Chapter 6

After

He moved closer towards me, pressing his forehead gently against mine. "Are you sure about this?"

"Edward," I whispered, my lips smiling around his name. It had been years since I could say that without it hurting. "I need you to know how much I loved you, and that it wasn't something that was just going to disappear with time." I took his hands slowly into mine, running my fingers across his knuckles. "Jake was one of the only people who truly understood the way I felt about you, and that's why he's the only one that can let me go."

The full weight of Jake's actions crashed down on me in that one moment, and I stared back at Edward, wide-eyed. He'd helped me through so much, and picked me back up again, mending my broken heart in the process. I'd tried to give him all that I could, but in the end, it still wasn't enough.

Three Years Ago

Edward was never coming back.

I was stupid to wait for him.

"Bella, can you pass me that hammer?" Jake asked from the corner, wiping a dirty cloth across his cheek as he appeared from underneath the bonnet of his car. I smiled down towards him, my eyes raking over his bedraggled expression as I passed him the tool, watching the way his face lit up when our eyes met.

Jake liked me – that was something I'd learned that I couldn't deny. But I knew that I could never forget Edward. That part of my life was the happiest I'd ever been, and I would have given him my life, if he'd wanted it.

"You know, Quill still thinks that he has a chance with you, despite the fact that I keep telling him he's too young for you." Jake teased, altering the bottom of his car as I sat, perched on the heap of charcoal sacks.

"I'd never date a werewolf," I disapproved, unable to stop myself from smiling as Jake wheeled himself out from under the rabbit, his eyebrows raised in curiousity.

"Oh, and why is that?"

I laughed to myself, realising all too soon that we were no longer talking about Quill. "You're sitting in a movie theatre with them, watching some romance film, and next thing you know, they can't stop staring at the girl next to them."

He rolled his eyes, "Imprinting doesn't happen quite like that Bells."

"And how would you know?"

He frowned, his eyebrows crumpling. "I don't want to imprint on anyone."

I jumped down from the sacks, kneeling by his side now. "I guess it seems like you have no control over who you fall for. It's a sort of 'forced love', don't you think?"

"That's not it," he muttered, putting down his tools as he moved so that he was kneeling beside me too. Then, a wide beaming grin flashed across his face. "I mean, what if she's ugly?"

I hit his shoulder, standing up quickly, but he reached out to grab my ankle, his face suddenly serious. "I wouldn't want to imprint, because there's only one person that I love Bells."

"And who's that?" I whispered, knowing that he could hear me.

"You."

"Jake-"

"I know Bells."

I bit down on my lip, turning away from him. "I don't know if I can…"

"You could try?"

"It's not fair on you!"

He let go of my ankle suddenly, standing up so that we were facing each other. "Try Bella, please. At least then, you'll never think 'what if'."

"This is a bad idea."

"Will you try… for me?"

"Jake-"

"Please?"

He wanted me to give a relationship between us a chance? I lived for our friendship and the times when I could just sit in his garage, laughing and joking about the other pack members. If I tried… we could lose that.

"Now?"

"Whenever you want," he pressed his palms gently against my cheeks. "I don't want to rush you into anything – you can 'call the shots'. But, just give us a chance?"

And slowly, but surely, I nodded.

I bowed my head against the memory, a single tear slipping from my eyes. It seemed that this night I'd cried enough to last me a lifetime.

"Bella?" Edward's breathing hitched as he realised I was crying, and before I could blink, we were curled up in the hollow of the tree, Edward running his fingers through my hair gently as he held me close to his chest. "I'm sorry."

"He was such a good person," I murmured quietly into his shirt, another tear falling down my cheek. "And I hurt him so much."

We were sitting in his jeep, his hand holding mine tightly across the handbrake. It was the furthest that we'd got physically, just holding each other's hand wherever we walked, or he'd throw an arm casually around my shoulders.

"There's a party down at the reservation this evening," Jacob started, his eyes flickering towards mine, searching for a reaction. "I was wondering if we could go together?"

"Of course," I said without a thought. With anything that involved Jake, I jumped at the chance to share it with him, because when I was around him, he made me forget everything I was holding onto.

"You don't have to if you don't want to, I mean-"

"Jake, I want to."

"There's dancing?"

I sucked in a deep breath, my eyes narrowing. "Maybe not that part. But as long as you're going, I want to go too."

"And ignore Leah."

"Why?"

"She's been taking her pent up anger on everybody else at the moment, so don't be surprised if she starts insulting you this evening."

"Why's she angry?"

"Sam and Emily just announced that they're getting married in the fall."

"Oh…"

"Mm." His gaze flashed to mine again and my heart thudded nervously inside my chest. Perhaps it was the idea of Jake being so close to me, or perhaps it was the word 'marriage' falling from his lips.

"You like me, right Bella?"

"Sure I do Jake."

"I mean, do you really like me?"

"Uh, yes?" I said uncertainly, not knowing where he was going with his words.

"Do you find me attractive?"

"What kind of a question is that?"

"Bella?"

"I guess," I mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in my seat. My eyes flickered towards him, meeting the dark brown spheres of his own eyes. I'd never noticed him before in that way.

I was used to focusing on his smile, or the way his face lit up when I was around. I'd never even looked at the lean curve of his shoulders, or the way his arms strained against his t-shirt, hiding his toned limbs.

"Yeah, I do Jake. Why?"

In a flash, he was barely inches away from me, the car now pulled up at a lay-by as he stared at me. "So, you really like me and you find me attractive?"

"Jake, you know there's more to it than that."

"Sure I do, but that's got to mean something, hasn't it?"

"You expecting me to jump you or something?"

His lips curled up into a smile, his eyes dancing with amusement. "I was hoping so."

I rolled my eyes, my cheeks filling with a warm red blush. He'd been there for me more times than I could count, and if he wanted something, I was going to do my hardest to give it to him. "You want me to try?"

"You're joking," he teased lightly, moving back to his seat as he widened the distance between us.

"No… I'm not."

"Bella, we both know that you can't lie to save yourself. Although it's nice for me to hear that you find me attractive and you really like me; boosts my ego and all of that jazz."

I wasn't sure whether it was subconsciously or consciously, but right then, I realised, that I was going to jump Jacob Black.

I reached across the car, my hands fisting in his shirt, and before he could breathe I pulled myself over the handbrake, slipping onto his lap as I crushed my lips against his.

"Did Alice see me with Jake?" I asked tentatively, shaking myself from the memory as I grasped out for something to distract me.

"She only saw you walking down the isle and the invitation."

"You knew it was Jake?"

"I never forget a name."

"We'll have to leave here forever, won't we?"

He nodded wordlessly, his eyes never leaving my face. "You won't be able to see Charlie again."

I bit my lip, turning away from him to look back to the Church. "Or Renee…"

"It's not too late to change your mind."

"I'm not changing it," I promised. "I just… want to say goodbye before we go."

"Truth or dare?" Jake suggested as I shook my head quickly. "Spin the bottle?"

"Jake, there's only you and me here, so I doubt would really work unless you want a twenty minute make-out session."

"Spin the bottle it is then," he smiled mischievously as I smacked his arm, ignoring how he puckered his lips.

"Twenty questions?"

"Fine," he pouted, smoothing his lips out as I rolled my eyes. I leaned across to him, pressing my lips against his chastely.

"Better?"

"Almost."

"You get first question?"

"Perfect," he chuckled, rubbing his hands together as he smirked towards me. "Now, should I go for personal or embarrassing?"

I pulled a face, snuggling into his side.

"First crush?"

I blushed, biting down on my lip. "A guy I met in third grade. I don't remember his name."

"I remember my first crush," Jake leant closer towards me, his breath tickling my neck. "She was extremely clumsy, but very, very beautiful. And if you kissed right here," he pressed a kiss against my collarbone, "you could hear her heart beating so fast that it could have been flying."

"Jake," I whispered, trying to be angry with him for teasing me, but his words completely destroyed that. "Thank you…"

He grinned. "Your turn."

"Worst date?"

"Fifth grade," he mumbled, his eyes darkening. "I didn't even like her, but dad said I should go, so I took her to some cheap, run down café." He shuddered. "She wouldn't even speak to me afterwards."

"I hope I wouldn't fall under that category."

He chuckled to himself. "I don't know Bells. That date with Mike puking his guts up all over the cinema bathroom was pretty bad."

"Stop it," I muttered, pushing away from his side but his hand tightened on my arm, preventing me from moving.

"Can I ask you… a serious question now?"

"Sure."

"What…" he started to say, before stopping himself. "What would-" he paused again, shifting on the sand as he tried to find the right words.

"Jake?" I moved closer to him, pressing my hand against his cheek.

He sighed into my touch, closing his eyes slowly. "What would you do if Edward returned?"

AN – I don't really know why I put this chapter in. I said it was going to be a Bella/Charlie chapter next, but I started writing, and decided to put in a flashback, which then provoked the other two flashbacks. And knowing me and the plans I have for this story, I'll probably put in a few more flashbacks – if you don't like them, let me know and I'll try and lessen the amount I put in. I know that some people find Bella selfish in this story, and I do too, but look at it from Jake's perspective. If she stayed with him, she'd be staying with him to keep him happy, not herself. And although he may want to kick Edward's ass pretty bad, he won't, because that will hurt Bella. I hope this story has opens up the eyes of some Jacob haters here!

I had a really evil idea for this story on holiday – and I'm going to share it with you, because it made me laugh. I could technically make Bella pregnant with Jacob's werewolf baby, that turn out to be quadruplets, that turn out to hate their step-dad (Edward) because he's a vampire/enemy. Before Bella turns, she gets pregnant with Edward and has another four babies, because she's jinxed like that, so you've got eight babies, four werewolf, four vampire, running around the house causing havoc. And, oh yeah, they all hate each other. Hehe, you must be glad that I'm not doing that with the plot.

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