Chapter Four: In which Spring Break begins.

AN: I don't own squat.

The weekend had been a long one. Saturday and Sunday had consisted of Bella being distracted by Jacob Black, who was over the moon that she knew everything that was going on. The result was the brunette being frequently whisked away by the wolf to go to the beach or to go by his house or to take a walk whenever he wasn't running "patrols." While it was clear Jacob didn't necessarily dislike Lucy, he did make it clear that his offer for these things were for Bella and Bella only. Bella tried to include her female friend, but Lucy was pretty sure she wouldn't have any fun with Jacob making mooneyes at her Bella as well as monopolizing all of her attention.

And then there was Paul Lahote.

Paul was irritating and pushy and argumentative. While Bella was distracted with Boy Wonder, Paul seemed to have taken up with babysitting Lucy. This included following her everywhere, hiding her pack of cigarettes, and trying to push her around. Maybe it was the shock of what she discovered that Friday still plaguing her, but it was starting to make her want to pull her hair out. Was this how Bella felt when either she or Jacob glued themselves to her hip? God, Lucy hoped not.

The worst part was that Paul stared at Lucy the entire time he was around her and it just made her that much more moody. She didn't understand anything about the situation at all. She had been stared at before, especially when she moved to Forks, but she had kind of enjoyed that- what was so different now? Why did Paul agitate her so much, and not necessarily in a bad way? What was it about him that made her feel so restless? And each time she would snap at Paul, he'd grin like he was pleased to get that response from her! The final straw was when all the boys were crowded in the kitchen for food Sunday night.

Sunday held some reprise from Paul since Sam had him running patrols with the others- why he couldn't have made Paul run them the day before as well was beyond Lucy's irritated comprehension, but she was thankful for the break nonetheless. Emily had taken pity on poor Lucy's nicotine withdrawals and found her pack for her while Paul was away. Within that Paul-free hour, the redhead might have gone overboard with the pack and smoked half of it. Unfortunately, that left her feeling a little queasy and without appetite from the chemicals and tobacco, but that was ultimately her own cross to bear. Or so Lucy would have thought.

Around the same time Lucy had taken to laying on the couch with her head in Bella's lap, the pack strolled in for dinner. From her spot, she could hear them stomping around in the kitchen, greeting Emily loudly and exclaiming about how excited they were for dinner, but the redhead refused to move, even when Bella slipped out from under her. Fuck it, she thought. Maybe it was rude but she was pretty sure she'd puke if she sat up and, somehow, that seemed even ruder. Besides, SpongeBob was on the television.

"Are you okay?"

Lucy looked up from the television to see Paul standing in the doorway with two plates of food in his hands. "Yeah?" was her answer. Her eyes turned back to the screen before she could see the twitch of his nose as he took in her scent. His inner wolf growled at the smell of tobacco and smoke on his imprint, which practically mutilated her natural chocolate-mint scent.

"You've been smoking." It wasn't even a question! Lucy rolled her eyes but otherwise didn't look away from the television. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction. Instead of even answering, she shrugged. "I brought you food."

Oh. Well. The redhead closed her eyes and sighed before sitting up. She couldn't be so inconsiderate as to not at least thank him. "Thanks, Paul but I'm actually not hungry," she tried to explain gently. It really was nice of him to bring her a plate of food, but she couldn't eat at the moment. She wasn't going to tell him it was because she found her pack of cigarettes, however.

"You should eat anyway," he said matter-of-factly, traipsing to the couch. He sat in the vacated space where her head was. Without thinking, she turned to sit properly in her seat so that her feet were on the floor. Lucy regretted it as soon as he laid one of the plates in her lap.

"It's really nice that you made me a plate, but I'm seriously not hungry," Lucy tried again, feeling her patience wearing thin.

"Yes it is nice of me, so you should eat. So eat."

Lucy liked to think of herself as a good person. Maybe not patient, but definitely not short with people. She absolutely never thought of herself as a rude individual. But there was something about Paul that made her lose all tolerance for just about anything. Despite coming to terms with this fact, it still surprised her when she opened her mouth and said, "Eat me," before standing up and storming into the kitchen with her plate in hand.

The rest of the wolves as well as Bella and Emily were seated at the table, enjoying the dinner, but quieted down upon Lucy's entrance.

"Cee, what's wrong?" Bella asked as soon as she saw her friend's expression.

"This child is testing my patience," the redhead muttered.

"You going to eat that?" Jared asked right as she started to place her plate on the counter. Shrugging, she changed direction and placed the plate in front of him.

"Knock yourself out."

"Lucy!"

"Holy Mother of God, what!" Lucy cried, spinning around to glare at the shivering shape shifter in the doorway. He looked so angry at her that she would have felt intimidated if not for the other four shape shifters between them. Paul stomped further into the kitchen, eyes glued to her.

"I told you to eat!" he growled.

"I told you I wasn't hungry!" she snapped in reply. "What is wrong with you! All you've done after hulking out on me is try to boss me around! You are not my fucking father, Paul. You can't tell me not to smoke or when I should eat and you sure as hell can't order me to do anything! Fuck this and fuck you!"

With her piece said, the furious redhead shoved past the trembling man in the doorway for her purse, then again to leave the house entirely. Except, on her way back out the living room, Paul snatched her arm, forcing her to turn around to face him.

"What did you say to me?" he growled. How did she not notice how he towered over her before? The beginnings of anxiety roiled in the pit of her stomach, though she managed to push it down with anger.

"Did I stutter? Now let go of me, shit-stain," she ordered. If anything, his grip tightened almost painfully. She tried to tug away from him but he jerked her closer, making her drop her purse. The anxiety was beating out the anger, rising to her chest. Paul's eyes were so dark and wild, just like the growls coming from his chest. Maybe she should have kept her mouth shut.

Paul was trying to control himself, he really was, but having your imprint curse at you and be so nasty was a difficult thing to get a grip on, especially for the most volatile of the pack. Maybe he was being overbearing when it came to Lucy but it was only because he cared so much. And, to be honest, he kind of liked the way her eyes would darken when she was irritated or how her skin would flush if he pushed the right buttons. It was a pleasure to see, particularly because she seemed so laid back with everyone else. Being the only person who could get that reaction from her so easily was a nice thought.

It didn't help that Paul had been in a bad mood before this argument had happened, but that shouldn't have mattered. He had been positive his foul mood would have faded away upon seeing his imprint. But then she smelled like tobacco and she refused to eat. He hated that she just wouldn't do what he told her to. He was her mate, she was supposed to obey! Despite feeling this way, however, he knew that he kind of liked that she wasn't so easy to push around. Only a little though.

She needed to learn when and when it wasn't the time to push him.

"Cee, please, just eat," begged the leech lover from the table. Paul tore out of his thoughts to glance at her wide eyes and pale face. Was she afraid he'd hurt Lucy? This time it wasn't Paul who growled, but the wolf within. He'd never hurt his imprint. He was meant to protect her! To feed her and care for her and make her happy! How dare this leech fucker pass that kind of judgment on him?

Suddenly, Lucy squeaked, bringing the volatile wolf from his inner turmoil to notice the grimace on her mouth. His hand was still gripping her upper arm in a desperate attempt to keep her next to him. But the flesh his hand was wrapped around was white and blotchy. His grip fell from the appendage with a gasp, though he couldn't tell if it was from him or her. Before she could move away from him, he pulled her into him, folding her soft body in his arms.

"I'm so sorry, oh, my God, Luce, I'm sorry," Paul whimpered in her hair. Why hadn't anyone stopped him? Why didn't Sam intervene? He wondered if Sam had that much faith in him or if he just didn't care. Hopefully it was the former.

Lucy was stiff in Paul's hold. He could feel her chest brushing against his own as she breathed and it served as some sort of comfort to him. After a few seconds, she placed her trembling hands against his bare chest and pushed. His first instinct was to pull her closer and growl, but he knew his luck was gone for the night. His arms fell from her body with great pains. The pain got worse when he saw her stony expression. Only the slight tremble of her lips showed how scared she had been. Not that he could blame her.

"I'm going home."

"I'll take Bella home later," Jacob started to pipe up, only to be interrupted.

"How about no. Bella's coming home with me tonight," Lucy disagreed, turning to face the other wolves. She didn't want to look at Paul at that moment. Something felt weird in her chest when she did.

"I don't think that's your decision to make!" Jacob protested, standing up slightly. Without meaning to, she whimpered slightly and stepped back, only to jump back forward when she brushed against the man behind her. Her nerves were so frayed and she was so tired of the wolves. She would have said something but… well Lucy was afraid.

Bella stood up from her seat with her plate, then wordlessly set it in the sink. Afterwards, she reached Lucy's shaky person, where she picked up the fallen purse and took her hand in her own.

"Bella?" Jacob whimpered.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow. Thanks for everything. Goodnight," said the brunette as she led her friend out the house. No one stopped them, much to Lucy's relief. When they reached Lucy's car, it was Lucy who ended up in the passenger seat, smoking yet another cigarette, her nausea be damned. Her nausea was probably more so because of what just happened rather than the amount she had previous smoked.

Paul fucking Lahote had almost phased on her- again- and she had been stupid enough to provoke him in the first place. But that wasn't the worst part. What killed her was this heaviness in her chest, like she was worried she had hurt him somehow, even when his grip was so bruising. The look on his face when he realized he was hurting her sent chills down her spine- and that set her on edge. She didn't know what it meant. She didn't know why she felt like crying so much.

Maybe she was about to start her period or something.

"You spending the night?" Bella asked as they entered Forks as she usually did when they were together. Unlike the usual, however, Lucy declined.

"Nah, I need to get something done, babe." Bella only nodded before pulling into her house and hopping out. Lucy did as well. They met at the front of her car, where Bella pulled the redhead in for a hug. It was strange that Bella initiated the contact, but welcomed nonetheless.

"Are you going to be okay?" Bella asked.

"Yeah," Lucy responded, pulling away. "I just really don't want to be sober right now." Bella nodded, though she didn't really understand- after all, she had only been high once. Maybe Lucy had lied when she had said marijuana wasn't addictive. Or maybe she just lost the ability to cope with things without it.

That Wednesday, I'm Gonna Be by The Proclaimers went off on Lucy's phone, signaling that Bella was calling. She was calling pretty late, or so the clock suggested, which read 12:30 PM. Of course, Lucy had only been up for about half an hour, smoking the rest of her stash (courtesy of dearest Eric) to get as high as possible, as had become her custom since that Sunday night.

"Hullo," she drawled tiredly. Her body felt lethargic. Fuck it, Lucy thought, like she had the last two days. She wasn't going to La Push today. Nope. She didn't want to be around that bunch anymore. Let the vampire chick come suck her blood. Not that she had caught hair or hide of the rumored vamp since she had stopped going to La Push.

"Cee, I'm on my way," was how Bella answered. She sounded irritated and, unlike the last two days, it sounded like the brunette wasn't giving her friend any choice.

"I'm, uh, Bee, I don't- I don't wanna go," the redhead slurred, blinking heavily. Jesus, there was no way in hell she could move. "Can't you just, like, stay here?"

"No, Lucy! I'm worried about you when I'm over there and you're not! Now come outside!" she snapped, accompanied with a horn honking from outside. Lucy stumbled out of her bed, struggled with the towel in front of her door, and trudged herself out of her room.

"I don't think I can move," Lucy whined, though she was already unlocking the front door. Bella was already there, posed to knock. Slowly, they both lowered their hands and ended the call, their eyes never leaving each other.

"What's going on with you, Lucy?" Bella asked. She looked so damned worried. If the redhead wasn't higher than a fucking kite, she would have felt guilty. Instead, she giggled at the expression.

"Absolutely nothing. You look nice, by the way, as usual, you sexy beast," she laughed. "Come in?" She moved aside to let her friend in, closing the door behind her. "I want a beer," she muttered and made for the kitchen. "Oh, and some nachos. Bella! Can you take me to Taco Bell? Bell… Bells…?"

Bella sighed, following the redhead. "There isn't a Taco Bell in town, Cee. Emily probably has some food. She always does. I can't believe you're so high, Lucy! Jesus Christ!" Bella cursed as Lucy swayed and stumbled while bending in the refrigerator. She came up with one of her dad's beers, popping it open and taking a swig. The redhead made a face but took another one.

"This is probably one of the best highs I've ever experienced, Bee. I'd offer some but… I'm out. I don't think Eric can get any more for a while…" She giggled again, stumbling her way to the table. "Bella, you're so pretty."

Bella leaned against one of the counters and closed her eyes. How much trouble would come from her taking Lucy to La Push despite how obviously stoned she was? Sure, the redhead had been fine the past two days while in Forks but Bella couldn't stand the anxiety and nightmares anymore. They were always haunting her, every time she closed her eyes. All her worst nightmares were in her dreams- Edward leaving, Jacob getting hurt, Lucy dying. And Jacob had been so busy the last few days that she was pretty much alone with every thought, especially since Lucy stopped going to Emily's with her. Granted it was only two days- but two days were enough.

"Lucy, please get dressed and come with me," Bella begged. The redhead's face sobered up slightly at the pleading tone and she finally studied her best friend's face- as well as she could, anyway. There were dark circles under eyes and she was pale. And so worried.

"You don't think they're gonna know how baked I am, Bee?" Lucy tried again weakly. But she had already given up and was standing to head to her room, chugging the rest of the beer as she went.

"It doesn't matter. We don't even have to go by there as long as we're on La push territory."

A few moments later- that felt like forever- Lucy was wearing a Supernatural shirt and torn jeans. Bella helped the girl into her truck, and then they were off.

True to her word, Bella called Emily to let her know she and Lucy would be at First Beach. Even though Bella assured Lucy that 'the boys' weren't going to be around much. Lucy didn't want to take any chances. She kept telling herself it was because she didn't want to see any of the wolves, but she knew she was just scared of seeing Paul again.

Somehow, the two teenagers ended up at the top of one of the giant cliffs, looking out on the ocean. Lucy wasn't really sure how they got there, but she wasn't complaining either. The wind whipping around them felt nice on her overheated face and the height they were at increased the invincible feeling her high was giving her. She quite literally felt on top of the world.

She didn't realize she was on the edge of the cliff until Bella appeared next to her.

"Have you heard about cliff diving?" she asked quietly.

"Like suicide?"

"No, it's recreational. Like bungee jumping without coming back up."

Lucy silently mulled over what Bella said. She wasn't exactly afraid of heights, but the water looked a little angry and Lucy wasn't quite that high yet. Through her sluggish thoughts, the redhead stepped away from the edge.

"Sounds fun, but maybe when it's not about to storm," she started, but Bella was already backing away. Before Lucy could even sigh in relief, however, the brunette took off in a full sprint- and jumped.

Why was it that Lucy was high during the times she needed to be sober most? Everything was so slow- it kind of reminded her of when Paul had phased in front of her. Someone was screaming for Bella to stop (was that her?) and she was rushing back to the ledge, barely managing to stop before toppling over it herself. The water was so dark and rough, swallowing Bella completely when she landed. Vaguely, there was a flash of red somewhere far off, but Lucy didn't think much of it. Instead she continued screaming for help.

She wasn't panicked, though. Her feelings didn't match the terror in her voice. Lucy was just numb as she watched Bella's head poke out of the water, only to be crashed back under by a wave. Before she could move to follow, someone pulled her back just as another person jumped forward. It only took a few moments of struggle to realize it was the wolves. Despite all the bad feelings Lucy had convinced herself she had, the redhead sagged against the person holding her at the realization. Bella would be okay. They would save her.

Sure enough, she could see what looked like Jacob dragging Bella out of the water and towards the shore.

"I want to see her," she demanded, turning in the arms- to see Paul. Her gut clenched at the sight and was surprised to note that it wasn't entirely unpleasant. His hooded eyes searched her face before he nodded and let her body go, only to take her hand. She didn't bother arguing.

They reached Bella and Jacob just as Bella was coughing up water. Immediately, Lucy rushed to her side, babbling questions that didn't even make sense to her. Apparently, Bella could understand what she was trying to say and placed her hand on her friend's cheek, effectively shutting the redhead up.

"That was such a rush," the brunette rasped.

Despite her tears, Lucy smiled, remembering that first night of friendship in Port Angeles. "Maybe my initial advice was a little misguided," she laughed thickly. All the emotion she was missing throughout the ordeal was slowly trickling through her drugged system until she was actually laying in the sand, sobbing into her best friend's chest.

"Why would you do that, Bee?" she whimpered as the nearly drowned teen stroked her hair. Jacob and Paul sat awkwardly some ways away from them, not saying anything, much to Lucy's gratitude. Time and space just felt so thick. Words seemed so tiresome. She didn't think she could stand to hear what either of them had to say.

"I had to see something. Sorry, Lucy," Bella apologized. A silence-filled understanding was shared between them. What's-his-tits. It was always about him, even if it wasn't.

"Well, I'm going to the hospital. I assume you can handle Drug Princess and Leech Suicide?"

Lucy looked up to see Paul standing up with an incredibly disgruntled expression on his face. She didn't like seeing it there but, at the same time, took pleasure in thinking maybe she had caused some of it. The redhead wanted to say something to him, anything, may it be an apology, expressing her gratitude, or telling him off for the uncalled for nicknames. But he was gone, jogging down the beach, before she could do any of the above.

Bella's grimace was still very much present when Lucy finally sat back to look at her. She had to remember to ask why Paul was always referencing her to leeches and vampires. It was obvious that they had some sort of tie to her (Lucy saw that even as high as she was), but the question was what exactly was that tie? As usual, however, now wasn't the time to ask.

"Hospital?" Bella wondered aloud, looking at Jacob.

"Harry Clearwater had a heart attack," the werewolf explained sadly. Bella's insides were rattled with guilt right-away and, sensing this, Lucy decided that helping her sit up would prove to be an okay distraction.

"Is he okay?" the brunette asked.

"We don't know. Your dad and my dad are at the hospital with him now I think."

Nothing more was really said after that. What could be? The full weight of what had happened couldn't touch Lucy, even though she knew she should at least feel sorry for her best friend's dad if nothing else. But she wasn't. She was glad Bella was okay and cold and that was how far her emotional capacity could reach at the moment. Jacob was obviously worried about Bella, considering she jumped off a fucking cliff to hear her ex-boyfriend's voice (not that he knew that last bit- because he wasn't honorary best friend) and a man he knew his entire life just had a heart attack. And Bella was probably mulling over whatever conversation she and what's-his-tits might have had or felt sorry for the Clearwaters or maybe she just had a shit-ton of stuff on her plate at the moment and was trying to sort through it all.

Long story short: there was nothing to say.

Jacob drove Bella's truck to his house in silence, with Bella snuggled warmly against him and Lucy. Lucy was checked out of reality, staring out the window with drooped eyes. By the time they reached his place, the silence was almost no longer awkward. Or, rather, Lucy had grown used to the awkwardness and no longer cared about it.

The rest of the day was spent with Jacob and Bella dozing on and off on his sofa in front of the television while Lucy was in one of the arm chairs, mindlessly watching some cartoon, only taking a break to smoke a cigarette every so often. It wasn't decided to leave until Bella and Jacob finally roused from their sleep.

"How long were we out?" the werewolf moaned as he stretched, his arms reaching around the brunette.

"Uhm, about four episodes of SpongeBob and three episodes of Adventure Time. Maybe more," Lucy answered. She didn't look away from the television to see his confused face. She could sense Bella roll her eyes, though.

"Maybe we should get you back," she heard him murmur. From the corner of her eye, the image of Jacob leaning close to Bella's ear was seared into the redhead's mind. She stood up suddenly, ignoring the way her legs wobbled, and then stumbled to the door without saying anything.

Bella, who seemed to realize something was plaguing her friend's mind, stood as well and followed. She paused at the door, then turned around to look at Jacob, who was standing as well. "You really don't have to take us, Jacob. Really, you should be here in case Billy gets back."

"It's my turn to watch your house tonight. Pack duties come first," Jacob objected, reaching the door as well. Lucy huffed and exited the house before hearing Bella's reply.

Thirty minutes later, the three were in Forks and it was decided that Lucy was spending the night at Bella's. Bella was snuggled up against Jacob again, much to Lucy's displeasure, but she let it go since Jacob apparently ran 108 degrees and Bella was cold. See, she could be reasonable. She just didn't have to be happy about it.

What did make her happy was when Jacob asked where Lucy lived and was interrupted by Bella informing them both that the redhead was spending the night at her house. "I haven't really hung out with her in a while," she explained, turning her head to wink at Lucy. The redhead grinned the rest of the ride

The ride, however, was cut short when Jacob suddenly slammed on the breaks about two blocks away from Bella's house. Lucy turned around to ask what the hell he did that for, but Bella beat her to it.

"Bloodsucker," he explained, tightening his grip on the steering wheel.

"Charlie!" Bella gasped. "Go, we have to see! Hurry!" she urged. Jacob looked unsure but God forbid he go against the brunette's wishes (pansy, Lucy mentally scoffed). It wasn't long before they were slammed on breaks once more in driveway of her house.

"They're here, I can't take you here, Bella."

"Wait! That's Carlisle's car! Lucy let me out, they're back, they're here!"

"Don't you dare, Lucy!" Jacob boomed over Bella's frantic pushing and begging. "It could be a trick, Bella."

"I don't care, Lucy let me out!"

"Bella! I can't protect you if they're back here-"

"I don't care!" Bella finally screamed. "Lucy let me the fuck out now!"

Lucy opened the door, same as Jacob, and slid out the car. As Jacob slammed the truck closed and stormed off into the nearby woods, the brunette rushed past her friend towards her house. Lucy dutifully followed, even if she had no idea what was going on. Who the fuck was Carlisle and why was that a big deal, especially to Jacob?

When the redhead finally caught up with her best friend inside the house, Lucy became even more confused. Bella's arms were tightly wrapped around a tiny figure with spiky hair, sobbing as she did so, only to be shoved away by the person.

The girl was absolutely beautiful. Her skin practically glowed in the poorly lit living room and was flawlessly smooth. Her eyes were large and black as she appraised the crying teenager.

"Do you want to explain to me how the hell you're alive?" the stranger snapped. Her gorgeous face was contorted with worry and disbelief. Bella shook her head like she wasn't sure what to say and even stuttered unintelligibly. "I saw you jump. Off a cliff. Why would you try to kill yourself, Bella?"

"I-I was- I wasn't trying to kill my-myself," Bella weakly defended. There was so much going on inside her- even Lucy could see that and it hurt. It was like she couldn't believe this stranger was here, felt guilty, and was terrified wrapped in a trembling package and topped with a bow of relief.

"She went cliff-diving," Lucy butted in, closing the front door. Apprehension filled her when those dark eyes suddenly turned to her. "She's been on this adrenaline kick. Mostly harmless." She stood next to her best friend and slipped her hand in hers. Whatever was going on, Lucy was going to be there for Bella. This was obviously hard for her, even if Lucy couldn't see why.

"Who are you? Was this your bright idea? Christ, Bella!"

"Hey, you can knock that shit off," the redhead snapped. She didn't realize she tugged Bella back a little, like she tended to do when something felt dangerous in front of them. Alice did notice, however, but was uncertain on how to feel about it. This redhead seemed so protective over Bella.

"Excuse me?"

"Alice," Bella sighed, squeezing Lucy's hand. "This is Lucy. She's sort of become my best friend. None of this was… her fault." The stranger- Alice- sighed as she made her way to the couch, where she just kind of collapsed down. Bella slipped out of Lucy's grip to sit next to her, leaving the redhead to stand there dumbly.

"I have never met anyone so prone to life-threatening situations, Bella. I can't believe you would…" She sighed again. Bella didn't say anything, only curling her legs under her.

"Di-did… did you tell him?" the brunette finally asked after pregnant silence. The tinier brunette shook her head sadly.

"He only calls every once in a while. Apparently he wants to be alone." Again, Bella had nothing to say, but Lucy could see her starting to crumble in on herself. Before she knew it, she was behind her best friend, slipping her arms around the thinner girl's waist and let her chin rest on her shoulder.

Alice once more observed how this human interacted with Bella. Lucy didn't even remotely look familiar so she had to have been new to Forks or something of the sort. Upon first meeting her, Alice had disliked her- first impressions and all that. She couldn't have possibly blamed Bella for something as stupid as cliff jumping, could she? But the vampire had also known how fragile her brother's soul mate would be when they left. Maybe Edward was dim about it, but she knew better, and to get a glimpse at how helpful this borderline-delinquent looking girl was immediately warmed the vampire up to her.

Alice inhaled at the thought- only to crinkle her nose at the sudden smell that assaulted her senses. There was Bella's lovely floral scent, a pleasant chocolate-mint smell, and the odor of tobacco and marijuana- all overpowered by this disgusting stench.

"What is that god-awful wet dog smell?"

Maybe Lucy wasn't as sober as she thought, for she burst into giggles as soon as she registered what was said. Well at least Alice knew where the other odor was coming from.

"Wet- wet dog smell!" The hysteric redhead fell from her best friend in her fit. "Ja-Jacob smells like- like a wet dog! Shit, Bee!"

"What is she going on about?" the vampire asked Bella. The amused smile on the human's face took her by surprise.

"Jacob's… kind of a werewolf," she answered, mouth still quirked as she turned her head slightly to look at the still-laughing girl behind her. "And we've been hanging out with him."

"Bella! Werewolves- they're not good company to keep!" Alice gasped, appalled at the prospect. Werewolves?

"Speak for yourself."

"I thought you weren't supposed to be here," mumbled Bella, which was what really caught the redhead's attention.

The short amount of time it took Lucy to sober up was astounding. She sat up, her eyes hardening at the sight of Jacob Black, and tightened her mouth into a scowl. He didn't pay any attention to her, however, instead opting to stare like a kicked puppy at his one-sided paramour. He opened his mouth to say something else, but was cut off by another hulking body shoving past the man in the doorway to the kitchen.

Paul?

"I can't believe you left her here with a fucking leech you son of a bitch!" the angry wolf stormed, stopping in his tracks. His dark eyes zeroed in on the palest girl with such a heated look that it gave Lucy chills. "Get. The fuck. Away from her," he ground out. His entire body was vibrating. All because of some wisp of a girl?

Then it hit Lucy so hard she fell of the couch with a thud. Her entire body felt cold and nauseas with the realization and, once again, she was forced to wonder if maybe her weed was spiked with something and all of this was a dream. It was definitely better than what was running through her mind now…

But sort of all made sense. Bella being called leech-lover? Her unexplainable connection with vampires and being cool when it came with weird? The scar on her arm? And when she and Alice were talking about him- it had to have been about what's-his-tits.

"Lucy? Lucy, are you okay?" Bella slid off the couch as well to crouch in front of her friend, who was dangerously pale.

"I think I'm gonna be sick," the redhead whimpered.

"No, you're not, Cee," Bella reassured, though her guilt-stricken expression did nothing to ease the panic in Lucy's stomach. "You're going to be fine, just like before."

"I'm too sober for this, Bee," her friend sobbed. "You really are an adrenaline junkie, huh?" She laughed brokenly through her tears.

Isabella Marie Swan was shattered-in-love with a fucking vampire and practically belonged to a family of them. Now, Lucy didn't know a lot about these creatures- just the bad stuff that the pack said about them. Obviously, if an entire species was born into existence because of the existence of something else, it had to be bad, right?

"Is she going to be okay?" came Paul's voice off to her side as she buried her head into Bella's hair. He sounded so panicked, it made the redhead want to chuckle once more. It seemed like he was never just calm when it came to her- he was always frantic with some sort of emotion. Usually irritation and panic.

"It just took her by surprise. I think we forgot to tell her everything," the brunette answered quietly, running her fingers through the unruly red locks. "And she's had a tough week. Not to mention a horrible day. Jesus, I'm so sorry, Lucy."

When Lucy finally pulled herself together and pushed away from her best friend, she felt embarrassed. Jacob just kind of stood awkwardly in the doorway of the kitchen like when he arrived, Bella was fussing over her, and Paul was squatted next to the two girls, eyes not leaving the redhead's face once. Alice was nowhere to be seen, however, but Lucy was kind of glad. How did you deal with this sort of thing properly?

"Well Lucy's going to La Push with me, your bloodsuckers be damned," Paul replied, snatching up the chubby teenager's hand and standing up, thus pulling her up with him. Bella stood as well. She looked as confused as Lucy felt.

She didn't freak out that bad, did she?

Bella opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. After all, what could you really say to that?

"What are you, a caveman? Damn, Paul, what was the conversation we had not even a week ago?" Lucy cut it, drying her eyes with her free hand. A part of her twanged painfully when he let her hand slip away, but she didn't want to contemplate it. She didn't do weird- that much was becoming painstakingly obvious, and that was definitely weird.

"It isn't safe, Lucy," Paul begged. "That girl? She's a vampire. A bloodsucker. It's one thing if this leech lover wants to endanger herself, but another thing entirely for you to!" His voice steadily rose as he spoke and his trembling increased as well.

"Uh, no," the redhead hiccupped, much to her mortification. How does someone be firm when they're still sobbing? "I told Bee I'd stay with her. If she still wants me to- I am. Bee?"

And her questioning gaze, Bella smiled softly and nodded. "Of course, Cee."

"Then it's sett-"

Paul's roar drowned out Lucy's words. At first, she was going to yell at him, tell him to knock it off. What did he have to be so concerned about, anyway? Why was he even here? Why was he always there? But then she looked at his face and the way he looked so pained and she couldn't do that. Instead, she touched his vibrating forearm with the tips of her fingers, which made he shut up kind of quickly.

"But thank you, Paul. You're always trying to take care of me."

To her amazement, the trembling stopped. His expression was still torn, but less so than a few minutes ago. "I can't protect you here, Lucy," he whimpered in a desperate attempt to sway her. "There's a treaty and borders I'm not supposed to cross."

"You have more important people to protect, anyway," Lucy shrugged off, shaking her head slightly. "Besides, I'm sure Bee's got some garlic somewhere."

"Paul, Alice isn't going to hurt anyone. We're safe with her. I promise."

"Paul, man, we can't be here anymore," Jacob joined in.

"Please, Paul?" Glistening blue eyes beseeched him almost pathetically.

He growled. He didn't like it one bit, but he understood what he had to do. Turning to the leech lover, he said, "If anything happens to her, it'll be on your head, got it?"

If anything had ever been painful, it was walking out of the Swan residence without his imprint. His wolf was incredibly displeased, ruthlessly fighting to be freed so he could just take Lucy. Her opinion didn't really matter when it came to her safety, he argued. But Paul knew there would be no peace between himself and Lucy if he followed his most basic instinct to protect her. Lucy was going to protect Bella no matter what the consequences might be.

Lucy watched as this hulking man stormed out the front door, shaking so violently she was once again afraid he was going into a seizure. Something tugged in the pit of her stomach, lurching towards him, even after the front door was slammed shut and he was out of sight. What was up with these feelings? She felt like she had hurt him somehow, but there was no way staying with a vampire could bother him that much. Unless he was concerned for her safety- which, she supposed, had been the case a few times before. After all, he had been the one to stop her toppling off the cliff and he concerned himself with her smoking and eating habits.

She sighed, sick of her thoughts, and turned to the other hulk, still oogling her best friend in the kitchen's threshold. She had no time for thoughts of Paul. She needed to be focused on this almost-stalker behavior this giant was currently indulging in.

"Are you going too? You just told your buddy you couldn't be here anymore."

Maybe that was a little rude but Lucy had had her quota of temperamental man-beasts for the day. Fuck. Them. All.

"I need to speak with Bella, if that's okay with you," he sneered.

"Careful, Jake, your horns are showing," she sneered right back. The redhead realized that they had never exactly been buddy-buddy on account of their mutual jealousy of each other, but, up until now, he had always at least been cordial with her. It had been a trying day for everyone, though, so Lucy didn't really bare any hard feelings.

"Hey, stop it you two! I don't need my best friends fighting as well," Bella cut in. Immediately, Lucy stepped down from the fight and smiled tightly at the brunette. Somewhat satisfied, Bella busied herself with picking up a discarded cup left on the coffee table then started towards the kitchen. "Talk to me while I'm doing dishes. Cee, you know the drill." Meaning to watch television until she got rid of the mutt.

Lucy was only quarter of a Family Guy episode when the front door slammed open to reveal Alice flying to the kitchen. The redhead frowned, stood up, and closed the front door just as Bella, Jacob, and the vampire rushed back into the living room. Bella was rushing up the stairs and Alice and Jacob were arguing about what was and wasn't safe.

"Bella, please don't do this!" Jacob whimpered as soon as the brunette was downstairs again with only her rarely-used purse.

"I have to, Jacob. I can't let him kill himself no matter how guilty he might feel."

"What?" Lucy asked, reopening the door to let the other three outside, as they were rushing towards it anyway. Without a word or even glance at her, they glided by.

"We have to hurry, Bella!" Alice snapped, rushing to the black car across the street in an invisible flash. As soon as the car was driven closer to the Swan residence, Bella hopped in. Jacob was immediately at the window of the driver's side, still pleading with the brunette not to go. Lucy rolled her eyes and went to the other side. The brunette turned away from the werewolf in favor of the redhead and smiled with watery eyes before rolling down the window.

"What the hell is going on, Bee?"

"Edward thinks I killed myself," Bella explained. "There's a coven of vampire royalty in Italy and he's going to try and get himself killed, too. I have to go."

"Will it be dangerous?" Lucy had to ask, slipping her hand into the car to take hold if Bella's.

"Probably."

Lucy, intoxicated and dizzy, wanted nothing more than to make Bella stay with her, to keep the brunette out of any and all danger. But she knew better and she wasn't the person to stand in the way of her best friend's road to true love. While the redhead didn't give two fucks if what's-his-tits lived or died, Bella did. And even though Lucy ached because of it, among other things, she had to let her go.

"Just… make sure you stay alive?" Before Lucy could register the relief wash across her best friend's face, she ducked under the hood of the car and stole a chaste kiss from the brunette's mouth. "And please come home," she whispered.

With her piece said, she pulled away, walked around the car, and scurried back into the Swan residence, feeling as though her heart was breaking. Shortly after she was seated numbly on the couch, Jacob dragged himself in as well, looking as defeated as she felt. Wordlessly, he sat next to her.

Lucy and Jacob may have never gotten along, but they had one thing in common- they were both in love with a girl whose heart belonged to another.

AN: Thank you so much for following, reviewing, and favoriting my story! I apologize for it being so late, but there have been a lot of distractions recently. I hope everyone had a nice Fourth of July, though! I hope this isn't a disappointment, though I realize it was a little choppy and discordant. Please review with your thoughts, ideas, opinions, etc. I really want to know how you feel about it.

Thank you again!