Chapter 10

Where They Meet Again

JPOV

It was only a little past six, or so I approximated - you can't actually wear a watch when you're constantly shifting from human to wolf – but it was already dark and I knew that the dark, along with the thick copse of trees in the woods surrounding Charlie's house concealed me from view. The house was dark, except for the porch light and Charlie's cruiser was gone. I wondered if anyone was even home. Maybe they had gone to La Push? But no, Seth and Leah had been positive that they – that is, the two of them and Sue – were going over the Swan's house for dinner at nine. And then I noticed that her window was open and a wave of memories flooded over me, both sweet and painful. I used to climb in through that window at night on my patrols, just to check on Bella and talk for a few minutes when she was so scared of the vampire Victoria. But then again, so did Cullen. Did she leave the window open for him or for me?

Should I? I debated with myself, "Well it's better than hanging out here like some psychotic stalker." But then, "What if the bloodsucker is up there with her huh?"

"Jake, stop being a pussy and go up there. You know we'd smell him a mile away if Cullen is up there."

"Leah, what are you doing here?" I asked, exasperated.

"Uh…I'm kinda not alone…these two idiots insisted on coming too." She replied Quil's chocolate brown wolf and Embry's gray spotted wolf coming to join Leah's lither, smaller gray wolf.

"Hey Jake.." Embry said, tentative.

"Bro! We couldn't let you do this without your wingmen right?" Quil added, cocking his head to the side.

"I don't need instructions for this!" I retorted "Besides, does Sam know you guys are here?" I asked, knowing full well that Sam and Elders wanted to discourage me from any further association with Bella.

"Well he said YOU weren't allowed to be alone with Bella…he didn't say anything about us…" Quil explained.

"You know! A loophole kinda thing…" Embry added eagerly.

"And besides, if these idiots can manage to control their thoughts, Sam won't need to know anything, right boys?" Leah added.

Quil let out a long howl in agreement.

"Way to go genius!" Leah said acerbically. "Why don't we just take out an ad that we're here? This way Sam knows exactly where to find us and kill us."

"Oooops…sorry, got carried away." Quil apologized.

I was about to comment when suddenly, Embry nudged my flank with his massive head, and then inclined it toward Bella's house.

"I think Quil woke her up." He said.

We all perked up our heads in the direction of the house and true enough, we could hear a faint movement from Bella's room, and then, a sudden gust of wind carried her scent to me. It was and still is the sweetest most intoxicating fragrance I've ever smelled. In the year since I'd seen her, I'd forgotten how alluring it was.

"Well good luck bro. Call if you need us." Embry said, following Quil into the woods.

"Don't worry Jake, I'll keep Sam off of you. And Quil the Noisy One will howl if anyone comes close." Leah assured me. "Oh and by the way, please try not do anything that will make me blush later?" she teased before trotting off into the gloom.

I heard Quil and Embry snicker.

"Don't listen to her Jake, I'm sure Embry and I can make a sacrifice and relive whatever memories you have…"

"Pervert!"

"Witch!"

"Well here goes nothing…" I muttered, preparing to phase back.

BPOV

I suddenly sat up in my bed, it was dark, and cold. I felt groggy, disoriented. I reached to switch on the lamp on my left side, and my hand met only empty air. Wait – I realized that I wasn't in my room at the Inn anymore – I was in my old bed, in my bedroom – in Forks.

The green digits on the alarm clock on my desk read 6:20, I had been asleep for over an hour. I had been dreaming, nothing I could remember, just flashes of me running through the forest, not running away I realized, but running as if to catch up with something…and then a wolf howled and I woke up. The sound still echoed in my head. As if it were real, not part of my dream.

"Bella!" I heard a loud whisper from somewhere outside my window.

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god. Was I still dreaming? It was the same voice that I went to sleep every night thinking of, the same voice that resided in my dreams every night for the last month. Was I awake? Was this just another part of my weird dream?

"Bells!" the voice came again, urgent, and my hearts thudded against my chest, as if it would burst, like a bird beating against a cage trying to get out.

I ran to the window and looked out, my eyes adjusted to the darkness now.

And there he was. Looking up at me, his beautiful smile gleaming like a beacon in the darkness.

"Jake…" I managed to gasp.

"Move away from the window, I'm coming up." He stage whispered again.

And then suddenly, he was there. Filling my room with his presence, his warmth, his smell – bringing me the scent of pine, the dense woods, the brine of the ocean and making me feel like I truly had come back from the dead. It was only then that I realized I hadn't breathed properly in a year. And with wonder, I reached out my hand to touch him.

Then suddenly I was in his arms, crying as he stroked my hair, kissed my face, my neck, every part of me he could reach. "Bella, Bella" he whispered over and over again into my hair, into my skin. And with each kiss, each murmured word he healed my heart.

His warmth, though it was something I had been used to, was suddenly shocking to me now, new again. And I realized I had been cold for months, and I pressed myself closer to him, my arms wrapped around his neck, my fingers tangling in his hair. I could feel his heart thudding against my chest, echoing mine. I could stand it no longer - I moved my hands to his face and tugged on it until his eyes met mine.

"Jacob," I whispered "Jake, you're here…I love you."

"You're home." He said, and then swiftly his lips claimed mine, relentless, demanding. I felt as if I were drowning in Jacob and that if I were, then it would be a good way to die.

I was vaguely aware that we had moved back from the window, the grip of Jacob's hands tight on my hips as I tangled my hands into his hair, kissing his beautiful face, his lips, his eyelids - whatever I could touch and kiss. I kissed him hard and fast, my lips moving swiftly with his. It was desperate, starving and he let out a low growl, pulling me closer to him, tracing his tongue across my own bottom lip, demanding entrance. I opened my lips and his tongue swept into my mouth, tasting me, dueling with my tongue, making me feel like I was burning, making my body ache with want.

I whimpered lightly as he knelt on my bed, the mattress giving way to his weight. He wrapped my legs around his waist, and held me tight, pushing me to him, his hands running up and down my back, as if memorizing every line, every curve. I could feel his arousal against me and the answering wetness and heat at the juncture of my legs. His hands moved up to cup my breasts and I leaned into him, wanting more, wanting him, wanting to rid my self of the barrier of clothing that was keeping me from feeling his hot skin on mine.

"Jacob," I groaned into his mouth. I had never been kissed this way before. I had never felt this wanting, this burning need for some indefinable relief that I knew only Jacob could give me. I could feel him grow harder against me, his skin grow even hotter if it were possible, his hips thrusting against my center, as if mimicking a dance that we both knew was inevitable.

He moved his body hard against mine, his weight on me, moans issuing from my lips as he set my ablaze, my body on fire. I clutched at his arms, moving with him.

"Bella, I love you." He moaned, his hands moved and tangled into my hair and he kissed me harder. His lips soft but insistent, demanding and his body hard with need, pushing against me. I felt his hand move under my shirt, and his fingers seeking my breasts. He let me go for a moment and then in one swift motion, lifted my shirt away from my head and threw it over the side of the bed. His shirt joined mine soon after and I could run my hands over the silky skin of his chest, his abdomen.

He drew in his breath sharply and his hands were suddenly all over me rough, hard, but gentle. And I felt like he left a trail of fire where he touched me. And then he moved his lips away from mine, I mewled, protesting the loss of contact, pulling his face back to mine. Jacob laughed, a low, guttural sound that sent veins of fire shooting though me. He took both my wrists and pinned them over my head with his hand as he lowered his face to my stomach and kissed my bare skin, soft light kisses, moving upward until his mouth reached the barrier of my bra. I looked down at him, and his skin was beautiful, a gleaming golden copper against the whiteness of mine.

Jacob, my Jacob.

God. I wanted him. I wanted to feel his mouth on me. My breasts felt heavy, I needed him to kiss me. My thoughts were incoherent now. I was just a mass of want and need, of desire. This was too much. I had to stop. His hands were on my breasts now, kneading, teasing me, and his lips were on my bare stomach, drawing patterns with his tongue that left me writhing with need.

"Stop please…" I said, pushing his hand away, panting with need. He stopped immediately, his eyes heavy lidded with want, as I'm sure mine were. "I'm…I'm sorry...it's just that, this is all moving to fast…I've never…" I wanted to explain, I felt stupid at admitting my inexperience.

He smiled, and then with the gentle tip of one finger, stroked my planes of my face, as if he were committing them to memory.

"I missed you Bells." He said, his voice low and husky, "When I heard…when they told me you were dead, I wanted to die too…I couldn't understand why the world hated me so much. Why I lost you before we could even be together. I was so stupid for running away…if I had stayed, you would have found me that night…"

I put my finger to his lips, stopping the waterfall of apologies, of guilt.

"No Jake, it was my fault for not realizing it sooner, for wasting so much time." I reassured him. "I think that maybe, all that stuff had to happen you know…"

He looked at me skeptically, "You had to get into an accident and almost die?" he said, an incredulous, almost amused look in his eyes.

"No not that!" I said, slapping his arm playfully. It occurred to me that I should be embarrassed, lying in bed with Jacob, both of us half clothed, but then, it felt so natural, so comfortable. I flipped over to my side so that I was facing him, moving my arm to cover my chest. Jacob shook his head and deliberately moved my arm away, tracing the curve of my breast as it peeked over the top of my bra, sending shivers down my spine. "Stop that, I can't think when you touch me." I scolded him.

He just smiled and continued tracing lines up and down my skin.

I was silent for a moment, looking for the right words. "I think I needed to be away from you, from here and from everyone – I needed to be somewhere where no one knew me, because I needed to get to know myself."

He nodded. "I know. I felt that too when I got your wedding invitation…the thought of you and that leech…" he said, his muscles tensed and I knew he was upset, that he still bore a grudge toward Edward, a chip on his shoulder that would never heal.

"Sssssh. Let's not talk about Edward. He knows where he stands. And where you stand. I love you but you can't make me hate him. Part of me will always love him, but it's not in the way I love you. It's like there are two of me, and the one that loves you, well…that's the "me" that I want to be." I tried to explain, kissing his shoulder then, tracing the little red crescent moon shaped mark there. It brought back a memory, one I had lost.

"Do you know how I realized I loved you?" I asked him, idly tracing patterns of my own. He looked at me, shook his head a little and continued his exploration of my skin.

"I found a picture of us – from that day on the beach with Quil and Embry - and I realized, I would rather live one year, in the sun with you, than live forever and ever, in the darkness with Edward. And so I ran away…" I narrated.

"I'm not the girl that runs away anymore, the one that let's people make choices for her." I tired to explain, "I'm not the same me anymore Jake. I've changed a lot…" I told him. "But the one thing that hasn't changed is that I love you. I'm just glad I got the chance to tell you…I thought I had lost you forever."

He nodded, and leaned forward, kissing me softly. "I've always loved you Bella. I'll always love you. You'll never lose me." He said, and my heart was whole again.

"Don't say that. No one can really promise forever, can they?" I said sadly, knowing fully well that if Jacob imprinted, it would be the end of us. He opened his mouth to contradict me, but I put a finger to his lips again, wanting him to hear me out.

"But it's ok Jake, we have this…we have now…and for however long I can have you. I've realized that I can be alone you know? My life would be more beautiful, and I would be the happiest girl in the world if I could have you with me always…but if I lost you, I would still have memories of this…"

"I won't let that happen." He insisted fiercely, pulling me to him and wrapping his arms tightly around me. "Why are you talking of leaving me again when we've just found each other?" he asked. "You know I'll be hounding you every second of your life for the rest of your life right? You won't be able to get rid of me." He teased.

I rested my head against his chest and felt the heat of him on my cheek, the pounding of his heart in my ear and I was content. This was enough. Even I lost him again tomorrow, this would be enough.

"Ok, but don't say I didn't tell you so if some hot babe out there steals you from me…" I said, trying to match his teasing tone. I snuggled deeper into his chest, almost purring with contentment.

"Sure. Sure" Jacob said. And I smiled.

Suddenly, a wolf howled from somewhere in the woods. Jacob stiffened and then stood up from the bed, his brows meeting in concentration. He suddenly bent down, kissed me on the forehead and started putting on his shirt.

"Wha…where are you going?" I asked, panicking that he was leaving. Not having had enough of our reunion yet, wanting him to stay with me forever.

"That was our early warning device…a.k.a. Quil." he informed me "I think your dad is coming. I don't think he'll be to excited to find me in your bed already when you just got home."

In a panic, I looked over at the desk – 8:47 the green digits glowed in the darkness. Darn…I had to get up, downstairs. Sue would be here soon… I looked over and Jake was about to climb out the window. I ran over and gave him a long, hard kiss. He looked taken aback. I felt my face flush – this was something I never would have done before. But I felt like a starving man who had suddenly been given all the food he can eat, and I couldn't seem to get enough.

"I think I like this new you." Jacob chuckled. And then he put his hand behind my head and pulled my face to his, kissing me hard, and deep, his tongue dancing in and out of my mouth, mating with mine. Promising things that we both knew we wanted. I was breathless when he let me go.

"But you'll be back right." I said, not asking him. Stating a fact.

"That's what she said." Jacob smirked, and then jumped out the window.

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Author's Note: I may have to change the rating from "T" to "M" after this chapter, just in case you're looking for it and it fails to show up on a search. I've been trying to avoid anything lemon-y but it seems inevitable with Jake and Bella's raging hormones, ha ha ha. So just in case… I've never written anything like this before so please bear with me (I was feeling so embarrassed while writing it that I felt like I was blushing – and I was all alone!)

Anyway, again thanks for the reviews and the PMs. Please keep them coming!