Chapter Eleven: Waking Up

"Bella? Bella, wake up. Damn, usually I can't get you to go to sleep," she heard a muttering from somewhere above her perfect nest, but she was so comfy and content for once that she wanted to tell Charlie to go away.

She must have mumbled it, or something, because she heard a grunt. "Fine with me, this time in the morning, but you have a... visitor."

Bella's eyes-so much like her dad's-opened with a confused expression in them. "A visitor? Out here? What time is it?"

"Ten," he grunted. "And it's Jake." And Charlie did not look happy.

Jake... she looked around, shocked as memories from falling asleep next to his warmth filled her brain as the sleep-haze cleared away. Jake had been here last night... hadn't he? Or had he just been a dream? No, it was real. It was too weird to be a dream. Maybe now he'd discovered faeries and witches were real as well. Why not just add the whole magical menagerie? She chuckled at her own thoughts.

"I don't know, kiddo, so get up. I must just take my gun to him if you're not quick." He must have read the confusion and had taken it to mean 'why is he here?' in a bad way.

She hurriedly dressed, anxious to see Jake-- and keep him alive. But she felt herself double-checking her clothing, her hair, but couldn't do more than toss the tousled waves to the side, so she left the hair alone.

Finally she reached the landing and looked over to see Jacob next to the kitchen, leaning against the back of the counters, looking into the living room. She watched as he drew in a deep breath and looked up at her. In a fraction of a second upon seeing her he smiled from ear to ear, like she made his day just by existing. Why was that? She didn't know whether to thoroughly enjoy that she made him happy this way or be a little scared of letting him down in some way, somewhere down the line. It would be so easy, because she didn't know if she was ready for this kind of sudden... thing they had going on between them. Part of her wanted to rebel, but the other... the other remembered last night, how he'd stayed with her when she'd asked. He'd kept the nightmares away, a point that meant a lot to her.

And then there was that kiss... she supposed this couldn't be a bad thing if just kissing him made sparks fly in her brain and melt her bones. And then there was the fact that Jake was Jake, he was her best friend, the person she depended on. He was the first person she thought to call when something happened.

But was that really a romantic sort of feeling, or just platonic, or... could there be a mix of them? Was that possible?

Jake watched the thoughts cross her face, confusion and happiness warring for supremacy over the tangled emotions and thoughts that were obviously going on in her head. He laughed when she looked like someone had asked her to follow a dozen different directions at once. Poor Bells.

"Don't hurt yourself there. You're next to stairs--you might just tip sideways and really hurt something other than your head." He grinned cheekily, making her shake her head at him and come down the stairs-slowly and carefully, he noticed with a laugh.

"Shut it, fuzzy," she muttered. "Not all of us can be eternally graceful. It's not my fault you stole both our shares of it!"

Jake stifled outrageous laughter as he heard Charlie coming up behind him. He turned and waited for a lecture of some not-so-veiled sort, but none came. Charlie was looking at Bella closely, watching for some sign that apparently had worried him lately. Seeing some sort of good-look or something, Charlie nodded and his dark gaze swung back to Jake.

"I have to head to work. Don't let her trip and fall over anything dangerous, don't go too far into the woods, and-"

"Remember to look both ways before crossing the street," Bella finished, and startled a slight chuckle from him.

"Right. Well... have fun. Don't stay out too late. Call if-"

"Don't worry, Charlie. I won't let Bells get eaten by the big bad wolf." He tried a grin, to see if Charlie would accept it so suddenly or not. Bella rolled her eyes at the pun Charlie couldn't possibly understand.

"Good. And if you hurt her again, Jacob," he said warningly, but Jake held his hand up.

"Not gonna happen, Charlie," he said, and his eyes spoke volumes.

Charlie looked closely, saw the emotions churning inside the kid, and nodded. "Good." He looked back to Bella and nodded before leaving with his usual abrupt manner.

Bella turned to Jake when he was gone and raised an eyebrow. "Big bad wolf?" she asked incredulously.

Jake just grinned even more. "Oh yeah. There are plenty of us, but I'll protect you, Bells."

She rolled her eyes and moved to get her coat. Boys...

Before she had taken more than a step, however, Jake was holding the coat out for her, so she could slip into it.

"Okay..." she said hesitantly. Jake was all the sudden chivalrous and gentlemanly. Sort of... cute, but odd. The hopeful puppy-dog expression was adorable, though, her traitorous mind told her, and even though she knew it to be true, she wanted to tread carefully, take care with setting boundaries-which Jake was bound to overstep- and go slow- which Jake was bound to not do.

Great. Okay... What now?

But Jake had that covered, too. Nothing seemed to faze him as he led her to the car and opened her door, then shut it once she was gently situated inside. He got into the other side and started the Rabbit.

"Okay," she said at last, wanting to know what was going on in that devious mind of his, and she said so.

"Devious?" He asked, and nodded with a smile forming over his mouth. "I like the sound of that. Devious..."

Bella elbowed him in the ribs. "You would. Now where are you taking me?"

Jake gave an evil laugh. "To my lair, and Charlie will never see you again."

Bella rolled her eyes. "You're brain-damaged, you know that?"

"How would I know that if I was damaged?" he gave her an arched look and she threw her hands in the air.

"Ugh. I give up. Fine, you're taking me somewhere. Excellent. Some cave, or maybe, considering the circumstances, some den."

Jake just laughed and said so jokingly she thought he wasn't being serious, "Well, I guess it is. But don't worry, you won't be the only non-wolf there."

Now she narrowed her eyes on him. "Non-wolf, huh? Cause we're some sort of lower breed cause we don't turn into dogs? Please, explain to me this logic, Jacob."

Oooohhh shit, he thought. She'd said Jacob. Not Jake, Jacob. Danger Will Robinson, danger!

Jake looked apprehensive. "Uhh..." How to answer the question? 'Well, you put your foot in your mouth this time, Black. Just keep your head down and your tail tucked between your legs now. It's safer that way.' "Well, it's really not that you're inferior or anything. It's really just that...ur...uhhhm... It's just that--"

Bella started making a strange sound, and he took a moment to look over at her. She was stifling laughs behind her hand.

"Oh god, that was great! J-Jake, your face!" She collapsed against her door and dissolved into fits of giggles.

Jake sent a mock-glare her way, but she only laughed harder. "That's just not nice."

More laughter. "And w-who said I had to be n-n-nice?"

He stomped down the responding grin that wanted to spread goofily across his face. Instead, he scowled. "That's really not nice. I thought you were actually upset! Am I not supposed to care about your feelings anymore cause you don't take me seriously?"

He watched as she bit down the chuckles into a sweet smile. "Awwww, poor Jakey." She scooched over to rest her head against his arm. "You were being sensitive and I didn't even see it. Poor thing."

Score! He wanted to do a happy dance, but resisted the childish urge. Instead, he looked down and smiled. "That's okay. I suppose you can be forgiven." He struck up a heroic pose, with his chin held high.

Bella laughed against him. "Thank you, oh mighty Jacob Black. Whatever would I do without you?"

He looked down at her with a smile that tugged her heart. "My thoughts exactly."

She rolled her eyes, but couldn't deny the warm feeling she felt in her stomach, like warm blankets fluttering inside her. It was... so Jake. He always seemed to make her feel safe and okay again.

She didn't even feel the pain he had left! She was startled at this discovery, and wondered what it meant. Especially after last night. What had happened? One minute she was terrified from a dream, the next, she was kissing her best friend! What was going on between them, because it couldn't be just friendship. Not after the feelings that he had awakened. Like magnetism, earthy and natural, but at the same time so powerful and mysterious! How did it work? And what was it?!

Jake poked her, making her jump. She'd been thinking so deeply she hadn't even realized he had stopped the car.

"Hey, look what the dog dragged in!"

She heard a call from the house in front of them as an enormous boy opened the door. Jake rolled his eyes.

"Leave her alone, tail-chaser. She's spoken for." Bella was so bewildered by their greetings she missed the very pointed look Jake gave the other boy.

"No way! Another one?! You're all falling like flies! I'm going to quarantine myself so I don't catch it!"

Jake rolled his eyes again and took her hand. He noticed how she stuck close--he'd forgotten how she got nervous when meeting other people. Her shyness was kind of cute.

"Hey, bout time you got here!" Another dark skinned face entered the doorway, and Bella tensed beside him. Too many new people, too fast.

"Relax," he whispered in her ear. "You already know those two dorks. It's just Quil and Embry."

She looked up, startled. "No, no way. They're..."

"Strapping? Manly? Muscle-bound gods?" Embry grinned at her, and though it was cheesy of Jake to think it, he grinned wolfishly.

"No. Huge."

Quil laughed. "Honey, let me get you away from Jake and I can show you just how huge--"

"Ugh, enough! Leave the poor thing alone! Go pee on fire hydrants, you couple of animals!"

Jake laughed as Emily shoved them aside and smiled at Bella, who was currently fifty shades of pink.

"Come on in. They don't bite, although they do smell." She turned her eyes to Jake and continued to smile. "Well, are you going to bring her in, or just keep standing protectively?"

It was ony then that Jake realized he'd moved so he was now standing in front of Bells, partially hiding her from view.

"Sorry, Em. Coming." He turned to Bella and smiled, kissing the top of her head comfortingly before leading her forward.

"Aww, look at Jake! He's so cuuuuute!" One of them-Quil?-said.

Bella made her eyes grow wide as she looked up at him from around Jacob. "Really, you think so too?!" She grinned as he guffawed, and much laughter erupted.

"Shows you right for trying to pick on them," Emily said, smiling widely. "Bella, Jake tells me you cook. Would you mind helping me get things ready? If you can imagine how Jake eats, imagine all of them!"

Bella realized suddenly that she had been right--this was a den, of sorts! She was planted right in the middle of a half-dozen wolves.

Shouldn't she feel scared? She thought there must be something wrong with her, because she didn't feel scared at all. Well, at least not over them eating her or whatever. On them not liking her, or thinking that she wasn't... wasn't good enough for Jake, was another matter. She honestly was a little scared they might find something wrong with her and tell Jake to stay away.

"Bells?" Jake was looking down at her worriedly, a small frown creasing his copper brow. She smiled automatically and chuckled.

"Sorry, just thinking I was actually right when I asked where you were taking me." She turned to Emily before he could say anything, and gave the woman a bright smile. "I'd love to help you, although I think Jake probably overstated my cooking."

She braced herself for a night of meeting new people-always something that stressed her, but if it was for Jake, it was worth it.