always would.