Okay, so this chapter annoyed the hell out of me. First, I couldn't think of a way to start it, so I wrote several possibilities, and finally I ended up with this one. And then, I got a major case of writer's block, so I didn't write my best, which is partially the reason of why I'm not happy with this chapter. I also wrote a part of it at my dad's, and when I came back home to my mom's computer, I had trouble opening the attachment, so I started freaking out. However all turned out well, and I am able to breathe again. I managed to add some funny parts to it, and I really do love the ending. I just hope you guys enjoy it, because it's ten freaking pages that took me about ten freaking days to write. *breathes* I'm okay. I just don't want to disappoint you guys. If it sucks...don't hesitate to tell me, I can totally take it. But I do hope you like it, and I want to thank everyone so far for all of your support for this story. You all are amazing!

You are my love
You are my life
My heart and soul
The truest friend I've ever known
You are my world
All of my dreams
My fantasy, my reality
I love everything you are

Chapter 10

Bella

At approximately one thirty-seven a.m. my cell went off right next to my ear, instantly alerting me awake. Jerking my head off from on top of my pillow, I groaned and fumbled in the darkness for my evil upheaval crappy excuse for a cell phone. When my fingers finally managed to wrap themselves around the old beat up piece of junk, I flipped it open, pressed it nonchalantly against my ear, and attempted to mumble a hello.

"Unnnnngghhh?"

…close enough.

By the time my eyes had gotten accustomed to the darkness and I could actually see what was in front of me, the person on the other line still had not uttered a single word. Growing irritated, because of course I was just thrilled to be woken up at an hour past midnight, I hung up and slammed the phone back on the nightstand beside my bed.

Just when I was drifting off to sleep again, my phone dared had the audacity to ring a second time. Muttering a series of lovely profanities, I rolled over to the side and snatched the phone once more off my nightstand. Why must people feel the need to torture me? I thought grudgingly, flipping the phone open once more and immediately emitting an annoyed, angry retort.

"What is it?! What do you want?"

There was a brief, awkward silence before someone finally spoke.

"Whoa, mental note. Never wake up Bella in the early morning hours for as long as I shall live."

I growled into the phone as I recognized the deep, chuckling voice on the other line. "Jake?!"

"That's me," he playfully replied.

"Why are you calling me at one-" I checked the clock, "forty a.m.? And why did you hang up last time?" I turned over on my back and glanced up at the ceiling, staring at it as I waited for Jake to answer. I was a bit peeved that he decided to call me at such an ungodly hour, but I couldn't say that I didn't enjoy hearing his voice after enduring that freakish nightmare.

I couldn't count how many times I have been having this nightmare. It always begun at the same place, where Edward and I were laying on our backs in our meadow, staring up at the incredible night sky that gleamed profusely with thousands of twinkling stars. I remembered rolling over and resting my head on him, not in the least bit caring that I couldn't hear a thudding heart beat, or feel a rise and fall of his chest. Nothing of that mattered. The only thing that did was that he was there, touching me. Loving me.

It had been so painfully real, so indescribably perfect that I couldn't believe it had been only a dream.

And it had ended the same way, too. Just as I leaned forward to kiss Edward's lips, a loud, shrill howl had pierced the tranquility of the moment, and I my heart had broken into a million, tiny pieces, seemingly shattering my very soul. It was then that I had seen the face of my Jacob.

The alarming sound of my cell had woke me up. Or had it been the howl?

I leaped back into the present when I heard Jake respond.

"Uh, Bella, this is the first time I've called you."

"What?" I blinked in confusion. "But...someone just called me two minutes ago."

"That wasn't me," Jake said, sounding troubled.

"Oh, well, it was probably just a prank call or something," I replied, yawning.

"Hey, no sleeping. I have something to ask you."

"And why couldn't you ask me this yesterday?" I grumbled, rubbing my sleepy eyes.

"I forgot."

I mouthed another yawn. "Understandable."

"So...the question I was going to ask you...do you want to come to Leah's birthday party tomorrow?"

"Leah?" I was sure I hadn't heard right. Why would Jake want me to go to Leah's birthday party? And more importantly, why would Leah even allow me to go?

"Yeah, Leah Clearwater. Remember her?"

"I remember her. It's just...we've never really been close, you know?" I was now wide-awake, and confused as hell. Leah Clearwater and I have never even talked to each other that much, and when we had, let's just say it hadn't been very pleasant. The only thing that I remembered about her was that she was so cynical, and because of that she wasn't particularly fun to be around with.

"I know, but she invited you."

I sat up, my back rigid with shock. "She invited me?" I exclaimed with disbelief.

"Yup. She's turning nineteen."

"But why would she invite me? I thought she hated me."

"Maybe she just wants to get to know you better, now that you're kind of a part of the pack," Jake mused thoughtfully.

"Oh, okay...wait, what?" I blinked rapidly a couple of times before exclaiming into the phone, "I'm not a werewolf!"

"No, but you're involved with one," Jake informed me, and I swear I could sense him grinning. "Therefore, you are a part of the pack. Like Emily and Claire."

I sighed. "Well, if you put it that way." I didn't mention the fact that, unlike Emily and Claire, I wasn't an imprint, and most likely never would be, given the circumstances. I couldn't help but feel a slight trace of unease form in my stomach as I thought this, but I quickly brushed it aside as Jake spoke.

"So, are you coming?" Jake pressed hopefully.

"Yeah, sure. All right," I replied reluctantly. "But if Leah rips my head off while I'm there, I swear I'll haunt you for eternity."

"Sure, sure," Jake chuckled. "The party starts at eight, so swing by around seven thirty. We might need you to help out with the decorations."

"Great, I'll be there at eight-thirty."

"Funny, Bells."

I attempted to debate with him. "Jake if I even attempt to help, you do realize that I might end up destroying everything? Me plus hanging up decorations equal absolute chaos and possible death," I stated seriously into the phone, hoping that he wouldn't force me to do this. It's not that I didn't want to help, because believe me I would be more than happy to do so. And if I wasn't so obviously a danger magnet, I would. I just couldn't risk it.

I could still vaguely remember the time I had "helped" one of my friends in Phoenix by putting up a "Happy Birthday" sign in front of her house. I ended up falling off the ladder and breaking my wrist. Yeah, definitely not an experience I wanted to repeat.

"Bells, you'll be fine. I'll be there, remember?"

I'll be there.

Thoughts of Edward and of the dream suddenly crossed my mind. I bit down on my bottom lip and closed my eyes, letting Jake's voice fill me completely, washing out all of the pain.

I'll be there...

I clutched the phone tighter in my hand and whispered softly, "Okay." Just the promise that he would be there gave me courage for the longest time I hadn't even known existed. I couldn't begin to fathom just how three simple words could mean so much. I suddenly realized I was smiling, and that I had yet to say good-bye.

Just then Jake's deep, soothing voice filled my ear, and my heart fluttered happily. "See you tomorrow, Bells. I love you."

"I love you too."

Once the line had gone dead, I set my phone back on the nightstand and slid deeper into the covers. I thought of Jacob, and imagined him right beside me, whispering into my ear that he was here, and that he would always be here. Just that thought had my heart soaring.

And so for the first time that night, with those three simple words echoing blissfully inside my mind, I didn't dream.

Every time I close my eyes
It hits me so deep inside
How real this feeling is
I'm intoxicated by your touch
It's a sweet, sweet rush
I'm in love with your kiss
You're the one I trust the most
You changed me

~*~

I woke up the next day dreading what was to come. I hated birthday parties. Not only was it a twenty-four hour reminder that you were growing older, but they just never turned out well when I was around. I've seriously started considering myself a jinx.

First there was my friend's birthday party in Phoenix, and following that was my eighteenth birthday party that I had told Alice not to plan, but she had anyway. Jasper had lost control after I had gotten a paper cut, in which Carlisle had to stitch me up afterwards. Yes, that had truly been a blast. And then, of course, there were all those others in between. If there was one thing that I knew for certain about myself during the eighteen years of my existence, it was that I didn't do birthday parties.

And yet here I was, attending one. Either I was incredibly stupid, or I loved Jake too much to refuse him.

I decided on the latter as I slipped on a nice pair of jeans and pulled my dark brown hair up in a ponytail. I glanced at myself in the mirror, pursing my lips. Just an average, teenage girl, I thought with a sigh. What did Edward ever see in me?

What did Jake see in me? I was honestly nothing special. It frustrated me to no end that both Edward and Jake saw something in me that I had yet to discover. What was it, exactly, that they loved about me? And why was it so difficult for me to comprehend?

Maybe…maybe it wasn't about me figuring out why they loved me. Maybe it wasn't about them.

Maybe it was about…me finding out who I was, who I am.

Now I understood that, if I didn't know just who I was and what I was supposed to be, how would I ever know what they saw in me?

Obviously, I wasn't meant to become a vampire. Edward had made that perfectly clear when he had left me for the second time. And I couldn't possibly become a werewolf, because that was a generation thing, and females were ever rarely werewolves, except for Leah who was the only one. So, evidently, I was fated to be a hundred percent human. I've handled that fact pretty well the past eighteen years of my life, but that was when I had no idea vampires and werewolves existed. Now, I wanted more. I didn't want to be human when I knew that there were other, greater things I could become.

But Edward had made that impossible after he had left. My chances were ruined, and my life was, once more, back to normal.

Hah, who was I kidding? I had a werewolf as a boyfriend. Nothing could be farther from normal than that.

But Jake wasn't just a boyfriend; he was much more than that. He was my best friend. We had known each other ever since we were little. I could still remember when we had made mud pies, and how much fun we use to have together…how much fun we still had together. It was amazing how so much time has passed, yet rarely have things changed. We still laughed, we still loved…we still lived.

And it was all thanks to Jacob.

You are my love
You are my life
My heart and soul
The truest friend i've ever known
You are my world
All of my dreams
My fantasy, my reality
I love everything you are

~*~

At seven o'clock I hopped into my truck and started my way over to La Push.

The sky was surprisingly clear, with no rain clouds in sight. It was one of those rare days where you could actually go outside without a jacket. I had decided on wearing some blue jeans, and a plain white t-shirt. If I got cold, I could always cuddle up to Jacob and share his body heat of 108.9 degrees Fahrenheit. I rolled my eyes as I remembered how he had kept me warm that night inside the sleeping bag, with a brooding Edward watching from the corner of the tent. I couldn't deny the fact that it had felt great at the time. I mean, after all, I had been frozen stiff, who wouldn't have been grateful of an incredibly warm body preventing you from getting hypothermia? But I think some part of me had liked it when his body had pressed against mine, even with Edward staring at us the whole time. Some part of me had wanted to press even closer, to run my hands through his long, shaggy hair, and to feel his arms wrap around me, sending me into a calm, dreamless sleep…

I shivered as I began thinking about our first time on the beach. It had been amazing, like something out of a dream. I still couldn't quite believe just how perfect my first experience had been. I had heard from so many of my friends how awful and awkward the first time would be, but with Jacob, it had been anything but that. Instead of awful, it had been wonderful; instead of awkward, it had been…elegant. Beautiful. I couldn't have asked for anything more than what Jacob had given me that night. And on a beach, out of all the probable places. Who knew that would be the place that I would lose my virginity?

But I didn't regret it. The beach held a lot of our memories; from when I had asked him about the legend of the Quileute tribe, to all those days on the beach just talking and enjoying being with him, without Edward by my side. The La Push beach held a special place in my heart, as did Jacob. Neither, and this I knew for certain, would ever, and could never, be replaced.

The sound of my truck tires rolling against gravel snapped me out of my thoughts. I parked in my usual spot beneath the shade, and then hopped out, my stomach tied up in knots. I could already hear music coming from the back of the house, so I made my way towards the source of the noise, smiling when I caught sight of Quil dancing with Claire on the porch steps.

"Hey Quil," I waved and then stuffed my hands in the back pockets of my jeans. I could hear Claire giggling as Quil swept her up in his arms and began tickling her stomach.

He glanced up at me in surprise when he saw me standing there. "Oh, hey Bella, glad you came. Jake's inside if you're looking for him."

I nodded. "Yeah, thanks."

Quil stepped aside, letting me pass. I gave a glance down at Claire, staring at her face briefly, before climbing up the porch steps and walking inside.

What makes a werewolf imprint on a little baby girl?

I couldn't help but ponder this. What made a werewolf imprint on anybody? It was such a weird concept. Out of the many things that I didn't understand, imprinting was definitely on the top of the list.

I walked into the kitchen and found Jake and Seth covered up in cake mix all the way up to their elbows. I bit down on my bottom lip to keep from laughing at the abnormal, wacky display. Never had I seen Jake bake anything, and never would I have thought he would have the guts to try.

"Um, Jake?" I tilted my head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "What exactly are you doing?"

Jake looked up at me, and then grinned. "Hey Bella!" He lifted his hands from the bowl of messy cake mix to wipe his nose with his arm, and ended up splotching his nose with the dark, gooey substance.

"We're baking a cake for Leah's birthday party," Seth confirmed proudly, roughly licking his chocolate-covered finger and then going back for more.

I stifled a laugh. "Yeah, I can see that. What I want to know is…why?"

Jake shrugged. "Emily's sick, and Sam didn't want her to deal with it. So he asked us to do it." He beamed at me suddenly. "Wanna help?"

"I think I better," I said, walking cautiously into the kitchen and just narrowly missing a chocolate smudge on the floor. I tip-toed past it and then glanced down at my shirt.

Perfect.

I just had to pick a white t-shirt, didn't I?

Jake seemed to notice this as well, because suddenly he was laughing. "Hey Seth, I think Bella's t-shirt is missing something," he said with a smirk.

Seth glanced over at me and then grinned mischievously. "Yup, it's definitely in need of improvement."

I narrowed my eyes and backed up a step. "You wouldn't," I growled low in warning.

They wouldn't, would they? They couldn't possibly be that evil.

I contemplated turning around and running for my poor white t-shirt's life. But I should've known that I couldn't stand a chance between two werewolves; especially two very immature ones.

I let out a soft shriek as the two pounced, their chocolate-covered palms reaching out for their target. I leaped to the side, but I was no match for them.

Seth was faster, I could feel his hand the moment it brushed against the side of my shirt. I whimpered softly, already feeling the chocolate seep through the light fabric to my skin. And then came Jacob, the palm of his hand making a perfect imprint on my stomach. Gasping, I gazed down at my once perfectly clean white t-shirt that was now covered in gooey, sticky chocolate, and then lifted my head to glower at them.

They were laughing uproariously, leaning against each other for support. Crossing my arms, I glared at them fiercely.

"And I suppose you think this is funny?"

"Yes!" They both managed to spit out between howls of laughter. Jake smacked Seth a high-five, splattering chocolate onto both of their faces. Neither of them seemed to care.

I shook my head in exasperation. "You guys, I am not going to Leah's party looking like this! So either I borrow one of you guy's shirts, or I'm not going."

That shut both of them up at once. Jake chuckled softly and took my hand, beginning to lead me to his room. "All right, all right, you can wear one of mine." He glanced down at my face, noticed my annoyed expression, and then sighed. "Look, I'm sorry we covered your shirt with chocolate, but it's not ruined. You can wash it all out with hot water and it'll come right out."

"Yeah, I know. Trust me; I would be a lot more pissed if it wasn't possible to get it out."

Jake grinned. "You have to admit though, that was pretty funny."

"Hilarious," I added sarcastically.

Once we were in his room, he found a pretty good sized t-shirt; a bit old-looking, but comfortable once I slipped it on. I looked at myself in the mirror and was surprised to see that it was a perfect fit.

"Um, Jake, how old were you when you wore this?"

"Uhh, eight maybe?"

I shook my head, amazed. "Why did you keep it?"

Jake shrugged. "I guess...I just wanted to keep it to prove that I was normal in some part of my life..."

"Oh, Jake," I sighed. Taking his hand, I lifted it to my face and kissed it gently. "You are normal. Being a werewolf...that's just one part of you. You can't judge yourself by only one part. You have so many other parts inside you that make you who you are." And so much more, I thought to myself.

Jake smiled sheepishly. "What are my other parts then, Bells?"

"Well...you're incredibly fun-loving. Let me tell you, I am never bored around you. Take my poor white t-shirt as an example." Jake chuckled lightly. "You're also irresistibly funny. If it wasn't for your lame, annoying jokes my life just wouldn't be complete."

Jake took me in his arms and nuzzled his warm cheek against mine. I reached up and ran my hands through his hair, sighing softly in contentment.

"And this. This is what I love most about you Jake. You never stop loving, you never stop...caring. That's all you, Jacob Black."

"So you don't care about, you know...me being a werewolf and all?" Jake questioned casually, fumbling with one of the strands of my hair.

I rolled my eyes. "When it comes down to just you Jake, I don't care about you being a werewolf at all.

Feeling him smiling in my hair, I turned my head and passionately kissed his lips. His grip on me suddenly tightened, and soon we were on his bed, his hands grasping my hips and pushing me against the bedpost. I let out a soft moan as his lips trailed their way down my neck, leaving a hot, burning sensation that had my whole body bursting into flames. I clung to him desperately, wanting him as much as I had wanted him that night at the beach. Nothing could possibly make me want him more...

And then he was gone, and I was left to lie there, cold and disoriented.

"Jake, what-" I cut off immediately when I noticed Quil standing there in the doorway, staring at us with wide-eyes. Jake had maneuvered himself on the opposite side of the bed the moment he had noticed Quil's presence. I felt my cheeks flame up with heat.

"Er, wow. Awkward," Quil announced uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.

I glanced down at my chest and quickly slid the shirt back down to hide my stomach. Jake coughed loudly at the end of the bed and murmured softly in annoyance, "What do you want, Quil?"

"Just wanted to let you guys know that we're leaving soon for Leah's party...at the Clearwater's," he clarified, glancing over at me. I nodded in understanding. "Oh...and Seth dumped the cake mix on the floor."

Jake groaned, and ran a hand through his hair. "Great. Just freaking fantastic."

Quil grinned. "Problem's all yours bro, I gotta deal with Claire." And then he turned around and was gone.

I glanced over at Jake and smiled attentively. "Got a Plan B?"

"Nope."

"Well then," I hopped off the bed and grabbed his hand, yanking him off the bed with surprising force and furthermore beginning to lead him towards the kitchen.

"I suppose we better get to work."

You are my love
You are my life
My heart and soul
The truest friend I've ever known
You are my world
All of my dreams
My fantasy, my reality
I love everything you are

Everything, I love everything you are

Okay, so the next chapter will be Leah's birthday party. Get psyched, cause it's gonna be a blast!

And, hmm...weird phone call. Who do you think it is?

*shifty eyes*

Guess you'll have to find out...in later chapters! Bwahaha.

I'm evil, aren't I? *grins*

Anyways, enough with the author notes. It's time to review! Yay!

Reviews are like Jacob's. Can't get enough of them!