Oh my goodness! You did it again! Your second bonus chapter in two days! I can't believe it! WOOHOO! You are the BEST reviewers and readers EVER. The outpouring of support has been amazing and I'm so thrilled. This chapter is one that you'll enjoy, though it does have a bit of a cliff hanger. Same rules apply. 20 and the next goes up. If I can't get it for this chapter something's wrong with my writing!
Enjoy!
Bella had spent the rest of the week surrounded by shape shifters. She was never left alone, not even for an instant. She'd had to learn to pee with the door open and a wolf outside. Only when she was home with Jacob could she retreat behind a closed door. Most of her days were spent with Leah and Emily, which made it marginally more bearable. Finally, on Friday, after four days of being guarded and followed, she had had enough.
Leah was laying on the couch, idly flipping through channels when Bella stormed through the room, car keys in her hand. Sighing, she got up to follow, not looking forward to the confrontation she could feel was about to take place.
"You know you're not supposed to go anywhere without one of us."
Bella pulled on her jacket, sighed. "I'm sick of this. I know it's dangerous, I know I'm not supposed to be alone, but it's Friday, and Jake and I are supposed to go into Port Angeles tonight when he's off of work, and all of the clothes that I bought the other day are at his house."
"Bella," Emily's voice was gentle. "I don't know if you're going to be able to go. I doubt Jake is going to want to spend that much time away from the reservation."
"I don't care. It's been four days of nothing other than being in this house or Jake's. I can't take being cooped up any more. I have to get out or I'm going to go crazy." She picked up her purse, slung it over her shoulder. "Now you two can come with me and help me get ready, or you can stay here. I don't really care which. I just need to do this. I can't take one more day of this."
Leah shrugged. "Oh, what the hell. I'll run over to Jake's and get all your stuff. That's quicker than packing up Levi and moving him over there." She started to strip in anticipation of phasing. "I'll be gone five minutes. Do not leave this house. Do not answer the door, do not go to the window. Seth and Paul are on patrol, so if something happens, scream as loud as you can. They'll hear you."
Bella huffed a sigh. "It's five fucking minutes, Leah. We'll manage to survive for that long without a guard dog."
True to her word, it only took Leah five minutes to race to Jacob's house and back. She came in through the door, pulling her shirt on over her head, a duffel bag in one hand. Surprising even herself, she ordered Bella upstairs to take a shower, while she and Emily took stock of what they had to work with. Once they'd picked out an outfit, Leah stepped outside to call Jacob.
"WolfPack Restorations, this is Jacob speaking, how may I help you?"
"Jake, it's Leah."
Instantly alert, Jacob dropped the wrench he'd been holding. "Is everything okay?"
"Everything is fine. I can't believe I'm doing this, but you do remember that tonight is the night you're supposed to take Bella on your first official real grown up date, don't you?"
Jake laughed at the sarcasm dripping from Leah's voice. "I haven't forgotten. Why?"
"Because she really needs to get off the reservation for a night. She's going stir crazy."
"Don't worry about it. I've made the reservations, I'm cutting out about an hour early to go home and shower. I haven't brought it up to her because I wasn't sure until this morning that I was going to be able to take her. But I've worked it out with Sam and the patrol schedule, so we're going to be able to swing it."
"I'm not sure if she's excited about going out with you, or just getting out for a night."
"I'm pretty sure it's both. It's been rough on everyone having to be cooped up like they have been lately. Rachel is ready to beat in Paul's brains." He chuckled. "Not that I'd mind, really."
"None of us would. What time will you be here to pick her up?"
"Six."
"Okay. Don't be late."
"Girls!" Sam stood at the bottom of the stairs. "It's six, and Jake will be here any second. You need to stop torturing Bella and let her come down here."
Emily appeared at the top of the stairs, a can of hairspray in one hand. "You cannot rush perfection, Samuel Uley. He can wait."
Jacob lifted his eyebrows as he came in the kitchen door and saw Sam. "Hey. Bella ready?"
"I don't think so. Emily and Leah have her in the bathroom up there and there's been a lot of noise and no Bella. Emily said something about rushing perfection and disappeared back in there."
Jake looked down at his maroon button down and dark jeans. "Somehow I think I'm going to be under dressed."
"More likely she'll be over dressed for wherever you're going." Sam opened the fridge, pulled out two bottles of beer, handed one to Jacob. "I'm not keen on interrupting them. I've never seen Leah like this. She actually seems to be bonding with them. She's barely complained about hanging out here all day every day this week."
"She bitches about quitting her job plenty."
Sam laughed. "She hated that damn job with a passion. And she's liking being with Bella and Emily, I think. I like seeing them that way. I like seeing her happy."
"We all do, brother." Jake took a deep pull on the beer. "It's been a miserable few years, and I'm glad it's looking up."
Both men looked up when they heard steps on the stairs, and Bella appeared in the door. "Just let me grab my coat and we'll go." She looked up when neither man moved, found them both staring at her. "What? Is it bad?"
Bella was the most beautiful that Jacob had ever seen her. Her hair had been coaxed into flowing waves, not quite curls, but somewhere in between, so that they flowed down her back and around her shoulders, framing her face in a cloud. One of the women had applied makeup very skillfully, highlighting her striking cheekbones and long eye lashes, then swiping a peachy gloss across her lips. She wore an emerald green blouse that wrapped around her and tied on one side, dipping low enough across her chest to show a hint of cleavage. Her pants were stone grey slacks that hugged her hips and butt and flared out down her legs, leading to leather boots with a heel high enough to make everyone nervous.
Jacob shook his head to break out of the fog. "You're beautiful." He picked up her coat from the hook, held it out for her to slip her arms in. Sam smiled, slid his arm around Emily, who had descended the stairs to stand next to him.
"You look lovely, Bella. You two have fun and don't worry about anything. We've got it all handled here, and we'll call if something happens."
Bella smiled brightly. "Thanks, Sam. You and Emily have been so nice to me since I got here. I don't think I could get through this without the two of you." She glanced to Leah, still halfway up the stairs. "And you're not nearly as bitchy as I thought you were going to be."
Leah barked a laugh. "I'll work on that." She brushed past them. "I'm headed out on patrol. I need to run. Have fun."
Jake let her pass, held out his hand to Bella. "Shall we go?"
Going on a date with Jacob was ethereal. It was so different and nothing like she'd ever experienced all at the same time. They talked and laughed, discussing everything from memories from their childhood, to experiences they'd had in the years Bella had been gone. It was familiar and comfortable and altogether new.
It was as easy as breathing. Bella remembered the words Jacob had spoken to her so long ago. That the two of them being together was as easy as breathing, the natural path their lives should have taken. There was nothing about her that he did not know, nothing that he had not forgiven her for. And on a Friday night, in a dimly lit booth in a quiet Italian restaurant, over plates of lasagna and glasses of wine, Bella Swan fell head over heels in love with her best friend.
It was intense, and sudden, and somehow completely expected. The seeds had been sown years earlier, on the sands of First Beach as two children ran and played in the surf. They had started to grow as teenagers, both thrust into a world they didn't understand, trying to deal with the ramifications of those feelings, and the other creatures they were faced with. And it had come to fruition as adults, coming back together after many years apart, when they were both mature enough to handle the feelings, and in a place where they could turn them into something real.
They had a fantastic time. They ate, shared a dessert, spent an hour walking around Port Angeles, poking around in a bookstore Bella had loved as a teenager, coming out with a bag of books she hadn't before read. There was full moon over head, lighting up the sky to the point that it looked almost daylight. Both were reluctant to go back to La Push, but it was inevitable. Their respite had been brief, but needed, and Bella's mood was much improved as they got back in her SUV.
The drive home was quiet and comfortable. Bella leaned her head on Jacob's shoulder, one of her hands on his thigh. He draped one arm around the back of the seat, the other on the steering wheel. It was when they were on the road leading between Forks and La Push, when they passed the pull off to the cliffs, that Bella straightened.
"Stop the car."
Immediately, Jacob took his foot off the gas and applied the brake. "What's wrong?"
"There's something I want to do. Pull over there on the cliffs. I've never been here at night."
Confused, but willing to play along, he pulled over, and they both got out of the car. One quick sniff told him that they were alone, and he reached for her hand, walking with her to the edge. She glanced over at him, then leaned over to look.
The waves were gentle, lapping against the rocks, and inky black with white caps in the darkness. The moon gave everything a silver sheen, making it look unreal. Bella looked over at Jacob, her eyes lit with adventure.
"Let's jump."
"You're crazy. It's October, and ten at night." Jake shook his head, tugged her back toward the truck.
"Jake, I'm serious. You promised me once that you'd take me, and we never did. I want you to take me tonight."
"I'll take you in July when it's warm. I promise."
Bella dug in her heels, slipped off her jacket and stooped to unzip her boots. "I don't want to wait until July. I feel like doing something a little crazy. Come with me. Please?"
Jake raked his eyes over her face, sighed. "There could be sharks down there, you know."
"You told me once that they smell the wolf and run from them. Sharks are only an issue if I'm jumping alone, which I'm not." She peeled off her socks, yanked her shirt over her head, revealing a black camisole underneath. "Live a little, Jake. What's the worst that can happen? We get wet?"
"Or you kill yourself on the rocks."
"That is why you'll be with me. Werewolf reflexes and all." She smiled brightly as he unbuttoned his shirt. "It'll be fun, you'll see."
Not at all sure, Jake stripped down to his jeans, walked with her to the edge. He reached over, folded her fingers into his. "You sure about this?"
Bella stepped into his arms, wrapped her arms around his neck. "Take me for a ride, Jake."
Jacob took a step back, lifted her in his arms and ran with her over the edge, the exhilaration from the jump wrenching an excited yell from him that blended with Bella's scream of sheer terror. They plummeted to the water below, sinking deep, the inky blackness closing over their heads. But before Bella could even think about being scared, she felt Jacob propelling them toward the surface, one arm locked around her, the other stroking toward the shore strongly.
They broke the surface at the same time, matching grins on their faces. Bella yelled from excitement, tossed her head back and laughed, water flying from her hair. Jacob thought then that he'd never seen her so happy, so very alive as she was right that moment, shivering from the cold Pacific water, her skin cold and wet on his, head thrown back from excitement, a laugh bubbling out of her.
When she lowered her head, meeting his gaze, everything changed. In an instant, it was like a bomb went off, like a light switched on, the world turned on its axis, and suddenly everything made sense. He could feel her heart beat, her breath rushing out of her lungs. The rest of the world faded away and all he could see, all he cared about, was Bella. It was the most amazing thing he'd ever experienced, and the most terrifying feeling he'd ever had, all at the exact same time. It was what he'd always simultaneously hoped for and been afraid of, like she was everything that would ever matter, and his very reason for being.
Bella sobered quickly when she felt the shift, though she wasn't sure what she was feeling. "Jake? What's wrong?"
He shook his head. "I'm not sure. I need to go talk to Sam." He walked with her out of the water. "Let me take you home."
It took only thirty minutes for Jacob to take Bella back to the car, drive her to his house and get her settled inside before he left for Sam and Emily's house. Sam was in the living room, walking the floor, his son in his arms, nearly asleep. Jake slipped in the door, motioned to Sam to follow him outside. Sam nodded, carefully deposited the baby in his playpen, then went after Jake.
"How'd it go?"
"I need you to see something."
Sam lifted his brows. "What happened?"
Jake shook his head. "I don't know. I think, but it couldn't be. It's impossible. I need you to phase with me and tell me if this is real, and if it is, how the fuck it's happened after all this time."
Sensing something was very wrong with his Beta, Sam quickly disrobed and phased into the giant black wolf. Jacob was only a heartbeat behind him, and as soon as he was phased, he was replaying the dive for Sam. He slowed it down when he got to the part where they hit the water, focused on relaying every second, every feeling of their time in the water.
"Oh my God."
Sam's voice sounded in Jake's head, and he mentally sighed. "Is that what I think it is?"
"Jake, it's not that simple, it's never been simple. It's not about genes. It's about finding what you need, a complement for where you are, what the wolf and the man need. It's always been first sight after phasing, but maybe Bella couldn't be what you need until now. She wasn't in a place where she could do what she needed to do for you."
"SAM! Tell me!"
"You already know. You just imprinted on Bella."