A/N: Thanks as always to the wonderful jkane180 for being my beta! Again I hope you really enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think. I really do appreciate all your reviews and feedback.

The characters belong to Stephanie Meyer... the story, as you know is inspired by Taylor's appearance in the NFL Lockout, Funny or Die skit.

xXx

I did my best to ignore Leah's presence and the sick, sinking feeling that had come over me again like a formidable wave of doom.

I noticed that Jacob seemed to have relaxed a little and was laughing and chatting with the group again. He gave the occasional tug on my arm or pat on my thigh, but I just couldn't enjoy it like I had a few minutes ago. I really needed to get a control on my emotions if I was going to make him mine.

I glanced in Leah's direction, and she appeared to be in a deep conversation with Edward. And I may have been mistaken, but I was sure that I saw her run her hand up his arm. Oh my God, if there was something going on between her and Jacob, what the hell was she playing at by cozying up to Edward like that? Was she trying to make Jacob jealous? What a bitch...

I needed to speak to Angela alone and let her know what I had seen. I caught her eye a few times and tried the head twitch thing - to indicate something was going on - but from her confused expression, I could tell that she didn't have a clue what I had seen.

"Let's take a quick walk. I need to tell you something!" I whispered urgently.

With an affirmative nod, she stood up, grabbed my hand, and pulled me up to join her.

"Come on, B, I need some girly talk time with my bestie." She flicked her hair back and winked at Embry while placing a seductive hand on Quil's shoulder. "We'll be back in a minute. Keep our spaces warm, boys."

For all of his bravado, I could almost see Quil's tongue lolling out the side of his mouth like a love sick puppy, and Embry looked like he'd momentarily stopped breathing.

I gave an apologetic smile to Jacob and rolled my eyes as I allowed Angela to drag my reluctant self – yeah, right – off for our 'girly talk.'

We walked a little along the beach, just far enough to be able to talk without being overheard, and sat on a piece of driftwood.

"Okay, so spill," Angela coaxed as we both looked back at the fire.

"I think she might be cheating on him, Ang!" I almost screamed at her.

She looked at me, frowning in confusion. I huffed in annoyance. How could she not know who I was talking about?

"Leah, cheating on Jacob... with Edward!" I clarified.

"Woah, there, Sherlock, we don't even know that Jake and Leah are dating... but anyway," she shook her head, "what makes you think she's cheating?"

"Well, she's sitting really close to Edward, and when I looked over, she was rubbing her hand up and down his arm and they were looking at each other... you know, all loved up." I may have exaggerated a little bit, but the more I thought about it, the more certain I was that it had happened like that.

"Okay..." Angela was looking at me, and I knew that I was going to hear her voice of reason. She could be such a joker and a flirt, but sometimes, she was just so sensible. It made me feel kind of dumb - not intentional on her part - but it just did.

"Look, B, if Jacob and Leah are dating, and we still have no evidence, so keep that in mind, Leah touching Ed's arm is no different than Jake hugging you, touching your arm, touching your thigh – yeah I saw that..." she added, raising her eyebrows, "...they could just be friends. Ed's working with Sam. Leah's Em's cousin. My bet is that Leah and Ed have been spending some time at the Uley's and become friends, maybe... they're even dating, and she's not with Jake at all!"

A sudden feeling of hope came over me. What if Angela was right?

"But we don't know anything at the moment, so you really need to calm down, stop over analyzing everything, and just enjoy being here with 'your man' and me..." she hugged me fondly, "…so let's get back to the boys... um, I mean the bonfire!" She winked at me.

We both took a slow walk back to the group when I suddenly stopped and scanned the bodies around the fire.

"He's gone!" I looked again, "Ergh! So has she..." I hissed as Angela started looking around too. "I knew it Ang. I told you, didn't I? And you saw the little wave she gave him... What the fuck did that mean?"

Yeah, I'd oh-so-briefly forgotten about that sly little wave Leah sent Jacob's way when she'd first arrived. I looked again, and sure enough, Jacob and Leah were nowhere to be seen. A nauseas feeling swept over me, and I felt like bursting into tears.

"They're over there..." Angela said quietly, pointing over towards the tree line.

As I looked, I could make out the silhouettes of Leah and Jacob, and although they were together, they didn't appear to be doing anything... romantic, thank god.

We couldn't hear what they were saying, but from what we could see, they appeared to be having quite a heated discussion.

My imagination started working overtime again. Were they breaking up? Had he found out she was cheating? Was he jealous? Was she jealous? Did she think he was cheating? My head was beginning to throb with all the crazy questions I had.

Angela took a hold of my hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I have an idea, well, a plan... If it works, you'll get an opportunity to find out what's going on and maybe do something about it."

She started walking again and linked her arm around one of mine. "Come on, B, you don't want them to see us here, right? Let's get back to the others."

"What's your plan, Ang?" I asked solemnly.

"I can't tell you, otherwise you might give it away, or you might not go along with it... Just don't judge me or hate me, okay? But if it works, promise me you'll make the most of it!"

"Um, okay. I promise!" I replied, feeling a mixture of excitement and anxiety. I didn't have a clue what I was promising to do, but if meant getting Jacob, then I'd literally do anything.

As we approached the group, Embry made a move to sit back on the sand. He'd obviously taken advantage of the extra space on the log.

"Stay where you are, Embry. There's plenty of space here." Angela stepped over the log then nestled herself down on Quil's lap. "You don't mind if I make myself comfortable here, do you Quily?"

I didn't think I'd ever seen Quil speechless before, or blushing for that matter, but he certainly didn't hesitate in putting his arms around Angela's waist, effectively locking her in place.

"You can stay here as long as you want, baby," Quil said huskily.

It looked as though my suspicions about Angela liking Quil were correct. Although, this could also have been a part of her 'plan,' but I really had no idea what she had up her sleeve.

"Hey, Baby Bell, there's a seat with your name on it right here!" Paul had closed the gap again between us and was indicating his own lap. I knew that there was no way Paul Lahote would try to hit on me; I definitely was not his type. He liked his girls tall, confident, big boobed, and looking like they just stepped off of 'America's Next Top Model.' I didn't fit in to any of those categories, so I knew he was just playing games with me.

"Um, thanks for the kind offer, Paul, but I'm quite happy with this space right here." I patted the log where I was sitting.

"Ah, come on, baby, if you want something big and hard to sit on, I can accommodate you, easily!" he said smoothly as he slid a bit closer to me.

"She said no, man. Now move up; that's my seat," Jacob growled as he stood behind us.

Paul scooted back along the bench obediently. I couldn't help the little laugh that escaped me. After all, Paul was a bit older than Jacob, but he didn't argue with him and just moved along like Jacob had asked him to.

"Come on, Jake... I just wanted to make sure Baby Bell was comfy, that's all!" He shrugged then leaned forward to talk to me as Jacob stepped over the log and took his seat beside me. "Hey, Bella, no sitting on Jake's lap now, otherwise that would be favoritism, and it would break my heart." He dramatically placed his hand over his muscled chest.

"Oh, I'm sure you'd get over it, Paul, and find some other girl to take my place in no time," I replied sweetly.

"Ah, that's true sweetheart, but if you change your mind, my co... er... lap is always available if you want it." He smirked at me then sat back to join in the conversation on the other side of him while Jacob shook his head.

"He wasn't bothering you too much, was he, Bells?" Jacob asked me, looking concerned.

"No, Jake. Of course not. You know Paul. He's just always trying to embarrass me, but I'm getting used to his little games..." I quickly glanced across the other side of the fire and saw Leah sitting back down. "I'm fine... really!" I said enthusiastically, turning back towards Jacob and putting a big smile on my face. Although, on the inside, I was sure my heart was going to break much faster than Paul's ever would.

Everyone carried on talking, eating, and drinking around the fire. Jared and Seth started playing a few tunes on their guitars, and some of the group started singing and dancing along.

I tried to enjoy myself and found that, provided I didn't pay any attention to what Leah was doing, I could pretty much make the most of a good evening. Angela and Quil were looking very cozy together, and it was kind of sweet. They were well suited, and if anyone could handle Angela, it was Quil, and vice versa. Embry had brought over some beer, and although I wasn't a fan, after having a couple of bottles - with the full support and encouragement of Angela - I found that I was really able to unwind and enjoy myself.

After about an hour of songs and dancing, which included a nearly naked Paul doing the limbo and some other very impressive dance moves, people started disappearing and heading home. We were all pretty tired from the day's events, so it wasn't surprising for people to start leaving when they did. However, Angela did manage to surprise when she told me that she wouldn't be sleeping over with me after all, since Quil had invited her to stay at his place.

"You don't mind do you, B? Don't hate me, right? You know me and Quil have had this little thing going on for a while... and well..." she looked at me pleadingly, "please say you don't mind."

"But…!" I was so shocked, "…all your stuff is at my place. You're supposed to be staying with me..." I couldn't believe she'd do this to me. "You drove here, Ang... Shit, how am I supposed to get home, uh?" Although the area was safe, I really didn't fancy walking home alone, and I couldn't even take her car, since I'd been drinking - just great!

"Jake will take you. Right, Jake?" she called over to Jacob, who'd been talking to Embry.

"What?" He didn't appear to have a clue what had been going on, but realization was beginning to dawn on me.

"I'm staying at Quil's tonight. Only, I was supposed to be staying with B, and I gave her a ride here. So could you either walk her home or give her a ride back? You can take my car!" She smiled sweetly while I glared at her.

"Jake, you don't have to. Seriously, I'll just walk back by myself."

"Don't be stupid, Bells!" Jacob put his arm around me. "No problem, Ang. I've had a couple of beers though, so we'll leave the car here and walk. That okay with you, honey?" All I could do was gaze up at him and smile while my insides melted into a pile of loved up mush. He'd called me honey all the time, and maybe it was the beer, but it had never had this effect on me before.

"Um... Are you okay to walk, Bells?" Jacob was looking at me a little concerned, but I didn't feel drunk, just a bit tipsy, and I was just recovering from him calling me honey and having his arm wrapped around me. Suddenly, Angela's words came back to me. She'd told me to make the most of it, right?

"I'm sure I'll be fine Jake. You just might have to hold me a little as we walk back, if that's okay with you?" I gently held onto his arm and gazed up at him again, hoping that my eyes still looked smoky and sexy, not bloodshot and glassy from drinking.

A sudden wave of panic went through me as I turned and whispered to Angela, "How do I look? Are my eyes okay? How's my hair?" She gave a quiet giggle as Quil frowned in confusion. "B, you look fucking gorgeous! Now go get him!"

I threw my arms around her neck and hugged her tight. "Thank you so fucking much... but you do like Quil, right? You're not just doing this for me?" I whispered.

Thankfully, Jacob, Quil and Embry were having a discussion over our heads - something about girls and alcohol equals emotional public displays of affection - so they didn't pick up on what we were saying. Although I thought I heard Embry mentioning that maybe two of them would get lucky tonight. But Angela was whispering back at me. "Awww B, he drives me nuts, but he's so fucking cute, and his body... yeah, I really do like him, and I think we should both make the most of this, okay?"

"Okay… I fucking love you, Ang!" I said a little louder than I had anticipated.

"Love you too, B!" Angela replied, hugging me tight.

"Yeah, yeah, we get it... you love each other, but us guys are feeling a little left out of the love fest!" Quil interrupted, "I think it's time you got the Boss's daughter home, Jake!"

"Yeah, come on, Bells, let's get you home, honey."

Jacob helped me stand, and after saying our goodbyes – I avoided looking in Leah's direction completely – we started a slow walk back to Swan Farm with our arms clumsily draped around each other.

Jacob still seemed concerned about me as he asked me a few more times whether I was okay, warm enough, and was I still all right to walk home. In truth, I was just so happy to spend some proper alone time with him. I'm sure he thought the beer I'd had was affecting me more than it actually was, but I had to admit I was feeling a little more confident than usual.

"I can't believe Ang would do that! She was supposed to be having a sleepover with me!" I complained as we walked. "I mean, what's she going to do at Quil's anyway?" I asked innocently, looking up at Jacob from under my lashes.

"Um... I'm pretty sure they won't be giving each other makeovers." Jacob chuckled. "But Embry will be there to make sure they behave themselves... kind of."

"Really…? Embry's staying there too? Oh my god, do you think Ang will be okay?" I asked, concerned. I knew both Quil and Embry were good guys, but for Angela to be staying the night with both of them, well...

Jacob laughed a little louder. "Ah, come on Bells, you know Ang! I'd be more concerned about the guys..." He shook his head.

"She's not that bad, Jake!" I rolled my eyes. Angela was my friend, and although I was sure she was going to get something out of tonight's events, she was also doing this for me. So I didn't really want Jacob bashing my friend too much.

"Bells, seriously? The girl is a man eater!"

"Um hum, and I guess you would know about that, right?" Oh shit! It was out before I could stop myself.

Jacob faltered for a second or two then continued walking. "Um... What do you mean?" he asked. He wasn't laughing now, or looking at me either.

"Jake... Come on, don't pretend you don't know." I was watching his face, but he was just looking ahead now.

"So she told you, uh?" he said, still avoiding looking at me.

"Yeah, she did."

"She wasn't supposed to say anything." He almost whispered.

"She didn't mean to. She let it slip when we..." I waved my free hand back and forth in the space between us, "...had that fight."

"Oh..."

Yeah, oh. Jacob seemed to clam up, and I realized he wasn't going to elaborate for me. Although this wasn't the direction I particularly wanted the discussion to be going in, I thought it best to just try and get it out in the open. So I tentatively asked him about it.

"So why'd it happen? Do you like her, Jake?" I knew Angela had said they didn't go very far, but I needed to know right now if he liked her in that way.

"No, Bells! I mean... I like her as your friend, and honestly, she's... you know, kind of..." He seemed uncomfortable, but I really wanted to know what he thought and why it happened.

"Kind of...?" I coaxed.

"Well, she's pretty and kind of...hot, you know."

"Oh..." Angela was hot, of course I knew that, but to hear Jacob say it kind of hurt. "Well, yeah, she's really beautiful," I agreed quietly. "So is that why you made out with her, because she was hot?"

"No, not really... I mean... Yeah, she's hot, but I don't like her in that way." Jacob let out a shaky breath. "I don't know, Bells. She's not the kind of girl I'd usually go for, so it was a bit of a shock to me that it happened too." Jacob suddenly stopped and turned me gently to face him. "Look I'll be completely honest, okay? I think I was feeling kind of mad that day. You were out with Emmett, and I missed you... I guess I was jealous. I mean... we were so tight, as friends, and then Emmett came along, and suddenly, you were off doing things with him, and I didn't like it... I saw our friendship changing. Ang turned up. She'd had an argument with her mom and was feeling all mad and lonely... We started talking. She was angry, I was angry, and... Shit, Bells, I honestly can't say who moved first, but it just happened... But I stopped it... I'm so sorry."

"Wow Jake! It sounds a lot like that hot, angry sex that you hear about!" I tried to joke and laugh, hoping that I'd disguised the sob that was stuck in the middle of my throat.

"Hey, no! We didn't have sex, Bells... Did Ang say we did? Shit... We didn't, I swear! We just kissed a bit..."

"And touched!" I reminded him, and there it was: the sob escaped, and before I knew it my cheeks were wet with tears.

"Awww, shit, honey... come on, don't cry, Bells. Fuck... please don't cry, sweetheart." Jacob pulled me towards him and held me so tight. "I'm so, so sorry, honey." Jacob's shirt was getting damp as I leaned into his chest. His arms were around me so tight, one hand stroking my bare back and the other running through my hair.

"I'm okay, Jake. I'm just upset that my two best friends made out and then kept it from me... I guess the beer doesn't help either, right?" I mumbled into his chest.

"Oh, honey... I wanted to tell you, really, but... I guess... I don't know. I fucked up, didn't I?"

Jacob pulled me away from his chest and brushed his fingers against my wet cheeks, wiping the tears away.

"Bells, honey, I really am so fucking sorry... Please forgive me." He was holding my head gently in both his hands. "I swear I never meant to hurt you, and I'll never hurt you again." He looked so sincere, concerned, and so gorgeous. How could I not forgive him? I gave him a weak smile and nodded my head.

"Oh, Jake, I'm just being a stupid, over emotional, wasted female. There's nothing to forgive. But, no more secrets, okay?"

"Deal!" he said, relieved.

Then I looked down at his white shirt and gasped in horror.

"Oh shit! I got mascara all over your shirt." I put my hand on the mess on his shirt.

"Hey, don't worry about it. It'll come out in the wash." He chuckled.

Then it dawned on me that I must have looked a complete mess, and I hid my face in my hands.

"Oh my god, I must look like something out of a horror movie... Don't look at me!" I laughed as I tried to rub away the smudges that I knew must have been under my eyes.

"Hey, Bells, don't hide from me... You're as beautiful as always." He gently tugged my hands away from my face and bent down slightly to look straight into my eyes. My heart raced like crazy as our eyes locked, and he slowly and hesitantly moved closer to me.

I shut my eyes as I anticipated the feel of his lips on mine. I felt his hot breath on my face as he came nearer, and then it happened. His warm, full, lips, brushed gently and sensuously against my... forehead.

"Come on honey, I need to get you home," he chuckled.

"Um, yeah. Sure." I opened my eyes, and we started walking again, arms draped around each other, just like before.

We continued walking quietly, and Jacob asked if I was tired. I wasn't lying when I told him that I was. I'd been up early for the open day, had worked on the stall, and overall, the day had been an emotional rollercoaster for me – the tractor ride, Jacob's horse riding, then all the Leah drama, and now this mini breakdown. Hell, no wonder I felt tired. And having a couple of beers certainly didn't help either.

We were almost at the farm and had walked the rest of the way in silence. I was just happy to have Jacob's arms around me, even though I was still a bit pissed that he hadn't kissed me. He said I was beautiful, but not hot like, Angela, right? Maybe he just wasn't attracted to me after all. And what about Leah? I hadn't found out anything about what was going on between them. Of course, if he was seeing her, he wouldn't want to kiss me, would he? Jacob was just too nice a guy to cheat on anyone. Oh shit, my head was really beginning to hurt again as we walked up the drive towards the house.

We approached the porch steps, and Jacob took hold of my hand.

"I'm so sorry, Bells, if I ruined your evening... You know I'd never hurt you, right?"

"Yeah, I know. I was just being a stupid, whiny bitch. You're free to make out with whoever you want... It's nothing to do with me." I put my arms around him and hugged him tight, but I could literally hear my heart breaking. "Thanks for walking me home, Jake... you do know you're my best, best friend, don't you?"

Jacob was laughing again and hugged me back. "Yeah, honey, and you're mine too."

We broke apart, and I started up the first step as Jacob backed away.

"I guess I'll see you... tomorrow or Monday then..." he said as he started walking away.

I stopped and watched him as he turned and began walking back down the drive. What was I doing? Was I really just going to stand here and watch him leave? Had I made the most of it, like Angela told me to? Hell no! Shit, I needed to do something...

"Hey, Jake... wait up!" I was down the steps and running towards him. "Stay!" I blurted it out like an order.

"What?" Jacob turned towards me, looking confused.

"Stay with me tonight." God, I sounded so desperate. "I was looking forward to having a sleepover, and, well... now Ang isn't staying. I just thought you might like to stay instead..." My enthusiasm dwindled; the more I explained, the dumber I sounded. But Jacob was smiling.

"You want me to stay with you... tonight... like a sleepover...?" He was slowly walking back towards me, still smiling, thank goodness.

"Well, only if you want to... I thought it'd be fun. Like when we were kids."

"Okay... but you know Charlie won't want us in the same room, right? If I'm in the spare room or on the couch... it kind of defeats the object of a sleepover, doesn't it?"

"Are you mocking me Jacob Black?" I shoved him gently as he was now in front of me. "Look, if you don't want to stay with me, just say so!"

"Hey... I do! I just don't want to be shot by my boss..." He laughed.

He was right, of course. My dad wouldn't want Jacob, and me, to share a room. No matter how much he liked Jacob, he was still a protective father with a shotgun.

"Okay, I have an idea. Let's camp in the barn!" I suggested and Jacob just stared at me wide-eyed. "Oh my god, Jake, it'll be just like when we were kids," I said excitedly.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am. Come on, I have a couple of blankets in my truck." I grabbed his hand before he had a chance to protest and headed over to my truck.

"I can't believe we're doing this, Bells." He shook his head, but he also had a huge grin on his face.

"It'll be fun, Jake." I squealed as I opened the truck, which I kept unlocked to Jacob's dismay, and grabbed the heavy blankets I always kept in there.

"You do remember how uncomfortable hay is to sleep on, don't you, Bells?" he asked as I shoved the blankets in his open arms.

I suddenly felt a lot more confident and light-hearted than I had over the last week or so, and although I didn't know where tonight would lead, Jacob was going to spend the whole night with me. And as I had promised Angela, I was definitely going to make the most of it.

"Oh, I remember, Jake, but I was planning on using you as my pillow!" I winked at him.