Well, I wired you I had a surprise. Here she is. Meet the wife.

"Time to wake up, Bells."

Bella shifted in bed, trying desperately to hold onto sleep just a little bit longer.

"Bells, honey, you can't keep hitting snooze." Somebody reached over her and turned off the blaring alarm clock.

Warm arms encircled her waist. Bella snuggled deeper into the heat, drowsy and content in her dreams. A gravely voice whispered in her ear again. "Bells, baby, I'd love to lay in bed all day, but we really have to get up."

Bella blinked her eyes open. What on earth? she thought. This isn't my room at Charlie's. Where in the hell am I? She could feel something poking her in the back. Oh my God. There's a man in my bed. Holy shit! Did I get drunk last night after I left the Blacks'?

She wracked her brain, searching for answers. Suddenly, it all came rushing back. The beach, Sarah Black... that was just a dream, wasn't it? The arm around her waist snuggled her tighter and before she knew what was happening, she felt herself being pushed onto her back, her entire body being pressed into the mattress. Strong lips caressed her own in a seemingly familiar kiss when it dawned on her... Jacob. I'm in bed with Jacob Black. Bella froze.

Jacob pulled back from her, searching her eyes for signs of distress. "Honey, is everything alright?"

"I - I'm fine," she stuttered. "Just tired this morning." Truthfully, she was trying to make heads or tails of the situation. What on earth was am I doing in bed with Jacob Black and where in the hell am I, anyway?

You mean . . . Mary, you're on the nest?
George Bailey lassos stork.

He gave her a sympathetic smile. "I know, the baby's already taking a lot out of you. Why don't you lay here a little longer? I'll get in the shower and wake you up when I'm done." Jacob pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Love you, Bells." He rolled out of bed, stretching his arms skyward, flexing and yawning. Bella watched him walk into the bathroom and as soon as the door closed, she shot out of bed and ran to the mirror over the dresser. Bella lifted her shirt, looking at her flat stomach. A baby? No way! she thought. I don't even look pregnant. This can't be happening to me! I'm engaged to Edward! She twisted the ring on her finger, and glanced down suddenly realizing it wasn't Edward's ring she was wearing. It was Sarah Black's ring.

The ring Jacob had given her.

Bella laid back down on the bed. Not happening. Not real. This is just a dream. Wake up, wake up, wake up! She went over every word Sarah had said to her. What was the last thing she'd told her? She should see what her life would be like with Jacob. That she needed that to decide. "Holy shit," she whispered. "I'm married to Jake!"

Bella felt the walls closing in on her. She gasped for air, trying not to panic. She could hear the shower turn off and Jacob whistling to himself in the bathroom. Ok, I can do this, she thought. I'm married to Jacob. Jacob is my husband. Jacob and I... oh my God. Jacob is my husband, and we're having a baby. We're too young! He's too young!

I don't know. Maybe I will say it. How old are you anyway?
Eighteen.
Eighteen? Why, it was only last year you were seventeen.
Too young or too old?

Oh, no. Just right. Your age fits you. Yes, sir, you look a little older without your clothes on.

The bathroom door opened and steam billowed out. Jacob strode into the bedroom, naked as the day he was born. Bella was in a panic, trying to internally process the entire situation, and now she was like a deer caught in the headlights. She couldn't stop staring. Jacob was fucking huge!

He grinned at her, like it was the funniest thing in the world. "Keep staring at me like that and I'm going to end up back in bed with you, Bells." He walked over to her, bent down and kissed her hard on the mouth. "We have all day tomorrow, and I plan (kiss) to (kiss) make love (kiss) to you (kiss kiss) all (kiss kiss) day (kiss kiss) long."

"Sorry?", she whispered, half apologetic, half questioning the amazing sex life it sounded like they had.

"Mmmm... don't ever be sorry for wanting me, Bells. I love you, sex kitten side and all," he laughed. "Now, seriously, I have to get dressed. Are you awake enough for me to leave in a few? No falling back asleep?"

You have no idea, she thought. "Yeah, I'm up."

Jacob went over to the dresser, pulling out clothes and talking a blue streak while Bella couldn't quit staring at his ass. Damn. I always wondered what he always hid under those jeans, but this... she shook her head, trying to think of something other than the wet heat between her legs. Concentrate, Bella! she chastised herself.

"... we have to be over to Sam's at 7 tonight. Oh, and I'm going to run a quick patrol after work today. I'm done at noon, so I should be home around 2:30."

Bella blinked. "Sorry, why are we going to Sam's?"

Jacob looked at her in amazement. "Honey, are you okay this morning? Is the baby already eating your brain?" She just kept looking at him, waiting for an answer. "Bella, it's Christmas Eve. Seriously? Did you forget?"

No, it's just that the last Christmas Eve I spent with you, I ended up unconscious and talking to your dead mother. Bella shrugged. "Sorry, I guess I just lost track of the days. I thought it was tomorrow," she covered. Jacob seemed to buy it.

"Well, don't forget the cookies and cakes you promised to bring over tonight. I know Emily didn't have any special requests, but you know how much the guys love your chocolate cake."

"Sure, I can do that," she responded. What was she going to do? Say no?

"Oh, and maybe make something Charlie likes. It might soften the blow when we announce you're pregnant tonight. I mean, I know we're married and all, but I swear he likes to think that we don't have sex," laughed Jacob. "I have a feeling he's going to get good and drunk when he puts two and two together."

He's making violent love to me, Mother!

Bella laughed loudly, then clapped a hand over her mouth. Jacob was right. Charlie would probably like to think of it as some sort of Christmas miracle. Immaculate werewolf conception.

Jacob sat down next to her on the bed, pulling on his socks. "I have to go, honey." He leaned over, and kissed her one more time. "I love you."

Bella found herself looking into his eyes, seeing all of the love he'd ever shown her and then some. She wondered if he'd been holding back all this time. If she'd really pushed him so far away that he was afraid to really show her everything. It was a foreign concept. Jacob Black had always worn his heart on his sleeve when it came to Bella Swan. Yet the way he was looking at her now, the intensity of his gaze, she couldn't help but wonder. She found herself responding to him, kissing him back, wanting to explore it, wanting to be closer to him. "I love you," she whispered. He embraced her quickly and headed out.

Now, look, if you'll point me in the right direction...would you do that, George?

Right down here.
Oh...Old Building and Loan pal, huh...
Now you just turn this way and go right straight down there.

When she heard the front door close, Bella went exploring in the house. Evidently, this was her home now, no matter that she'd never seen it before. That seemed to be the theme this morning anyhow. Hell, in her mind she was still a virgin, but evidently she was pregnant. A fact that still astounded her. She padded down the hallway, turning the corner, but finding the place strangely familiar. As if she really had been here before. Bella shook her head. That can't be.

It was truly a beautiful place. Just what she would have chosen for herself. Not too big, not too small. Muted browns on the walls, a soft rug beneath her feet. An old fireplace in the living room, with a beautifully carved mantle. She'd always admired that mantle. Billy is such an amazing carver, she thought. I remember looking at the pictures on this mantle as a little girl and... Something clicked into place. It couldn't be, could it? It all looked so different, and it was bigger. She rushed outside and sure enough, it was Billy's house. Jacob's house. I live here now? Bella was confused. There was an obvious addition to the back, but it was the same place alright. Faded red paint and all.

It's full of romance, that old place. I'd like to live in it.

Going back inside, she went down the hallway, opening doors. Billy's bedroom appeared to be a spare room of sorts now. The old bathroom had been renovated, it was nearly unrecognizable save for the tiny seashells that littered the windowsill.

The room that had belonged to Rachel and Becca was a work in progress. Paint samples were taped to the walls and over in the corner, boxes were stacked up, marked save and give away.

She crept down the hallway and opened the door to what used to be Jacob's cramped bedroom. It looked like an office of sorts now. An old wooden desk sat beneath the window, and sitting on it was a laptop, screen in sleep mode, cursor blinking away. An unfinished manuscript lay next to it and Bella's fingers itched to read it. She forced herself to keep looking around.

Bookshelves lined the room and in the corner was a lamp and a cozy overstuffed chair. This was obviously her space. Peering at the bookshelves, she noticed her battered old favorites alongside several new ones too. On one of the shelves sat a stack of photo albums.

Bella pulled them down and opening the covers, quickly scanned the contents, taking the ones she needed to the kitchen table with her.

The kitchen hadn't changed too much. It looked like at some point they put in new counters, and painted the cabinets. The old linoleum was gone too, but Sarah Black's table remained. The fragrant smell of coffee wafted through the air and Bella automatically opened up the cupboard where the Blacks had always stored their old chipped mugs. She thanked the heavens above that she hadn't moved everything around. If there was ever a day she needed coffee, it was today. There was a note sitting next to the pot from Jacob, stating that she could only have one cup, reminding her about not getting the baby hyped up on caffeine.

Bella seated herself at the worn table- steaming mug in hand- and began flipping through the first album, trying to make sense of the life she'd unknowingly created. Pictures of her and Jacob littered the surface by the time she was done. She studied them intently, amazed at what she had found. There were camping trips, pictures of her and Jacob hiking through the forests, swimming in hidden springs and waterfalls. The day of her college graduation, smiling and laughing, Jake on one side of her, and Renee on the other. One of the two of them sandwiched between a proud looking Billy and Embry, situated in front of an old rundown building, with a grand opening sign proudly displayed behind them.

There was an image of herself standing on the roof of the addition to the house, flexing her muscles, an oversized tool belt hanging loosely from her hips. She shook her head at that one, wondering why on earth anyone let her near tools and if she had ended up in the ER that day. Bella sighed and found herself wishing she was this woman. One who went out and did things instead of living through books.

Georgie, don't you ever get tired of just reading about things?

Let's go out in the fields and take off our shoes, and walk through the grass.
Then we can to up to the falls. It's beautiful up there in the moonlight, and there's a green pool up there, and we can, uh, s-swim in it. Then we can climb Mt. Bedford, and smell the pines and watch the sunrise against the peaks, and we'll stay up there the whole night, and everybody'll be talking and there'll be a terrific scandal...

There were various pictures of her with the rest of the pack along with some women she didn't recognize. Fleetingly, she wondered if they were the other imprints. Parties and holiday meals, bonfires and celebrations. All those faces smiled up at her.

One image struck her in particular. It was one in which she and Jacob seemed to be lost in their own little world. Her eyes were closed, and Jacob was looking down on her with so much love and adoration, she wondered how it was that she'd ever spared a second glance at another man.

I have a life, she thought. I look happy. I look so alive in these, doing things I never dreamed of.

Peering up at the clock, Bella decided she'd better start baking. There was no way of knowing how long she was going to be here and if she'd promised Emily deserts for the party, she couldn't show up empty handed. Baking seemed cathartic right now, anyway. It was something she could control. A few hours later, several dozen cookies were cooling on the counter, and a huge cake was in the oven. The house smelled like a bake shop.

Bella wandered into the living room, turning on the lights for the Christmas tree. On the coffee table was another album. Bella picked it up, opened the lid and gasped for air when her she saw the first photo. Jacob in a tuxedo, her in a white dress. It was their wedding day.

Suddenly, this all seemed too surreal again. For a person who was used to the supernatural, good with weird, as Jake liked to say, this was almost too much to process. Bella could feel the wires of her brain sizzling from overload. Her hands shook as she flipped the pages. Pictures of herself walking down aisle, the look on Jacob's face. Their families celebrating together, the pack raising their glasses in a toast. An image of the her and Jacob on the beach.

Bella was amazed at how good they looked. Well, Jake always looked good, but she looked incredible. Dressed in a simple gown, that floated in the breeze, hair framing her face in soft waves, tiny flowers pinned at the swept up sides. There was a glow on her skin, her cheeks flushed in excitement. She was in love with the man next to her. Bella's heart clenched. I want to be her.

Well, I've got eyes, haven't I? Why, she lights up like a firefly whenever you're around.

"That was always my favorite picture."

Bella jumped, startled by the voice behind her. She hadn't even heard Jacob come in. He pushed her hair away from the column of her neck, his warm breath fanned against her cheek. "I still can't believe you chose me," he whispered, nibbling the shell of her ear. The book slid from her lap, as she reached an arm behind his neck, turning her head to meet his. Unabashed love shone from his dark eyes and Bella wanted- no, needed- to kiss him, to feel his arms around her. She kissed him with abandon, and soon found herself locked in Jacob Black's heated embrace.

Welcome home, George Bailey.

His large, rough hands roamed her body, leaving trails of searing white hot fire in their wake. Clothes disappeared as if by magic and Jacob lifted Bella from the couch, her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. She was drowning with desire, aching to feel him inside of her. "Bella, fuck baby, I can't wait." He slammed her against the wall, entering her fast and hard. She threw her head back, moaning with pleasure she'd never felt before. "Oh, God, Jacob!", she cried. He kissed and nipped against her collarbone, pushing himself into her over and over, until she screamed in wild abandonment. Her breathing was ragged, body covered in a fine sheen of sweat. "I'm not done with you yet," he growled. Hands gripping her ass, Jacob carried her into the bedroom, tossing her down on the fluffy comforter, then swiftly entered her again.

The feeling of him buried deep inside of her body was incredible. The way he filled her so completely was more right than anything she'd ever experienced. Bella had never felt so wanted, so desired, so free. Her hips rose to meet his every thrust, her own small hands tugged and pulled at her breasts, while Jacob watched her writhe beneath him. "That's it, baby, let yourself go."

This time she felt her walls clamping down on him, squeezing him tight while another orgasm ripped through body. "You feel that, Bella? You're mine. All mine." Jacob thrust into her harder, staking a claim on her body and soul. His fingers were exploring, pinching at her clit. She fell over the edge, taking him tumbling with her. The heat of his release deep inside her sent little quakes all over her already shaking form. Jacob collapsed against her, panting and sweaty.

The smoke lifted and suddenly it occurred to her. Bella Swan, virgin, had just had knock down, drag out sex with Jacob Black. Oh my God. I just had sex with Jake! Not only that, but there was part of her that wanted to tie him to the bed and do that again and again and again. Holy shit! she thought. This is what I've been missing all this time?

Jacob turned to face her, a sneaky smile playing on the corners of his lips. "You have frosting on your nose." He leaned forward, gently kissing and licking it away. "Yum."

Bella laughed lightly. "You're just a big kid, you know that?"

Jacob cocked an eyebrow at her, and flashed her his biggest smile. "No honey, I'm a man. One who loves you, and still can't believe you're mine. Why did you marry me, anyway?"

You could have married Sam Wainright, or anybody else in town...

I didn't want to marry anybody else in town. I want my baby to look like you.

Bella shrugged nonchalantly. "Must have been your good looks and winning charm."

Jacob shook his head at her. "I love you." The words were so simple and it felt so right to hear them coming from him. She wanted to say them back, to believe this wasn't just a dream, that this was her life. Before she could, the beeping of the oven timer echoed through the house. Bella jumped from the bed, sprinted naked to the kitchen and pulled the cake out with lightning fast speed. She tossed it on the counter, in a hurry to get back into bed with Jake, to tell him the truth of what she was feeling right now, in this moment. Her heart sank when she went back in the room to find her husband fast asleep.

Crawling in bed beside him, she snuggled down into his arms. "I love you, Jacob Black. With all my heart, I love you."