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Christmas Eve
X-x-x-x-X

Jacob rouses Bella from the bed in Sam's guest bedroom just in time to get her back into her own bed before Charlie gets home. She is too groggy to hold much of a conversation, and she falls back to sleep to the sensation of feather light kisses on her face. She sleeps dreamlessly and heavily in her own bed. She doesn't notice when Charlie's cruiser pulls up the drive, nor when he slams the front door shut. She doesn't wake up again until ten am, when Jacob slides her window open. She wakes up the same way she fell asleep: to Jacob's gentle kisses across her face. When he gently ties a couple of thick leather bracelets around her wrists to cover her bruises, she is so glad that he thought of it. If left to her own devices, she would have just tried to keep her long sleeves down as far as they would go. It probably would have worked for a little bit, but there is a high likelihood that her sleeves would have rolled up at some point, and had Charlie seen, she never would have been able to look him in the eye again.

She flushes thinking about the night before. If anyone other than Jacob ever tried to tie her down, her gut reaction would have inevitably have been terror. But as out of control as he seemed, she trusted him implicitly. Jacob is the most devoted creature she has ever met, and the most loving. Having his desire, his lust, his focus solely on her, is intensely arousing. He was positively wild last night. She was a little frightened, truth be told, especially when he exploded into his wolf in Sam's living room and pulled off her panties with his sharp teeth. But the little fear she had was wholly overwhelmed by the desire to submit to him. The result of her submission was a passion as pure and consuming as fire.

But she still wants to know what set him off, or more accurately, what set his wolf off.

She removes her new leather cuffs long enough to shower, leaving her charm bracelets on her dresser, then pads downstairs to toast an English muffin. For the first time in a long time, she has the day to herself. Jacob has patrol, Charlie will probably be asleep for hours after his night shift, Leah is spending the day with her cousin, and Rachel, Rebecca, Solomon and Billy are with the Littleseas. Connie and Kevin, Collin's parents, were nice enough to invite her and Charlie for Christmas Eve dinner, but they won't go over until Charlie wakes up. Bella offered to make brownies to contribute to dessert, but they refused to let her make anything else, so after stirring the batter and popping two trays in the oven, she doesn't have much left to do.

She calls Renee while the smell of chocolate starts to waft through the house. She had been hoping that Renee would come visit for the holiday, but Phil had surprised her with a trip to New Orleans for Christmas. At one point, she would have gotten very depressed at her mother's continuing absence from her life, but Bella had long ago learned to expect this from Renee. This season, it's hard to be depressed about not seeing one member of her family when she feels like she has gained a second father in Billy, a sister in Rachel, and a giant extended family in the pack.

And what Renee lacks in presence, she makes up for in excitement and enthusiasm over the phone. Bella considers telling her mother about Edward's money, but she doesn't know how to begin. Jacob knows, of course, but he didn't exactly react well to the news, and when he returned to find her late in the evening, talking about anything at all was off the agenda. She listens to Renee's happy chatter, and before she knows it, two hours have gone by. Bella curls up on the couch with a mug of spiced chocolate and a good book, and before she knows it has drifted off to sleep.

She wakes up in the early afternoon to her father bending over her and examining her new leather cuffs.

"Sorry, Bells. Didn't mean to wake you up. What are these?"

She blushes furiously and stammers, "Christmas presents from Jake."

"They're real good looking. He really likes to give you bracelets, huh?" He looks at her quizzically, clearly trying to figure out why she is bright red with embarrassment.

"Yeah. I guess he figures that jewelry is a way to a girl's heart," she says lamely. Charlie just looks confused. Bella has never struck him as the sort to want to adorn herself with extra jewelry. Edward's mother's ring looked huge and gaudy on her hand, and he knew Bella herself didn't actually like the style. She stammers, "These were handmade by Seth. He's awfully talented, isn't he?"

At that, Charlie brightens. "Oh yeah, kid's a true artist when he works with leather." He straightens. "Want some pizza? I put one in the oven and it should be coming out around now." She follows him into the kitchen. He is quiet as they eat, but he fidgets. She knows what that means. He wants to say something, but isn't sure how to go about it. "So, about last night," he begins. Bella freezes mid-bite. Oh god. Did he somehow see under her bracelets? Does he know what she and Jacob did the night before? "Jake seemed pretty riled up about Cullen's money. Did you guys talk after?"

Bella relaxes visibly and swallows. Thank goodness. "No, we didn't."

"Have you thought about it?"

She picks at her napkin. "No, I've sort of been avoiding thinking about it. That kind of money makes me uncomfortable. Not as uncomfortable as it does Jake, obviously, but still..."

Charlie takes a deep breath. Any sort of serious conversation with his daughter is hopelessly awkward for him, but for months after she returned to live with him, he avoided asking the difficult questions, and look where that got him. His daughter became hopelessly entwined with a predator, and he nearly lost her. "You were ready to marry into that money, Bells," he says quietly.

She is startled by his bluntness, and her mouth drops open. She centers herself, admitting quietly, "I was ready to do a lot of stupid things, dad."

Charlie breaks into a smile. "Love is both blind and stupid, isn't it?"

"Not with Jake, though."

"No," he agrees. "Not with Jake. But about all that cash..."

"Carlisle suggested I give some of it to the tribe."

"Really?" he looks surprised.

Bella nods. "That's what set Jake off. He doesn't want to be a 'charity case', especially not with Edward's money."

Charlie looks thoughtful. "He's a proud young man. With good reason. But maybe flying out the window and crushing his dad's phone was a bit of an overreaction. On the bright side, you can now afford to buy Billy a new one." He says it so dryly that it takes Bella several seconds to stop and laugh. Charlie stands to put his plate in the sink. "Just think about it, Bella. That money is yours whether you want it or not, whether Jake wants you to have it or not. There's no need to be extravagant with it, which is a lesson maybe someone should teach the Cullens, by the way. They do a pretty piss poor job of blending in, don't they? But anyway, that kind of resource can open all kinds of doors to you, Bells. Don't close them all before you realize what's on the other side of them, okay?"

Charlie steals a brownie, claiming that if he waits until they bring them to the Littleseas, they will be gone before he gets a chance to have one, and goes upstairs to change out of his pajamas.

Bella sits at the kitchen table, staring at her pizza and contemplating $133.4 million. It's more money than she can fathom. What should she do with it? As much as Jacob hates the idea, she can't help but think that Carlisle's suggestion is a good one. Even just a fraction of the money would make a big difference to the tribe. Even if they deny that it's true, Bella knows she owes the pack her life multiple times over, and they have sacrificed so much for her. Could she find a way to pay them back now? At least in part?

Soon, she and Charlie head to the Littlesea household. Rachel pulls Bella into a signature Black family bear hug. Bella greets Rebecca and Solomon with a smile and a wave and suddenly realizes she has no idea where the visitors think Jacob and Paul have gone on Christmas Eve. She whispers the question into Rachel's ear and learns that the pack helped obtain Christmas gifts for the children on the reservation, and that there is a giveaway at the tribal center that Paul and Jacob are supposedly staffing. The pack actually did organize the event, but it ended at noon and was staffed entirely by Sue and Leah.

Bella offers to help complete dinner preparations, but is shooed out of the kitchen by Connie. She joins Rachel and Rebecca in the family room, where they claim to have been banished for disrupting her flow. Solomon, however, is quickly retained for his culinary talents.

Rebecca turns to Bella and says, "So you've got to give me the real skinny about this love triangle my sister seems to have gotten herself into. She tells me that she's 'friends' with Paul and dating Trevor, but I don't believe it for a second."

Bella stammers, "Uh, I guess it's complicated?"

Rachel laughs at them and turns back to her Rebecca. "Leave the poor girl alone."

But Rebecca has no intention of letting up. "So Paul turns out to be this total stud now, but at least looking at his picture, Trevor seems like a serious hottie himself. But Paul looks at my sister like she's the only person in the room. On the planet, for that matter. And she tries to tell me he's seeing someone else. There's no way! What's really going on?" Her eyes twinkle as she asks.

Rachel looks a little chagrined. Paul is seeing Elle at her behest, and by all accounts they're getting along well. As friends, at least. But he does still look at her like she's the only girl in the world. Bella looks to Rachel, unsure what to tell Rebecca. Rachel sighs and reiterates, "Look, I met Paul after I met Trevor. Truth be told, had I met Paul first, we might be dating right now. High school student and all. But I didn't. So I told Paul we'd be friends, and I'm seeing Trevor. And Trevor is sort of amazing. That's the story."

Rebecca still doesn't seem convinced, so Bella nods. What Rachel said wasn't exactly a complete story, but none of it is untrue. "That is what happened. Paul would even say it's true if you asked. Except I don't think he knows you think you'd be dating him if it weren't for Trevor." Bella eyes Rachel.

Rachel exclaims, "Oh lord, please, no one tell him I said that!"

Rebecca still pushes. "But why is Paul in your apartment every weekend? Doesn't your boyfriend think that's weird?"

Bella has been wondering that herself. "They don't run into each other," Rachel explains, "since Trevor works all weekend long."

Rebecca narrows her eyes. "So you see Trevor during the week and Paul on the weekend?"

"Well, yes," Rachel admits.

"So you just have two boyfriends!"

"No, I don't!" Rachel protests. "I told you, I've never kissed Paul, and he knows we're not together that way."

More gently, Rebecca says, "But he's in love with you. I've only known him for two days, and even I know he's in love with you. Right, Bella?" Bella doesn't know how to answer, but neither sister is looking at her anyway. Rebecca doesn't wait for an answer. She covers her sister's hand with her own. "You're leading him on, Rach. You don't mean to, and you're trying not to hurt him. But in the long run, you're gonna hurt him worse. Don't you see? If you don't want him that way, it'd be so much less cruel to just cut him loose now. It's gotta kill him to know you're with another guy, but in the long run, he'll get over it if he understands he doesn't have a shot with you. This way, it's like you're keeping him in your back pocket just in case. It's not fair to him, sweetie. Let him go," she admonishes.

Solomon calls Rebecca into the kitchen, and Rachel turns to Bella with a stricken look on her face. "Is she right, Bella? Am I just being cruel?"

"I don't know. I really don't know."

"He's supposed to be whatever I need, right? If I want another brother, he's supposed to be that. If I want a friend, that's what I get. But she's right. He's kind of infatuated with me, I can see it. I know it. Maybe even in love with me, in a way. Does that mean I want him to be that way?"

Bella has no real answers. "With the imprint, who knows how it really works? I mean, look at Quil. His relationship with Claire is totally familial right now, and that is, hands down, the only appropriate relationship to have with a little girl. But what about when she turns, say, twelve, old enough to have a great big crush on him, but for it still to be totally inappropriate? What's the imprint going to make him do, crush right back since it's what she wants, or hold her at arm's length, which will hurt her, but be better for her? Nobody knows. Or how about Sam. I've talked to Leah and Jacob about him. He still loves Leah underneath his imprint on Emily. It's there, it's just gotten buried. But it's not like it disappeared. So if Paul is infatuated with you, how much is due to the imprint and how much is due Paul's own nature? He's never had a female friend before. Maybe it's the only way he knows to relate a beautiful woman. Normally he'd just lust after you, but maybe the imprint magnified that into something that looks like love."

Rachel whispers, "If it looks like love, sounds like love, acts like love, but comes from something so mystical, so foreign, so inhuman, what is it really? It is more real or less real?"

"Can you see yourself with him? In a romantic relationship?"

Rachel shuts her eyes tightly. She is quiet. When she finally opens her eyes, there are tears in them. "Yeah, Bella. I can. Maybe Becca's right. Maybe I've just been stringing him along. I wasn't trying to, I swear."

Bella reaches for Rachel's hands. "Of course not. You know it hurts him to be away from you, so you spend time with him. That's not cruel. You're trying to do the right thing. I know you are."

"But the more I'm with him, the closer we get, and the more I like being with him."

"Are you falling for him, Rachel?"

"I don't know, Bella. I can't tell anymore," Rachel whispers.

"What about Trevor?" Bella asks gently.

Rachel gets a genuine smile on her face thinking of Trevor. "Yeah, Bella. I already fell for him. It's not just the superficial stuff. At first, it was attraction, charm, fun. He's sexy, you know? And smart. But now... Now I really know him. He's a good person, Bella. A really good person. He works crazy hard to take care of his little sister. She's all he has left after their parents died, besides an aunt and a cousin. He adores her. And I admire that. He isn't pushy, he doesn't have a mean bone in his body. He doesn't deserve me splitting my heart between him and another guy. Not any more than Paul does."

"Are you in love with both of them? I've been there, Rachel," Bella reminds her. "I know just how possible it is to love two men."

Rachel doesn't reply. But the tear shining in her eye rolls down her cheek. "I was trying to give Paul a chance to get out there and find someone else. See if he could really love someone else. I don't want him to be stuck with me forever against his will. But I think a part of me is being selfish about it. A tiny piece of me, or maybe not so tiny, wants him to stay stuck on me. Maybe it's some kind of petty desire to be wanted by an attractive guy, maybe it's an honorable desire to do the right thing for the person they say is my soulmate. And unless I get rid of that, unless I really, truly, honestly let him go, if the imprint works like they say it does, he doesn't get a choice. If a part of me wants him to want me, he probably will. And that's not fair to him." She takes a deep breath. "I have to make a choice. A real one this time. Not this halfway bullshit I was fooling myself with. I have to choose. I need to either be with him, really be with him, or really let him go."

They are interrupted by Collin's head poking around the doorjamb. "Hey, guys?" He looks sheepish. "They're gonna be here soon. Jake and Paul. I hear them coming up the road."

"Thanks, Collin," Bella says. Rachel sniffs and coughs to cover up her emotion. "Can you, uh, keep this conversation to yourself for a bit?"

Collin nods and looks at the floor. "I'll do my best, but you know how the brain thing works..."

Rachel smiles at him. "I appreciate it."

X-x-x-x-X
Earlier that morning
X-x-x-x-X

Jacob leaves Bella's bedroom reluctantly just before Charlie gets home. The weak morning sun is more than adequate to reveal the distinctive bruising on her wrists. He strokes them gently with the pads of his fingers before climbing into the Rabbit and driving home. She was so worn out that she barely woke up for the trip between Sam's house and her father's; he isn't certain she even realized where she was.

Jacob is mortified with his own actions. Although she definitely didn't complain at all the night before, he knows just how close he came to completely losing control. He still isn't certain what happened. It all started when he saw Jasmine. The only time he has ever before felt that sort of anger is when faced by a vampire, and whatever else Jasmine is, a vampire she is not. But even the thought of her makes his wolf growl with irritation.

What's wrong with him? He remembers her from his childhood. She wasn't just a girl with whom he went to school. She was a friend. He has fuzzy memories of her and her girlfriends joining him, Embry, and Quil at recess. She was always nice to him. So why does the very thought of her cause an uncomfortable knot in his stomach?

It probably doesn't matter. She will be easy enough to avoid during her short trip to Washington, and Jacob will be sure to have Bella at his side if he goes to the Clearwaters' or Fullers' homes. He wants to spend every spare second he can with Bella anyway. She calms him, centers him, and was exactly what his wolf needed last night.

And what a night it was. As appalled as he is by himself, he can't help but start to get hard thinking about Bella's response to his domination of her. Her body, soft and willing beneath his, was perfection. At first she was confused by his feral air, but soon she was just as aroused as he was. It only reinforces his belief that Bella was made for him. She loved every second of their passionate encounter, of that he is sure. He never would have proceeded, despite how desperate he was for her, if she didn't like what he was doing with her.

On the other hand, if Charlie Swan sees the marks on her wrists, the Chief of Police will shoot first and ask questions later.

Jacob drives home and manages a quick shower before heading out for patrol. Thankfully, he shares the pack mind with only Brady for the time being, and he is both polite enough not to mention Jacob's frenzied need of Bella the night before, although Jacob's attempts not to think about his encounter with Bella are only another form of thinking about her. Again, Jacob wonders what's wrong with him. He normally has much better control over the thoughts that filter through to his pack. It has been this way since he took over Alpha. Prior to that time, his mind was an open book, and his packmates harassed him mercilessly about his inability to think about anything other than Bella. Paul would try to plant images of other naked girls in his mind, but that only resulted in Jacob imagining Bella naked. Quil tried to get him interested in a few other girls that supposedly had crushes on him, but Jacob neither believed Quil nor cared. There was only one girl he wanted.

But today, he feels himself slipping back into his old patterns. The only way he can manage not to replay his encounter with Bella is to think about her in other ways. So he concentrates on the curve of her lips when she smiles (but an image of her lips surrounding his cock slips through), or the way her delicate fingers look encompassed by his large hands (but that makes him think about her fingers unbuttoning her jeans and sliding them down her legs for him the night before), or the way her thick hair shines when she leaves it down (but then he remembers what it felt like to have her hair brushing against his legs when she was draped over him as they pleasured each other just a few hours ago).

Brady tries to engage him in a discussion about the Miami Heat's game the night before against the Phoenix Suns, two teams that neither of them cares about in the least, to mask Jacob's thoughts. It doesn't work at all.

When Seth phases in, Jacob doesn't bother to phase out with him to ask for his assistance. There simply isn't any point. He has no control over his train of thought today, and once he asks Seth, the entire pack will know why anyway. Paul phases in at the same moment.

Do you have any more of those thick leather bracelets ready to sell? Jacob asks.

Seth answers easily, Yeah, a few.

Any matching sets? Like, for a girl?

Oh, do you need a present for one of your sisters?

Uh, no. For Bella. And that's all it takes. Suddenly, his packmates get an intimate vision of Bella tied to Sam's kitchen table as Jacob pounds into her from behind. Then they see the resulting bruising patterns.

Jesus, Jake! exclaims Paul, admiration audible in his voice. She sure is a kinky little thing, ain't she?

Shut up!

Dude, I knew you were going to get her last night, but damn. Seth answers uncomfortably.

Jacob answers, Well, now you all know. Something came over me last night and I just about lost it. But if Charlie sees what I did to her wrists...

Paul laughs at this. You'll just die. Super healing powers and all. Chief Swan will shoot off your nuts before he puts a couple bullets in your brain.

So I need something to cover up her wrists. I can either get some retro sweatbands or a couple of your bracelets for her. At least your bracelets will look like they could be a Christmas gift or something. And I need them quick.

Seth mentally scrolls though the leather cuffs he has ready. Okay, I don't have two of the same, but there's a couple that would fit her little wrists. He shows them images. There's one with a detail of wolves under the moon, and another with a floral pattern. The floral one has a turquoise stain.

Oh, dude, I think you may have just saved my ass.

They head to Seth's house to pick up the bracelets. Jacob ties them around his neck so he can carry them to Bella, and Paul teases him when he sees Jacob in Seth's mind. A wolf wearing a necklace. You look real pretty, Jake.

Jacob huffs and heads to Bella's house, arriving only minutes later. Thankfully, he manages to catch her before she has gotten out of bed. Charlie is already asleep after his night shift, and there is little chance that Charlie came into her room while she was asleep to see her bruising. He wakes her gently with kisses and ties the bracelets on her wrists before leaving again for patrol. He leaves Paul and Brady to patrol locally, while he and Seth head out for a wider loop.

Jacob asks Seth, What do you sell those for, about $50 a pop?

Don't worry about it, Jake. They're yours.

Jake refuses. I can't just take them. You worked hard on them. Besides, I made some cash working on cars and restoring that motorcycle. I have to pay you what you're owed.

Brady chimes in, Plus he's got a sugar mama now!

Jacob growls. Edward Cullen's money makes him as irritated as Jasmine does.

What's going on with you, man? Paul asks.

Seth agrees. Yeah, right. After all that leech put her through, seems only fair that she should get some sort of payback for it. A cool hundred mill may be a little much, but who better to go to? It's not like the Cullens need more money.

Maybe, Jacob admits reluctantly. It's just... it's my job to provide for her. Not his. I want him and everything he left behind to be out of our lives forever.

Don't let Leah or Rachel hear you, Paul laughs. Or Bella for that matter. They'll just say you're spouting a bunch of macho crap.

Seth agrees with Paul. She doesn't exactly want you to "provide for her", does she? She's going to college and everything. Hell, the way we're stuck here on the Rez, can't go to off to school, not much in the way of jobs, and we're always patrolling, so when are we supposed to work? With or without Edward's money, she'll probably be the one who brings home the bacon.

The Alpha male in Jacob is incensed. His thoughts aren't coherent enough to form sentences, but his brothers all know what he's thinking. Particularly when he replays Carlisle Cullen's suggestion that Bella donate some of her new money to the tribe. Jacob is blatantly offended at the notion of receiving charity, but his brothers see it differently.

Dude, that's not a bad idea, Paul answers enthusiastically. I mean, think about Sam. They barely cover their utilities and mortgage, let alone all the food we scarf down at their place, and that's even with him working weekends doing security.

Seth adds, We could pay Emily back for her grocery bill. Seriously. If he didn't have to patrol every day, he'd have a normal job. He'd have gone to college. Think of the career he gave up to do this. It would only be fair to compensate him for it.

Yeah, Paul agrees. Sam's putting in enough patrol hours to count for a full time job. The council could at least give him minimum wage for all the work he does, if only there was money for that.

Brady adds, And it was the Cullens' fault we phased in the first place. What were they thinking coming back here? They knew about the last pack. It couldn't have been much of a stretch to think they'd trigger another wave of shifting. I had to drop out of basketball because of all the patrolling. Collin isn't playing football this year. Mrs. Ateara had to hire another clerk since Quil isn't around to help in the store as much. This has cost all of us all kinds of things.

And that's all Edward's fault, continues Seth. If he hadn't gotten that James vamp up here to scare Bella, we would never have had to chase the redhead around, we would never have had to fight the newborn army, Bree wouldn't have come after Bella, and the Italians would never have come poking around. Bella wouldn't have been bitten once, let alone twice. You would never have gotten half your body crushed, Brady's legs would never have been broken, and my spine would have stayed intact. If the Cullens hadn't come back Leah would never had her life turned upside down. My dad would probably still be alive since we wouldn't have phased right in front of him. Emily wouldn't be scarred for life.

Brady says, And it's Christmas Eve. We'd be inside, being on vacation, having fun with our families, instead of running around out here. They kind of owe us.

Paul continues, That fucker Cullen still owes us for all the crap he put us through. It's probably not even over. That's why Dr. Cullen keeps calling, right? And there was that trail from last night.

Okay, Jacob grudgingly has no arguments for any of this. He refocuses. It's Bella's money, let's not get ahead of ourselves. We have to follow up on that trail.

They search in futility for any sign of the vampire who visited the abandoned Cullen mansion the night before, but it escaped cleanly in a car, leaving no more of a trail than Jacob already found. Seth and Jacob continue on toward Puget Sound to look for any other vampire activity.

Without the distraction of a good trail to follow, Jacob's thoughts soon drift back to the previous night.

Seth quietly asks, What was that all about last night, Jake? Not the, um, sex part. The aggression. Why were you so wound up?

Something about your cousin set me off. I don't know what.

Brady questions, Jasmine? She's cool, Jake.

And she remembers you. She was hoping you might hang out during vacation. Catch up and all, Seth adds. She remembers you from school and thought it would be fun, especially now that she knows we're friends with you.

Just the thought of her sets his wolf on edge. I don't think so. I don't know what it is about her, I'm sure she's a nice person, but I think it's a bad idea. He tries to say it without growling. His reaction to her is instinctual and inexplicable. He shoves down the urge to race back to Bella.

Brady sounds uncomfortable. Um, you might need to get used to her.

Why? She's going home in a week and I don't have to see her again. If I see her again, my wolf is either going to attack her, or I'm going to end up taking out my frustrations on Bella again.

Brady gets a flash of a conversation from late the night before. Because she might be moving in with us, Jake. I think she's staying.

What? He skids to an abrupt stop. He has the absurd urge to race back to La Push and toss her off the reservation.

Her folks just got transferred to Tokyo. They both work for the same company, they do something in finance that I don't really understand. She'd rather stay in California, but there's no one there for her to live with. She either moves to Japan, or she can come back to the Rez for a year and a half until college.

I didn't know that, Seth says, surprised.

Brady explains, Yeah. I don't think I'm supposed to know yet. Her mom and my mom were talking about it in the kitchen last night. Jasmine was already asleep, and I'd never have heard them if it weren't for the wolf hearing.

Shit. Jacob can think of nothing else to say. His wolf is infuriated for absolutely no good reason. He deliberately starts running in the opposite direction away from the reservation.

Brady tries to placate Jacob. I don't think she's decided. Maybe she'll want to go with them. Tokyo could be a cool place to live.

Does she speak Japanese? Paul asks.

Uh, no, answers Brady.

I wonder if she'll want to stay with us instead? Seth asks. Another girl in the house, and all.

You guys don't have a spare room, though, Brady answers. Plus I don't think Aunt Meg felt comfortable asking your mom. She'll probably stay with us.

Jacob's stomach churns with nausea. He runs harder in a futile attempt to quell the sensation. I'll just have to avoid her, then.

She's your age, remember? Seth says quietly. If she stays, you're bound to have most of your classes together.

Goddammit! Jacob growls under his breath.

Seth presses, I don't get it, Jake. What's the problem? She said you used to be really good friends.

I don't know! We were friends, I think. We were little, though. I haven't seen her in, like, ten years. There is absolutely no conceivable reason I feel this way, but she feels like a threat. The only time I've ever felt this way just from seeing someone was when they were a fucking vampire.

Yeah, that's not it, Brady answers.

Obviously! Involuntarily, he replays the moment she reached out to touch his forearm. All of a sudden he felt arousal shooting through his body, landing in his groin, with simultaneous and opposing fury.

The flash of Jacob's memory triggers a corresponding memory in Paul. The first moment he looked into Rachel's eyes, and she became the center of his universe. The all encompassing, overwhelming, and wholly involuntary conviction that she was his and he was hers.

Seth interrupts Paul's memory. Well, Jake clearly didn't imprint on Jasmine.

Sarcastically, Jake replies, Not unless she's my imprint, but what she really needs from me is to hate her for no reason and run off.

Paul laughs darkly, To run off and fuck Bella until she can't walk straight, you mean.

Yeah, right, Brady snorts. She's already crushing hard on you, Jake.

We all saw it, Seth backs up Brady. Leah told me she couldn't stop talking about you after you left.

Paul challenges, And you might hate her for no reason, Jake, but she also turned you on.

Yeah, but for Bella, only Bella, Jacob insists. I had to have her. Jasmine touched me and I instantly had to have Bella, not Jasmine. It was so fucking weird! And they see in his open mind the truth of the statement.

I was there, remember? Paul reminds him, the memory of Jacob striding into the living room wild-eyed bright in his mind. When you stormed back into the house and grabbed her, I wasn't sure you were going to even make it to the garage. I thought you'd just rip off her pants on the front porch.

At least you weren't in his brain! Seth complains.

Dude, Sam's not going to appreciate your, uh, enthusiastic use of his kitchen table and spare bedroom, Paul snorts.

Aw, we eat there! Seth whines.

Shit. I have to go back and clean up. Your shorts are all over the living room, Jacob says to Seth.

Now Seth's voice turns serious. I thought you weren't going to be able to phase back to human there for a second, Jake. I was really worried about Bella for a minute.

Humiliated, Jacob answers miserably, I know. The wolf has never been so out of control. He almost took over completely. It was crazy. I always want Bella, I always need her, the wolf does too, but not like last night. And just thinking about Jasmine makes that feeling rush back. I want to run to Bella's right now.

Paul snorts. You always want to go to Bella's. You always want to screw Bella. I'd say the only time you don't is when you're unconscious, but hell, you guys fuck like bunnies in your dreams. It's ridiculous.

But not like this! And definitely not like last night, Jacob protests. Whatever. This isn't getting us anywhere. I'm just going to hope Jasmine wants to go to Tokyo, and then this won't be an issue anymore.

Good luck with that, Paul says, not entirely sarcastically.

Jacob attempts to refocus on the task at hand, but they run across no more vampire trails. The lack of a real distraction means that his brothers have to put up with his low grade lust for the rest of the shift, since Jacob focuses his thoughts on Bella to avoid thinking about Jasmine, the latter of which just results in escalating aggression. There is no sign of the mysterious visitor from the night before. Eventually they find a shelter under a huge fallen tree. Jacob needs to spirit walk to see if he can learn anything more, so Seth stays in wolf form next to him when he reverts to his human body, stretches out on the cold, damp ground, and sends his spirit to journey away.

He rises high above the forest. In this form, he is acutely aware of every living thing. He recognizes the distinctive cries of hawks and falcons. The listens to the chittering of small rodents as they argue with each other over winter stores. He senses the warm heartbeats of a few slumbering bears. He feels where owls drowse perched safely in the trees. He watches a family of deer pick their way gracefully across slippery rocks to gain crossing over a stream. He floats higher and higher, but nothing in this forest disturbs its peace.

He speeds east and over Puget Sound. Seattle. What better place for a vampire to hide? The sounds of the city are overwhelming at first. So many human heartbeats. So many souls, all crowded together. Families surrounding Christmas trees, making meals, laughing, arguing. Parents chasing children, lovers coming together, lonely individuals walking the streets just to be surrounded by other beings. Jacob can sense each and every one of them. Sparks, warmth, the heat of life. And perhaps most fascinating of all, he senses a few dimming lights. Spirits fading from the world as he flies high above.

And worst, cold, black voids. Black holes where life once resided. Vampires. Jacob counts seven. Two pairs and three lone vampires. He wonders what will he do if he finds someone being attacked. Can he do anything in this form? Should he? Here, in the city, he cannot conjure an animal attack as he did at Lake Cle Elum to distract Edward. And even if he could, should he? No one else is out here to protect the innocent from the savage thirst of the predator. Is it his job? He had considered this when Bella drove him away. If he couldn't protect her the way he wanted, at least he could protect other lives. The council of elders had actually discussed it upon his return from Vancouver, and they had unilaterally forbid the pack from extending the boundaries of their protection too far, worried that they would overextend themselves and leave the reservation unprotected. More importantly, they were not willing to put their own sons and daughter at further risk. Luckily, the vampires today are dormant. The sunlight has poked out through the clouds, temporarily driving them indoors. He scents each of them and rules all of them out as the culprit. None of them, at the moment, is a threat to any human. And they are all in a highly populated, urban area. His wolf would not be well suited to patrol the streets of Seattle.

Somewhat reluctantly, Jacob returns to his body. He and Seth return to the reservation. Before heading home, Jacob returns to Sam's house to clean up his mess, but with chagrin, realizes there is no way that his old Alpha will avoid knowing what happened in his home while he was gone.

X-x-x-x-X

Jacob has never been so eager to get inside his Aunt Connie's home. As he approaches the single story residence, he can feel her in there, his Bells. The churning in his gut begins to quell. They get closer, and he can hear her soft voice coming from inside. His jangling nerves still. He knows he is being rude when he sweeps right past his Uncle Kevin who greets them at the door, managing only an offhanded, "Hey," in greeting. She is just feet away. He can smell her soap, her shampoo, and the warm scent that is just her. She steps through the threshold of the family room door and everything is right in the world again.

Jacob pulls her up into his arms, lifting her off the floor and sighing audibly into her hair. Paul would make fun of him, but the urge to do the exact same thing to Rachel Black is strong. That is, until he looks into her eyes, and realizes they are just a little bit red. Paul's heart drops into his stomach.

But then Rachel gives him a warm little smile that reaches her eyes, and he relaxes. Connie announces that the patrolling wolves are just in time for Christmas Eve dinner, so he distracts himself with food to keep his twitchy hands away from Rachel. If she wants to hug him, she'll hug him. He always lets her initiate their physical contact, not pushing past her boundaries, and he can tell that tonight is not the night to try anything different.

Bella has a slightly difficult time eating her dinner since Jacob basically refuses to let go of her hand for the duration of the meal. His mood is not nearly as animalistic as it was the night before, but he is every bit as needy of her. Her touch is a necessity. Only skin on skin will do. Even the minute barrier of the fabric of her pants is too much, so his attempts to just put his hand on her knee don't last. He contemplates sliding his hand up the back of her shirt, but Charlie is sitting on Bella's other side, and there is no way the police officer won't notice. So he traps her left hand in his, rubbing his thumb in soft circles, and refuses to let go. Bella just smiles and enjoys the touch. It fills her even better than the wonderful meal Connie and Solomon prepared.

The Littleseas didn't bother with a tree, but they strung lights throughout their family room, living room, and dining room. After they finish eating, everyone starts drifting through the house. Jacob tugs Bella into his lap after he plops down into the recliner facing the fire. Bella watches curiously as Rachel and Paul slip into the living room by themselves. Their voices are low.

"What are they talking about, Jake?"

"Mmm? Who?" he asks distractedly as he runs his fingers through her thick, smooth hair. Who cares about what anyone else is doing? He has his Bells tucked up against him, and nothing else matters.

"Rachel and Paul, what are they talking about?"

"Uh," he focuses for a second. "She's asking him how he's doing, what it's like when he doesn't see her. He's telling her he's doing well."

"Is he? Doing well, I mean." Bella asks. She knows it is difficult for Paul to lie to Rachel, but he also wants to protect her. He would probably minimize any adverse effects of not being by her side.

The dreamy look on Jacob's face fades as he looks at Bella. "Well, yeah, he is. Since he sees her every week, the physical pain of separation has gotten pretty minimal. It's like he knows what to expect, and as long as he gets that, he does okay. And I think it helps that she's accepted him, at least partway. He's not so afraid she's going to leave him forever, you know? But deep down, I guess he'd rather not be in limbo. He's still jealous of Trevor, which is no surprise, and he'd much rather be, you know, involved with her." Bella chews at her bottom lip. Because after the conversation she just had with Rachel, perhaps she actually is about to leave him forever. "Why do you ask?" Jacob wants to know.

Later, she mouths soundlessly. She doesn't want Paul to hear that Rachel is rethinking the boundaries of their relationship. "Just wondering," she says out loud. She stares harder at Jacob himself. "And how about you? How are you doing?"

"Wonderful, with you right here." He tightens his grip around her and tucks her head under his chin. She listens to the strong, rhythmic sound of his heart. She hears how content he is and decides not to push it. They need to talk about what happened the night before, both with Edward's money and whatever happened after to set him off, but there isn't really any privacy here. So she enjoys his solid form against hers, the warmth of the fire eclipsed by the warmth of Jacob himself, the sound of her father and Billy chuckling together with Connie drifting in from the kitchen, and the soft snores of Solomon, stretched out on the couch, passed out with his head on Rebecca's lap, as Kevin and Collin amicably tend the flames leaping up into the chimney.

And later that night, after Charlie leaves for the station with a full belly and a warm hug, after Jacob drops off his family in his house, after Paul walks to his own home, calm and contented after getting a prolonged hug from Rachel on her front porch, Jacob takes Bella upstairs to her room. They have privacy, and they need to talk, but that can come later. What they have to communicate cannot be said in words.

This night is the opposite to the previous night in nearly every way, save one. Every kiss of his lips to hers, every touch of his fingers to her skin, every sweep of his tongue between her legs, every plunge of his sex into hers, is achingly gentle. His lovemaking his impossibly delicate as his wolf slumbers, dormant, inside him. But the constant, the true, is that each contact between them, whether with frenzied desperation or infinite tenderness, is filled with love.

X-x-x-x-X

Thanks to my beta, Babs81410 at JBNP.