I'm back! :)

let me know what you think of this chapter. do you all like Jacob and Edward?

a millionthanks to Angels of Twilight! the best bets ever!

ps... dont forget to review! :D

yeah yeah i know Sephenie Meyer still owns twilight, don't rub it in!

After we finished our dinner, Charlie gave me the book and then went to bed. I told him I was headed to the Cullens house tomorrow, so he didn't have to rush home from La Push.

"You are really getting along well with the Cullens, huh?"

"I guess."

"I'm glad you are. I know how hard it is for you to like people and make friends, so it's nice to see a change."

"Yeah, it's nice to have friends."

"Okay, well, good night then, and I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Night, Charlie. Have fun tomorrow."

Once I got in bed, I went to sleep thinking of Edward's arms around me and how it felt to have him be so close.

The next morning, I decided to actually read the book like I had told him in the first place. I mean, I had all morning and nothing to do, after all. I went to the kitchen and got myself a bowl of cereal and took the book with me. As I finished my cereal, I decided to go back to the willow tree and read some more until it was time to go to the Cullens house. When I got to the front door, I heard someone walking up the steps. I looked through the window to see none other than Jacob Black coming up the steps.

He knocked on the door, and I was tempted to just let him think I was not home, but I knew he knew I was here, so I went and opened the door.

"Good morning, Bella."

"Um... hi… what are you doing here? Don't you have school?"

"I came to visit my soon-to-be wife. I think that's more important than school, don't you?"

"No, and I am not your soon-to-be wife."

"Yes, you are, and you know it." He stepped closer to me and said, "Look, it's not that hard. All you have to do is use your magic and make a spell to make us fall in love with each other."

"No, I can't. Magic can't make someone fall in love. It's one of the things we can't do."

"You can't do a simple love spell? That's such a waste of magic! What can you do, then?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? But I'm not telling. Like I said, I will not be your wife, so you don't need to know what I can and can't do." I took a calming breath and said, "Look, it's not that you are a bad person. I just don't want to marry someone I don't love. You just need to go out there and find the girl you are going to imprint on."

"Look, we are getting married no matter what. If I were to imprint on someone, I would have done it already. But I already like you, so all you have to do is learn to like me, too."

"You can't learn to like or love someone, Jacob. It's not how it happens."

"Do you think that if we had met in different situations that you would have liked me eventually?"

"I don't think so; we have nothing in common, and why worry about what ifs? All we can do is try and solve this and continue with our lives like normal."

"I don't think so. You are getting married to me, and you will learn to like me." I could see he was getting mad, so I backed away a bit. He took a deep breath and said, "It's okay; you'll learn to accept it sooner or later. Actually, I just came to give you this." He handed me a black bag. I opened it to see a bracelet inside. It was brown leather strips woven into an intricate design.

"It's a promise bracelet, like a promise ring. I want you to wear it so people know you are spoken for."

"Are you crazy? No, I am not wearing anything, and I am most definitely not spoken for. Get this through your head: I am not marrying you!"

"It's okay. You'll learn to do as I say sooner or later. Well, I have to go now, but I'll see you soon, my bride." With that, he turned around and headed into the forest. A few seconds later, I heard a wolf howl, and then he was gone, or at least I thought he was.

I went back inside and headed to the kitchen. I pulled out a pan and matches and headed to the back yard. I placed the stupid bracelet in the pan and set it on fire. If he thought I was wearing the damn thing, he was wrong. There was no way in hell I would ever put something on that marked me as his. I didn't even belong to myself, and he thought he could just come up to me and pretend he owned me. I didn't think so.

I headed up to my room and tried to calm down. Gosh, this boy had thick skull. When was he ever going to get that I did not want to marry him? I tried to find a distraction before I did something crazy, like go to his house and strangle him.

It was around two in the afternoon when Alice called me. By that time, I had managed to forget about what had happened with Jacob and was reading calmly in my room.

"Hello."

"Hey, Bella, it's Alice. I was just calling to ask if you want us to pick you up right after school, or do you have something to do?"

"Don't you know the answer already?"

"Yeah, but it's still polite to ask. Okay, then I'll see you soon, and don't eat anything. Esme is making you lunch. And don't even start. You know she likes cooking for you."

"How long have you known me again? Fine, I won't make a fuss about it. Bye, Alice. Have fun in school."

"Ha, yeah right! It'll be fun once you start coming. Okay, then. I have to get to class. Bye."

I was actually excited to spend the day with the Cullens. It was just what I needed. And maybe— just maybe—I wanted to see Edward again. I didn't know why I was feeling this way, but the more it happened, the less I seemed to care. I needed to figure it out before I did something I might regret.

It was around three thirty when Alice finally showed up at the house. I was surprised to see her by herself and in Edward's car. Part of me was disappointed he wasn't there, but I tried to ignore it. I went inside to get the book, and then I got in the car.

"Hi, Alice."

"Hey, Bella, are you ready?"

"Yeah, but where is everyone else?"

"They went hunting. I'm just picking you up, and then I'm joining them."

"Is everyone out hunting?"

"No, Esme and Edward went hunting already, so you are spending time with them. Carlisle is working, but he should be home later today. We should be home shortly after he arrives."

"Oh, okay."

We spent the rest of the way just talking about what she wanted to do this weekend, and just listening to her was making me regret accepting to go shopping with her. When we arrived at the house, she told me to go right in and that she would see me later on today. I went up the steps of the house, and I could hear piano music coming from inside. I didn't want to be rude and just walk in, so I sort of hesitated outside the door. Suddenly, Esme opened the door. "What are you doing out there, young lady? Didn't Alice tell you to just walk right in?"

"Yes, she did. It just felt wrong. Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, Bella. Come in, then." When I stepped inside, it smelled fantastic. Were those cookies and brownies I smelled? Oh, gosh, it smelled divine!

"What's that smell?"

"I made you cookies and brownies. Why, does it smell bad?"

"No, on the contrary, it smells wonderful."

"Oh, thank goodness. Well, I have to go check on them. I'll be right back."

"Do you need help?"

"No, its okay. Why don't you go say hi to Edward, and I'll go finish in the kitchen." She didn't give me time to respond; she just turned around and went into the kitchen.

I walked over to the piano where Edward was playing a beautiful melody I had never heard before. I set the book down on the top and leaned against it, just watching him play. He looked up at me and gave me his crooked grin, and of course, I just blushed and waved at him. He continued to play until the song came to an end. Once the melody stopped, I started clapping and he laughed.

"That was wonderful. You are really good."

"Thank you."

"I've never heard that song before. Did you compose it yourself?"

"Yes, it's a song I made for Esme. It's her favorite."

"I can see why. It's beautiful."

"Do you play?"

"No." I actually did a little, but after hearing that, I didn't want to tell him and have him ask me to play for him. There was no way I would ever compare to him. I looked at him and saw that he didn't really believe me. I guess he decided to let it slide this time.

"Is that the book you were talking about?"

"Yes. Not as special as it sounded, right?"

"Yeah, I was kind of expecting a really weird looking book, but this looks more like a journal."

"That's because it is. They just write whatever they find out about us in here."

"Oh, may I?" he stretched his hand towards me.

"Yeah, of course." I handed him the book, and I watched him as he looked at the cover.

"Impius?"

"Yeah, they weren't that creative back then, I guess."

"So your um… kind is called The Wicked One?"

"Yes, like I said, they weren't that creative. I have a feeling Emmet is going to have a field day with that one."

"It's okay, he doesn't know Latin, and I'll make sure no one tells him."

"My hero!" I said in a "damsel in distress" voice, and he just laughs lauder. I love his laugh; it was like the most beautiful symphony I'd ever heard.

"Okay, Bella, here comes the moment of truth. It's time for you to try the cookies I made you."

"Esme, you didn't have to go through all this trouble."

"It was no trouble at all, Isabella. I like cooking, and I finally have someone to cook for. Now, try the cookies."

I took a cookie from the plate she had in her hand. They were still a bit warm, and they smelled even better up close. I took a bite, and I swear I heard angels sing.

"Oh, my gosh, Esme, these are by far the best cookies I've ever had." When I looked up at her face, she had a huge smile on her face like I had just given her the greatest news in the world.

"I'm so glad you like them." She set the rest of them on top of the piano and said, "Here, eat this. I have to take the brownies out of the oven now. Edward, you promised me music while I was baking, so get to it."

"Yes, ma'am" said Edward. Before he started playing, he took my arm and pulled me towards him. He gently placed me in the piano bench next to him, and then he put the plate of cookies closer to me. He didn't say anything; he just smiled and started playing again. I could have stayed like that for the rest of my life. Beautiful music and awesome food, what else could I want? It was heaven.

I was on my third cookie when Edward said, "I know you were lying. You can play the piano, can't you?"

"Yes, but I didn't want to embarrass you with my awesome piano skills." I guessed all the sugar from the cookies was getting to me. I felt happy, carefree and a little hyper.

"Oh, really? Are you better than me?"

"Definitely."

"Prove it. I want to see this for myself."

"Okay, just don't come crying when you see I'm the best." He laughed at my statement and just waited for me to play.

I made this big show of shaking my hands and trying to stretch my fingers like I'd seen on cartoons. I heard Edward chuckle, so I decided to entertain him a bit more. I put my hand in front of me like I was about to pray, and then I took a deep breath and started to hum like I was meditating.

"Oh, great piano spirits, give me the power to play this piano. Oh, piano gods, make me as good as only you can." I could feel the bench shaking with Edward's silent laughter. I opened one eye and looked at him.

"Hey, I don't make fun of your piano playing rituals, so don't make fun of mine."

"Sorry, sorry, please continue." I waited for a few moments to see if he was done laughing before I took another deep breath. I pushed down on a low note just to make it sound more dramatic. I placed my hands high in the air and make a show of bringing them down like I was going to play a dramatic piece. Instead, once my hands hit the keys, I started playing "Chopstick."

Edward laughed and then just watched me as I finished my song. Once I was done, he got up and started clapping loudly, screaming "encore." Seconds later, Esme appeared next to him and started doing the same.

I got up and took a bow, and they just went crazy, clapping even louder. I couldn't help but laugh at the ridiculousness of it all. Looks like an afternoon with Esme and Edward was going to be a blast.

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