Hinder

Lips Of An Angel

It's funny that you're calling me tonight
And yes I've dreamt of you too
Does he know you're talking to me?
Will it start a fight?
No I don't think she has a clue

Well, my girls in the next room
Sometimes I wish she was you.
I guess we never really moved on.

It's really good to hear your voice saying my name
It sounds so sweet
Coming from the lips of an angel,
Hearing those words
It makes me weak.

And I never wanna say goodbye
But girl you make it hard to be faithful
With the lips of an angel.

JPOV

"Come on, Bells. Just listen to the song." I said, turning the knob on the stereo again and bobbing my head to the latest Eminem release. We were on the beach, listening to my portable stereo that I had brought along in an attempt to introduce Bella to a small amount of pop culture. For Christ's sake, she didn't even know who Eminem was. And I wouldn't stand for that.

"Blech, what is this crap anyways?" she scrunched her nose, reached over and turned the knob back down after I had pulled my hand away.

"Crap? Crap?" I arched an eyebrow. "I wont yell. I wont yell. I wont yell…"

Bella just laughed at me and shrugged, scooting closer and laying her head on my shoulder.

"Music just isn't my thing. Kinda like how you don't enjoy talking about tampons?" she giggled, and smirked at me.

"You had to bring up the T-word, didn't you?" I grimaced, and planted a kiss on her temple. She laughed some more, and turned her face so that she could look at me. "Besides. Don't compare Eminem to… those things. The two words shouldn't even be used in the same conversation." I added. She rolled her eyes playfully, and stretched her neck up to kiss me. My arms wound around her exposed waist- she was wearing that damn bikini again- as I pulled her onto my lap. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled herself closer to me, her hair tickling my bare chest as it fell forward.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The stereo was suddenly blaring an annoying telephone ringtone. I tried to ignore it, but damn, that shit was obnoxious. I pulled away from Bella's lips and reached over to turn down the volume. But as I turned the knob towards 'mute', it got even louder.

"Stupid thing," I muttered, and jabbed at the power button. It still wouldn't stop. Louder and louder the ringing got, until I couldn't even hear the crashing of the waves surrounding us. "What the hell?" I exclaimed- it was so loud that I couldn't even hear my own voice in my ears. I looked at Bella, but she was just staring at me with her eyebrows all scrunched up.

"What?" she asked. I couldn't actually hear her, I had to read her lips.

"The stereo!" I yelled, trying to make myself heard over the incessant ringing. "You don't hear that?"

"Hear what, Jacob?"

My eyes flew open and I sat up in bed, relieved for about five seconds that I was free from the irritating noise of my dream, when I realized that it was still there. The ringing was still in my ears, filling my bedroom with its shrill shriek. My eyes searched the dark room, and I suddenly knew where the sound was coming from, and why it sounded so familiar.

Bella's cell phone.

"Goddamnit, that was a good dream." I grumbled to myself sleepily, rolling out of bed and feeling around for the phone. I found it on a pile of clothes in the corner and searched for the 'ignore' button, but I couldn't see it in the dark. So I just hit the 'end' button, hoping that would work. The ringer was silenced, and the room was quiet again.

I laid back down in bed, closing my eyes and letting myself drift off.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

I jumped, startled by the sudden noise. Groaning, I reached over and hit the end button again, without checking who was calling. But before I could even roll back over onto my side, it was ringing again.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

"OH MY GOD, this had better be the most important call of this person's life!" I exclaimed, ignoring the fact that I was, indeed, talking to myself, and reaching for the phone again. I finally checked the Caller ID- it read 'Home'. "Hullo?" I answered, running a hand down my face.

"Who is this?" answered a male voice. "Is this Bella's phone?"

"Yes, its Bella's phone. This is Jacob. And may I ask who's calling?"

"Phil. Phil Dwyer. Bella's stepfath- Renee's husband." he quickly corrected himself, and I didn't read too much into it. Not my business. "I need to speak to Bella, immediately. So, if you could just hand her the phone-"

"I'm not with Bella." I interrupted. "She must have left her phone at my house. I'll bring it to her in the morning, and I'll make sure she calls right away-"

"No. I have to speak with her now." he interrupted my interruption.

"Okay, well, I'm not with Bella right now. And I'm not very fond of driving around at-" I glanced at my alarm clock, "two forty-five in the morning. But I promise, I'll bring it to her first thing, if you could just wait a couple of hours."

"You don't understand. This is important." the way he said it, the tone of his voice, made me believe him. And so, I got out of bed again and slipped on some tennis shoes, and threw on a white T-shirt. Only when I was reaching for my keys and telling Phil goodbye that it dawned on me-

"Is Bella in some sort of trouble?" I blurted, before he could hang up.

"Is- what? No. Of course not. It… it's-" and then his voice broke, and I could hear the tears choking him as he spoke one final time. "Please. Quickly, Jacob. It's Renee." The line went dead. Dial tone rang in my ear as I stood there, frozen, the meaning behind his words sinking in slowly.

Renee.

And then, I knew. I knew what Phil meant, and why he acted the way he did and all of a sudden I felt sick to my stomach. I felt sick, and I felt this overwhelming need to just run away and hide. Or better yet, run away with Bella and protect her from this burden. Because I knew what it felt like to be on the opposite side of that particular table and to have everything taken away from you. A mother taken away from you. And Bella's not ready for this kind of news, she hasn't even fully recovered from that douche who used and dumped her. And for me to be the bearer of this news? She'll hate me forever…

I glanced from the phone in my hand to the keys on my dresser, thinking of how much I didn't want to do this. I didn't want to do this to her.

I took a steeling breath and grabbed the keys to the bike, ignoring the fact that it was pouring rain. Once I was outside, I jogged to my bike and pulled off the cover quickly, throwing my leg over and inserting the key into the ignition. I didn't even bother folding up the tarp I used as a cover, I just turned the key and tore out of my driveway, racing down the slick streets as fast as I safely could.

The ride to Forks was a blur; wet and dark and cold, and filled with thoughts of sleeping, peaceful Bella. I thought about that cute little mumble thing she did when she slept, how I could hear her utter my name now and again, along with other words. Come to think of it, Renee escaped her lips almost as often as my name did.

Yeah. That didn't help my situation at all.

Sooner than I expected, I was idling in front of the dark house. Charlie's cruiser was missing, so he must have been at work or fishing. I sat on my bike for a moment, ignoring the icy splatters of rain hitting my face and arms- yes, I was stalling.

"Stop being a coward." I muttered to myself after another minute, and shut off the bike. I walked up to the door slowly, taking each step with care. Once I reached the door, it was another full two minutes before I could actually bring myself to raise my fist and knock once, twice, and a third time.

I wasn't surprised when I didn't get a response immediately; after all, it was three in the morning. So I knocked again, harder, with more urgency. I kept that up for at least five minutes, before I started using calling out.

"Bella! It's Jake!" I yelled, cupping my hands around my mouth to amplify my voice. I banged the side of my fist against the door- still nothing.

"Bella! Bella, open up!" I continued on with my pounding.

Suddenly the door swung open, and Bella was standing before me in a holey tank top and baggy sweats, her hair piled on top of her head, rubbing at her eyes. Before she could say a word, I threw myself at her and wrapped my arms around her warm waist, apologizing for everything I was about to do with my embrace. She was unmoving, probably too surprised and tired to fully comprehend what was going on.

"Jake, what the hell are you doing here? And why are you all wet?" she mumbled into my chest, her voice thick with sleep. I released her so that she could talk clearly, but I didn't answer her question- I took her face between by wet, cold hands and kissed her lips with as much feeling and passion I could muster.

She pulled her face away from mine and glared at me for not answering her question.

"It's raining, and I was out there for a good fifteen minutes before you answered the door." I mumbled, looking away. Lightning flashed, illuminating the dark kitchen briefly. It was followed by a deafening crack of thunder that rattled the floorboards and caused Bella to flinch in surprise.

"Oh. Sorry." she apologized quietly, then seemed to realize that I hadn't fully answered her inquires. "That still doesn't explain what you're doing here at three in the morning." she finished, arching a brow.

"You- you left your phone at my place." I said slowly, pulling her phone out of my pocket and pressing it into her outstretched palm. She turned and set it down at the dining room table, and sat down in a chair. I figured that it was best she was sitting down anyways.

"And you couldn't have waited to give it to me, oh, I don't know, when I was awake?" she retorted. I turned away from her gaze and bit my lip, thinking about how I was going to phrase this. Oh, yeah, by the way- your step-dad called. Said he wanted me to tell you your mother died or something. Hey, what's for breakfast?

I took another deep breath and opened my mouth, preparing to give everything to her nice and slowly, when a rush of word-vomit tumbled from my lips.

"It kept ringing and beeping, and I was trying to sleep, and I didn't know how to turn off the ringer, so I answered it. It- it was Phil, and he-"

"Phil?" she interrupted, her brows pulling together while her lips pursed. "Phil Dwyer?"

"Yes, your mother's husband. He was there, and he sounded really upset, and he said that he needed to talk to you immediately. I told him that I would bring you your phone in the morning, and he started yelling at me, saying that it was an emergency. So I- I asked him what the problem was, if you were in trouble or anything,. He- he said- I just-" I was a babbling fool, tripping over my words like a drunk toddler, and I couldn't seem to stop myself. The words just kept pouring out of my mouth, until I found that I couldn't actually say the words. I buried my face in my hands to hide from her, to try to collect myself for a moment. When I felt like I could open my mouth without spilling out my dad's bank card number, I lifted my head.

"You need to call him, Bella. Right now." I said firmly, pressing her phone into her palm and avoiding her stare.

"Now? But why, what did he say?" her voice was a few octaves higher than normal from anxiety. But I just shook my head.

"Right now. Call him." I said, and turned away. I began chewing on the inside of my cheek as she dialed, tapping my foot anxiously.

He must have answered, because the next words out of her mouth were, "Phil? What's going on?"

Without realizing it, I had bitten hard enough on my cheek to draw blood. A coppery taste flooded my mouth, and I switched to the other cheek. I tried not to listen to what she was saying, but a few phrases slipped in here and there.

"Something happened?" she demanded, standing up from her chair. I glanced up at her as she held the phone to her ear and began pacing the kitchen. I looked away again, overwhelmed with guilt and apology and just… sadness. Sadness for Bella, who lost her mother. For Phil, who lost his wife. For Charlie, who lost the mother of his child, his first love, his once-upon-a-time happily-ever-after. For all of Renee's friends, who probably don't know about any of this right now, who probably had plans with her next weekend or tomorrow or Friday night.

"Phil, where is she? Where's Mom?"

Bella's broken whisper called my attention through my reverie, and I looked up just in time to see her knees begin to buckle, the phone begin to slip from her hand. I shot up from my chair and made it over to her before she could actually hit the floor, catching her under the arms as her phone shattered on the linoleum.

In one swift motion I had her cradled in my arms so that I could carry her to the couch. Halfway to the living room she started screaming.

I knew she had fainted because the shrieks she had been emitting suddenly ceased, and she became limp in my arms. I lad her gently on the couch and covered her in a blanket, and then I sat down beside her. I propped my elbows on my knees and laid my head in my palms. After a minute Bella stirred, and I lifted my head and looked over at her, but her eyes didn't open. She was still out.

As I stared at her lifeless form, I slowly began preparing myself for what was to come when she opened her eyes again. I began preparing for her to say goodbye to me.

I stood after a few moments and walked over to the house phone, dialing Charlie and filled him in on everything except Renee's death. That was something that needed to be said in person- I would tell him when he got home, I decided.

My movements were sort of robotic, empty, lifeless. The reason behind it wasn't hard to figure out- without Bella, I was nothing. And soon, she would be gone. I glanced over at her sleeping figure, taking everything in: her smooth, pale skin unbroken by blemishes or wrinkles. Her hair, thick and dark and long, falling across the couch cushion and hiding half of her face from immediate view. Her hands, small and fragile, that fit perfectly in mine. Her lips, set into a small pout, that were so soft and warm…

The sound of Charlie's cruiser pulling up the drive brought me back to reality. Too soon, he was opening the door and in the living room, looking at me for an explanation as to why his daughter was passed out, why her phone was shattered on the kitchen floor, why I was here so early in the first place.

"You should call a doctor, Charlie. I'll explain everything afterwards, I promise." While he went into the kitchen and dialed the hospital, I took a seat at the kitchen table. When he was done on the phone, he sat down across from me.

Slowly, gently, I began to explain what had happened. About the phone call, the first one at my house. About the phone call that took place here, at the table we were sitting at. I told him that Bella had most likely blacked out from the shock.

When I was done, Charlie just stared at the pieces of Bella's phone on the ground in silence. He didn't even blink for what seemed like five minutes.

"Charlie?" I spoke finally.

Before he could answer, there was a timid knock on the front door. When Charlie didn't seem to notice, or care, I stood up and answered it. It was Dr. Gerandy, and he immediately went to work on Bella. He began firing off questions faster than I could process them, but I did the best that I could.

"How is she?" Charlie was suddenly standing behind us in the living room, gazing at his daughter with worried eyes.

"She's going to be fine," the doctor replied gently, tucking his stethoscope away into his suit and putting his thermometer back into his little briefcase.

"She's so still…" Charlie whispered, kneeling down beside Bella's head.

"It's got to be the shock of everything, Chief." Dr. Gerandy reassured him, confirming my earlier thoughts. Charlie just shook his head and smoothed Bella's hair off of her forehead.

"What do I do if she doesn't wake up?" he asked after a moment of silence.

"She will. Just let her sleep it off. She'll come to terms with reality when she's ready to." the doctor answered, patting Charlie on the shoulder and making his way to the door. "She's going to be fine. Have a good day, Chief. You too, Jacob." he nodded at the both of us in a goodbye gesture, and let himself out.

I reached down and lifted Bella into my arms, cradling her limp body in my arms gently. I held her close and allowed myself to be enveloped in her scent.

"You want her in her bed, Charlie?" I asked, though I was already heading towards the stairs.

"Sure, Jacob. Sure." he answered dazedly, sitting down in his chair.

I carried her up the stairs and into her room, tucking the covers around her body tightly. Then, I pulled her computer chair over to the side of her bed and sat down. I laid my head back, closed my eyes, and was asleep within seconds.

"Any change?" Charlie asked from the doorway. My eyes shot open and I sat up, glancing around the room in confusion.

"Um… no." I answered groggily, pressing the heels of my hands into my eyes. "How long was I out?" I mumbled, a bit sheepishly.

"Just three hours." he said quietly, moving to sit on the edge of Bella's bed. "You know, Jake, you can go home if you want. Shower, get some sleep- I can see you're exhausted. I'm sure there wont be any changes any time soon."

A part of me wanted to go. Not because I wanted to shower, even though I knew I should probably take one within the next few hours, and not because I was desperate for sleep- even though I was. I wanted to go, because I figured it would be better. For Bella. If she woke up and I was already out of her life, things would be much easier.

But the part that loved Bella and cared and worried for her told that other part to shut the hell up, so I decided to stay.

"Well, the couch and shower is always open for you, Jacob." Charlie assured me, and stood up.

"You keep offering me showers, Charlie- do I really smell that bad?" I joked, trying to lighten the mood. That got him to smile, and he clapped me on the shoulder.

"Just a bit." he said, and walked out of the room.

Two. Damn. Days.

Two long, sleepless, uncomfortable, sitting-in-the-same-position-for-hours-on-end days. And still, not a single change from Bella. Occasionally she would stir, mumble something in her sleep- usually it was "Renee," or "Mom." But other than those rare occurrences, you wouldn't know the difference between her and a dead body. (Was that a bit too morbid? Hmm.)

Charlie was on the phone a lot, arranging the funeral or buying plane tickets or ordering take-out. I haven't left this house yet, and have only moved from my position beside Bella's bed when I had to eat, or go to the bathroom.

When Charlie wasn't on the phone or sleeping, he was checking in with me every twenty minutes. It was always the same thing.

"Any change?" To which I would reply, "Not yet." And then, "Are you hungry? Need a break?" I would always decline the latter, though he insisted on bringing me food in here on a regular schedule. I think he understood, better than anyone, why I wouldn't leave her side, so he didn't bother me much.

I heard boots trudging up the stairs and looked at Bella's alarm clock- he was seven minutes behind his usual twenty-minute mark.

"Any change?" Charlie asked, sticking his head in the door.

"She's talking more," I told him, trying to stretch details. I could always hear the hope in his voice when he asked that question, and was probably getting sick of "Not yet."

"That's a good thing," he said, more to himself than to me. I nodded in agreement, though.

"When is the funeral?" I asked, wondering what was going to happen if Bella didn't wake up in time for the ceremony.

"Three days." he answered, his tone going flat. "It's going to be in Phoenix. Phil thought… thought she would like that." his voice broke at the end of his sentence.

I reached forward and stroked Bella's hair, ran the back of my fingers across her forehead. "I'm so sorry, Charlie." I whispered. I continued to caress her cheeks, passed my fingertips over violet eyelids and around pale lips.

"I think… that you should come with us, Jacob. To the funeral." Charlie spoke gruffly, trying to hide tears.

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to, you know, make any one uncomfortable. It isn't really my grief to share." I didn't want to impose, and I never actually knew Renée.

"Of course I'm sure." Charlie answered immediately. "If Bella pulls through this… sleep, that she's in, in time for the funeral, she's going to need someone there. Someone besides me."

I didn't mention that Bella probably wouldn't want me there in the first place.

Suddenly my eyes felt very heavy, and I wanted so badly to curl up under the blankets with Bella and sleep until the next century. I bent my head and pinched the bridge of my nose, squeezing my eyes shut and then blinking rapidly. I let my eyes close, slowly, and I was just on the brink of sleep when Bella moved again. My head snapped up, eyes flying open as they met a pair of sleepy, brown ones. I gave a small gasp, and then wrapped her in my arms and held on, as tightly as I possibly could.

"Charlie, Charlie! She's awake." I almost yelled, I was so relieved. Bella was still in my arms, unresponsive, but I figured she wasn't fully awake yet. Charlie was at my side as soon as the words had left my mouth, waiting for his turn to embrace his daughter. I released her slightly, so that her face was no longer buried in my neck.

She opened her mouth to speak, and my heart skipped a beat- I was terrified of what her next words were going to be.

"Hey, Dad." she rasped, her voice grating. I released a breath I didn't realize I was holding and let Charlie wrap her up in a hug.

Charlie spoke with Bella for a few more minutes, but I wasn't really focusing on what they were saying. I avoided eye contact with her, paying more attention to her comforter than what she was actually saying.

"Jake?" she whispered, which caught my attention. I glanced up at her face, not completely looking her in the eye. She seemed to notice, too, because she snapped, "I'm up here."

I internally put up an emotional shield and prepared myself for her next words.

"How long was I out?" she croaked. I felt like I was dodging bullets every time she opened her mouth.

"Two days." I answered, clipping my words and trying not to show emotion. The more feelings I showed, the more I attempted to make her want me, the more it would hurt if she made me leave.

"What is the matter with you?" she blurted, looking at me with a confused expression. That little crease formed between her brows as she scrutinized me as her eyes narrowed.

Nothing, Bella. I'm only anticipating your wrath for ruining your life. Sorry, I'm a little uncomfortable making eye contact.

But I didn't say that. Instead, I played ignorant.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, why wont you fucking look at me?" she lashed out. I flinched at the tone in her voice, at the language she was using- she was pissed, that much was obvious.

"I'm looking at you." I said flatly. She huffed and turned over onto her back. I was considering leaving, cutting out the middleman, but she spoke again.

"Jake?" she asked again in a whisper. "Lay with me?"

What the hell?

I looked up at Bella again and saw that her eyes were brimming with tears, and without another thought I crawled onto the bed with her. Hell if I wasn't a sucker for Crying Bella- Crying Bella could get anything out of me, any time, any day.

I laid an arm over her waist and pulled her body closer to mine, pressing my nose into her hair and taking in her scent- vanilla and lavender and warmth and just… Bella.

She took my hand and played with my fingers, but other than that, she was perfectly still. No words of anger, no resentment. Nothing. I was shocked- surely, if she was upset with me, she would have mentioned it by now.

She took my hand and began playing with my fingers absentmindedly.

"You aren't mad at me?" I blurted in a whisper. Bella jumped a little in my arms. "Sorry," I apologized for startling her.

"Why would I be mad at you, Jacob?" she replied, confused. My heart leapt in my chest, and I had to take a few deep breaths so I could speak without sounding like a giddy school girl. In the silence, Bella turned around in my arms and faced me. I gazed at her for a moment, and she reached out and stroked my cheek gently with her fingers. I caught her wrist and held her hand there, enjoying the feeling.

"So is that a no?" I asked finally, arching an eyebrow.

"There's no reason for me to be angry with you," she said earnestly.

"Okay." I smiled slightly, relief flooding through my system. I took her chin in my hand and stroked her warm, pale pink lips with my thumb before I leaned forward and kissed them gently. I held my mouth to hers for a beat longer than necessary.

When I pulled away and looked into her wide, sad brown eyes, I was reminded of what Charlie asked me. I figured, since she wasn't mad at me after all, that I might as well go with her to the funeral. But… I should ask permission, right? I mean, it's her mother. She should decide who gets to go, right? Right?

I rolled onto my back and stared up at the ceiling, my eyebrows pulling together. Bella scooted up against me and laid her head against m chest, sighing contentedly.

"What are you thinking about?" she croaked, her voice rough from not being used for so long.

"Charlie wants me to go to the funeral with you." I said, figuring honesty was best.

"So come with me." she answered immediately, and she seemed to mean it. I did notice the slight tremor in her voice, and I also noticed that she was trying to hide it from me. I knew how she felt- when my mother died, I had wanted to be brave and strong in front of everyone, but it was hard to put up that front when the most important person in your life was suddenly… gone.

"But I've never met your mother." I whispered, wrapping my arm around her and playing with her hair, subtly trying to comfort her.

"I want you there." she whispered back, peeking up at me through her lashes. "And plus… it- it would mean a lot to her if you came. That you cared enough to show up, even if it was just for me."

When she put it that way, I realized that I couldn't not go. I had seen what her mother's death had done to her- hell, it put her in a semi-coma for forty-eight hours. I needed to be her shoulder, to be her comfort food, her crutch. I knew, more than anybody, how important it was to have someone there for you when you were in this type of situation. And suddenly, I felt pretty selfish for not wanting to feel uncomfortable when Bella needed me there.

I glanced at the clock on her nightstand and realized that it was getting late. I should probably get home to Billy- he was probably going to be wondering where I was; I'd told him I would be home by today. I sat up and gave Bella a gentle kiss on the forehead before pushing myself off of the mattress and putting my shoes on. I grabbed my keys and then knelt down next to her, pushing stray hairs of f of her forehead.

"Okay." I said again, smiling.

"Okay… what?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Okay, I'll go with you to Phoenix. To the ceremony." I clarified.

"Thanks, Jake. It means a lot to me." she replied, offering me a tiny smile that didn't touch her eyes.

"I know." I whispered.

I leaned forward and gave her one final kiss on the forehead.

"Bye, Bells. I'll come back tomorrow, okay?" I promised, standing up. She frowned but nodded, and I wished I could stay, but I had to get home. Plus, Billy would throw a fit if I missed another day of school.

I waved at Bella and walked out of the room without another word.

Downstairs, Charlie was on the phone- no huge shocker there. I gave him a small wave and a comforting smile, then held my keys in the air to let him know I was leaving. He nodded his head and smiled back at me, letting me know he understood without interrupting his phone call.

I pushed the door out of my way and stepped out into the fresh air- it felt good to be out of that room, even though my heart ached to be with Bella.

She'll be alright. I promised myself. Just one day alone- she'll be okay. And then tomorrow, I'll be with her again. Everything will be fine.

(A/N): I'm back! The long awaited Chapter Eight has been posted! Please, hold your applause! Oh, you're too much. Stop it.
But, in all seriousness, I would like to apologize for how long this chapter has taken... its just been very busy. But fret not, I will get on with Chapter Nine very soon. Promise.
One more thing.
I would like to thank my amazing Beta/Best Friend/Soul Sister for all her help on this chapter. Without her… well, there probably still wouldn't be another entry.
As you all know, it wouldn't be a true ECG000 Author's Note without me saying "Review" so… Review/Favorite, whatever you must. Just show me some love!
Stay beautiful.

~ECG000