Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga or any of the characters in the story.

There are no words for how incredible you guys are, but let's just say that my socks of sufficiently knocked off! Thank you for the amazing feedback for last chapter, and I hope you enjoy this one! Happy reading! :)

Chapter Ten

"Jacob, I need to go home soon..."

The words hung in the air and Isabella cursed herself for even opening her mouth. Jacob sat frozen with her still perched on his lap, their arms wrapped around each other like they were lifelines. Which in a sense, they were, Isabella reminded herself

"I'm sorry... I didn't mean-"

"No, honey, no. It's completely fine. I got a little carried away... My wolf... It's hard to explain, can I just have a minute?" he tried to reassure her with a small smile, tenderly brushing away some hair that had floated in front of her face. However Isabella could still hear a tight edge on his voice, like he was trying to reign in the beast inside of him. She nodded wordlessly, not trusting herself to not say something else stupid.

She sat there, completely content, embraced in his warmth as she listened to his breathing start to slow down. While waiting for him to regain control over himself she laid her head back down onto his shoulder. The heat from his body soaked into her skin and she could not feel the cold breeze off of the ocean. The sun had finally disappeared from the horizon, while the colors still stained the darkening sky.

Isabella found that her mind was blissfully blank aside from thoughts of how happy she was and how she felt as though she finally belonged. She knew that her place was within Jacob's arms and it always would be.

After an amount of time that Isabella was unsure of, she felt Jacob's hot hands glide up her back and reach to gently stroke her hair. It was so tender that Isabella felt as though she was about to cry. She stayed still with him for a few more minutes just revelling in his warmth and the utter feeling of completion that she was enveloped in.

Finally she pulled her head up from his shoulder and looked into his face. He gave her a soft smile and she could see that the man was once again in control of the beast. She returned his smile, if not a bit shyly.

"You ready to go?" Jacob asked quietly and she nodded, although the reluctance was heavy in her chest. She couldn't even think of going back home and driving away from him again.

"I don't want to hurt anymore," she whispered, trying to clear her throat a bit as she looked into his eyes. He understood what he meant and rubbed his large hot hand up and down her back again.

"I won't be too far away, honey. I won't let you hurt anymore," he smiled back at her. She sighed and moved a little to get off of Jacob, but instead he tightened his muscular arms around her. She raised her eyebrow at him and he laughed a little.

"You are going to have to let me go eventually you know," she said to him with a smirk. Jacob shook his head in response and shifted back onto his feet in the sand. He shifted one of his arms to wrap underneath Isabella to keep her body from slipping down the front of his as he walked them both towards the small parking lot.

"I'm never letting you go, Bella," he whispered against her shoulder. Isabella once again felt the thrill of happiness at him calling her Bella. It felt special when it rolled off of his lips, but still she blushed and looked back out over the dark ocean. Jacob's laughter rumbled deep in his chest and seemed to vibrate through Isabella's body. She smiled at the sound, but the frowned as Jacob's arm loosened around her when they had reached her small blue Kia Rio.

Reluctantly she unwound her legs from his waist and let herself onto the ground. She did not step away from his body, and instead looked up at him. He did not look like a nineteen year old student anymore. He looked like the man that she was meant to spend the rest of her life with. She knew that she wasn't entirely in love with him, but without a doubt she knew her soul was the other half of his. He was hers as much as she was his.

"I don't want you to go," she whispered to him and looked away from his face out over the ocean and at the horizon where the sun was gone and the stars were beginning to appear. She could feel a knot in her stomach at the thought of him being on the reservation while she was alone in her apartment.

"Don't be sad, there's no reason to be. I'll be close," Jacob reminded her in a soft voice and she looked back to him. She nodded and without warning his hands reached up for her cheeks again. He held her as though she were delicate, but at the same time his hands were comfortable tight, like he could never hold her close enough. She stared into his deep eyes, drowning in their depth and revelling in their security. He said nothing as he leaned forward quickly and pressed his lips to her forehead.

The effect was immediate, and Isabella felt the spark from his lips travel from her head all the way down to her toes. It warmed her up, and made her heart crash loudly in her chest. She couldn't help but think about what other effects he would have on her body, especially if this was how she was going to react to just a kiss on the forehead. She felt his lips curve up on the skin of her forehead and he placed another chaste kiss at her hairline. He pulled away and opened up the door of her car so that she could get in. She slowly sat herself into the car and he tucked some hair behind her ear while leaning next to the open door.

"I'll be nearby tonight, so don't worry about that. Maybe tomorrow we can talk again? You can come up with some questions and I'll answer them?" he asked her, keeping his hand in contact with her for as long as possibly. She nodded and let out a sigh while starting up her crappy car.

"Goodnight, Jacob," she said to him in a sullen voice and reached for the door. Jacob's hand shot out and stopped it before she could though.

"Call me Jake... The only people who call me Jacob are my dad and the elders. I want you to call me Jake," he said to her, his eyes boring into hers. She was left breathless and could only nod at his suggestion.

"Goodnight, Bella," he smiled at her and let go of her car door, taking a few steps back.

"Goodnight... Jake," she responded, letting the name slip off her tongue. It sounded right to her. It sounded like it belonged. Jake and Bella... They sounded like they belonged.

She shut the door and gave Jake one last glance. He raised his hand to wave to her, and as she turned her car around to leave the parking lot. She tried not to look back as her chest throbbed slightly at even the thought of leaving him. She choked back her tears and started the drive back to her lonely apartment.

The night was still clear when she finally got back to her own place. She could see the half moon in the sky with the stars. For the millionth time since leaving the parking lot at the beach she thought about what Jacob... No, Jake was doing right now. She couldn't feel any ache in her chest, and it reassured her that he was close by.

Was he in his human form or his wolf form? She wondered if he would get cold during the night. What was it like to be able to change into a giant wolf at any given time?

She realized that she should be writing down all of these questions and she nearly sprinted into her house at that thought. Once she had kicked off her sandals and grabbed a notebook and pen out of her school tote bag, she collapsed onto her couch, covering her legs with the blanket. She wished that Jacob was with her to keep her warm since her heating system was such a piece of crap, but she knew that it was impossible for him to stay with her in her apartment.

Instead, she occupied herself with making a list of questions she had for Jake that she would be able to ask him tomorrow. The list wasn't too long, but she couldn't think of anything to ask without sounding stupid. Jake didn't seem like the stereotypical werewolf, and she didn't want to ask something like if silver bullets would kill him. Isabella was positive that silver bullets would kill anyone.

But then there was the idea that cold ones were real... Real vampires? The thought sent a shiver down Isabella's spine out of fear. Jake seemed so warm and welcoming, sure she had felt how much power he had exuded, and he was made of all muscle. He could easily kill anything that crossed his path, but he didn't seem like he could. No one would suspect him to be anything more than an incredibly attractive and tall man from the reservation. She couldn't understand how vampires were able to walk around among humans without being detected. What did they look like? Did they really drink blood?

There were so many questions buzzing inside of her head that she was beginning to think that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. She was so caught up in thinking about the days' events that she didn't realize how truly tired she was. Her thoughts merged into dreams as she fell asleep on the couch with her notebook resting on her chest.

-8-

In the morning Bella woke with a jolt. Immediately her mind began to race as she began to worry she had woken up to last, that Jake wouldn't come, that the entire scene at the beach had only been a dream last night.

But as she sat up in her haste to get somewhere she had no idea she needed to be, something dropped off of her lap and onto the floor. As she looked down she saw the familiar notebook with her flowing cursive handwriting on it. All of her questions that she would be able to ask were written there. Every answer that would change her life was waiting on that plain piece of paper.

She also remembered what had happened last night. Every touch seemed amplified in her memories of the beach. She felt an acceptance wash over her and she smiled to herself, finally at ease.

Picking up the notebook off the floor and putting it on her coffee table she checked the clock on her cable box. It read that it was only nine thirty in the morning. She wondered how they would meet this afternoon, but then again, she knew better than to worry about things involving Jake anymore. She knew that he would always find a way to get to her.

She tried to busy herself right away by going into her bedroom and changing out of the clothes from yesterday she'd slept in by accident. After looking outside it was no surprise that it had started to rain again. It was as if the weather knew that there could only be one day of sunshine allowed at Forks.

Sighing, she grabbed her favorite pair of jeans from her third drawer down, they were soft from wearing them so many times and they fit like a glove. She slipped on some socks and a loose fitting white t-shirt with a subtle v neck. Leaving her hair down she walked back down the short hallway and into the kitchen. Bella couldn't resist picking up her question filled-notebook and looking them all over.

She wanted to be completely sure that she would not be left in the dark anymore, about anything. She needed to know what she was dealing with, other than a seriously good looking wolf-man. And with that, more thoughts of him flooded her head.

Bella shook her head slowly on her shoulders as she closed her eyes and relived what had happened yesterday. Her heart beat steadily increased its tempo and she darted up from her chair, suddenly needing a distraction. She put on some tea and paced around her kitchen. She was fidgeting from wondering when Jacob would arrive. She couldn't help but wish he would appear sooner. And as if she had summoned him through her mind, just as the kettle on the stove started it's shrilly whistle, there came a knock on the door.

It's a little shorter than the last one, I know, but good things come to those who wait! I promise! Feel free to leave any feedback you have on the chapter, and thanks for reading!