Author's Note: I'm posting early again, because I am going on vacation for just over a week and I wasn't sure what my Internet would be like, etc. I try to always be early rather than late. :) However, it will make for a very long wait for the next chapter, sorry about that.

Song: My Best Friend by Tim McGraw

youtube dot com/watch?v=aDm2AIw7Myo&feature=related

Chapter 10 – Bonding

"Here Jake, there are three more." Bella said, stacking the large plastic storage containers in my already filled arms, so that the large stack completely covered my face and I couldn't even see where I was going.
"Jeez Bells, I really think that you and Emily outdid yourselves with all this food." There were multiple containers of BBQ chicken, pulled pork, sausage links, corn on the cob, baked beans, carrots, and potato salad .
"You're welcome." Bella said, reaching up on her toes to kiss the side of my neck. "I think I was just overly excited because I was able to get rid of that horrible cast." She looked down at the black walking boot that she wore. "This is far better."

"I'm just glad that you were able to get ride of the crutch." I added.
"Yeah, I totally agree. But, I should have taken the opportunity to smack you over the head with it, once I didn't need it anymore."
"Hey, that is not nice." I scowled, even though I assumed that she was teasing from the light chuckle she gave, but I couldn't see her face from all the containers.
Raising up from being crouched down so that Bella could load up my arms with food, I waited for her to be ready to walk to the beach.

I had forgotten about her doctor appointment until she reminded me this morning. I wasn't excited about going back to the Cullens again, but the trade off of her being able to walk on her own was well worth it. Her arm was still in a sling, but that was mostly just to keep her shoulder still, it didn't actually hurt her anymore. I could hug her and squeeze her tightly without having to worry about hurting her.

We continued the same banter as I carried the containers and Bella carried bags filled with chips and buns. Emily followed us with liters of soda and would chuckle or add her own comments as well. It had rained off and on throughout the day, but it seems that it has decided to stop. Big puffy clouds filled the sky and the sunlight reflected off them giving a fantastic sunset.

Everyone has been really busy this summer and we were all looking forward to having this opportunity to hang out and be together. Sam had started a small construction company with Jared's dad, trying to fix up the reservation and Paul and Jared worked there. Embry and Jackie have been working at the resort, Seth, Colin, and Brady were simply enjoying their summer with friends and whatever else they wanted to do. Leah assisted her mom learning more about the medical field that she wanted to go into. Quil has spent most of his time with Claire and her older sister, Anna, while their mother spent time with Emily. Patrols were down to a few hours each evening with two wolves patrolling at one time, which worked well, giving everyone the chance to let their wolf relax and run free.

Flashback

Two weeks after the funeral I phased with Quil and was able to get a better understanding of his imprinting with Claire. For him it happened right before the funeral when Rachel drove Dad and Seth over and Emily's family followed Rachel. Quil was getting Seth out of the car and almost dropped him when he saw Claire in the backseat of the other car. Not knowing that he could imprint on a child he just thought she was sweet and didn't realize it was different until he couldn't stop thinking about her throughout the remaining funeral.

I was surprised by the intensity in his connection to her. Quil was right about it being innocent and there was not any type of sexual desire, in its place was a protectiveness that was extreme. Claire and Anna were playing on the beach and a young man didn't see Claire, tripping over her and knocked her down. I thought for a moment that Quil might kill him. Seth happened to be there as well and apologized to the man for Quil, helped Quil to see it was an accident, and that Claire was fine with only a scraped knee. Quil wrapped Claire in his arms and in that moment they both calmed down, it was amazing how their emotions affected one another.

After Quil shared that with me I wanted to have a council meeting to figure out what should be done. I wasn't sure if we were going to be telling Claire's parents, but I wanted to have a plan in place so Old Quil, Dad, Sue, Quil, and myself gathered at my house to discuss it.
"Quil, what do you want us to do?" I asked him.
"I have been going to the resort to see Claire. I think they think that I am just helping by watching her and Anna so that their mom can be with Emily. Which is basically true." Quil answered.
"I know that it has been helpful for Emily to have Hannah with her. Emily and I are doing everything that we can to put any concerns that she may have to rest." Sue added.

"Do they think it is weird that you are there?" Dad asked Quil.
"I don't think so, just that I like kids. Claire has the best friend in the world, what is not to like?" Quil shrugged. "But, they are leaving soon."
"What about when she goes home?" Old Quil asked.
"That is when it might get strange for them. I will probably just run there to visit, because I don't have a car." Quil answered.
"Do you feel like you need to see her every day?" I asked.
"Probably not every day, but often. I don't think I will know how often until I'm away from her and see how that goes."
"I really do not think they need to know anything right now. Let's see how often Quil really does need to see Claire and if her parents get concerned then we can talk to them." Sue said.
We all agreed that it was fine for Claire's parents to know the truth, when the time comes. We simply wouldn't say anything until a noticeable problem presented itself.

End Flashback

As we approached the bonfire, I heard warm greetings around me.
"Kneel down, Jacob, I can't reach." I heard Emily say and I crouched down so that she could start removing the containers from my arms, arranging them for serving.
I turned around to see Quil lift Bella by her hips and twirled her around in a circle. Bella laughed and put her arm around his neck, giving him a hug. I chatted with Embry and Jackie while Bella and Quil continued to tease each other.

"You know Quil, you can put me down." Bella suggested.
"What? And endanger all the nice people who came to the beach." Quil reasoned.
Bella rolled her eyes. "What am I going to do, step on them with my steal toe boot?" Bella swung her leg, hitting Quil in the back of the knee.
"Not nice, Swan." Quil shifted her, his fingers inching closer to her backside.
Bell raised her eye brows in warning. "Don't you dare grab my butt!" Bella said, trying the best she could to keep a threatening look on her face, but her lips would twitch threatening to smile."
"What are you going to do about it? You can't stop me." Quil challenged, grinning mischievously.
"Jacob!" Bella screamed.

"Quil, get your paws off my girl." I threatened, even though I felt pretty confident that he wasn't going to do anything to her. I guess you could say that an imprinted wolf would be the ultimate definition of harmless flirting.
"Awww, you guys are no fun." Quil complained as he walked over, dropping Bella in my lap.
"Did impri . . ." Brady stopped when Embry elbowed him, darting his eyes at Jackie. ". . . make you loose your mind?" He asked Quil.
Jackie looked at Embry confused, shaking her head with a sigh.
"Nah, just messing with her. You alright, Bells?" Quil asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. So did that or Jacob stop you from grabbing me?" Bella asked, referring to him being imprinted.
"Both. I hadn't thought of grabbing your ass until you told me not to. Then I almost did just because I could and you said not to." Quil shrugged. "But it wasn't worth making Jake angry, another time it might be worth it." He winked at Bella, grinning mischievously once again.
"You're insane." Embry added, shaking his head.
Quil lunged, knocking Embry off the log he was sitting on which quickly turned into an extensive wrestling match in the sand.

Jackie smiled at them, but still looked hurt. She looked up, meeting my eyes and mouthed 'tell me'.
I gave Bella a squeeze in my lap and then set her down on the log next to me. "I'll be back," I whispered to Bella, kissing the top of her head.
I looked at Jackie and nodded my head towards the water, she stood and we walked together. I wasn't sure at all what I would tell her, but I knew that this was part of my responsibility as alpha to handle the public view of us.
"It has been a busy summer. You doing alright?" I asked.
"Yeah, it is going fast. I wish that you and Bella had been able to work at the resort with Embry and I."
"I agree that would have been great. Bella being in that car accident was certainly unexpected."
There was a small chunk of drift wood that Jackie would kick as we walked along. The waves rocked back and forth next to us and I could see several fish jump out of the waves into the ocean far in the distance.

"So was loosing Sam. I know that you guys were all close to him." Jackie added, softly.
"Yeah we were. He was a great friend and mentor to us all."
"I get that, sort of. I have never quite understood how you all became such good friends."
"Do you remember over a year ago when we all got pretty sick and missed school for several days?" I asked, silently trying to think of the best way to explain our connection to one another that would make sense.
"Yeah, it was pretty scary. It seemed that every few months one of you were getting really sick, some kind of super flu that we were all nervous about catching."
"It was pretty scary for us too, and because Sam was the first to get sick he was a great help." I took a deep breath to let myself think of what to say next. "It was almost like surviving a near death experience with someone, it was very bonding and neither of the people are ever the same afterwards."
Jackie touched my arm to get us to stop walking. "Did you almost die?"
"No, not really, but it is the closest example that I have."

Jackie took a deep breath, looking out over the water. I swallowed nervously, but tried really hard not to seem nervous. We stood there for a while, the waves came forwards and back, licking our toes.
"Jake, what am I missing? There is something big that I don't know."
I shook my head slowly. "I don't know, Jackie."
"Please, don't lie to me."
"Ok, I won't, but it is not that simple."
Neither of us were paying attention to the water and a wave came and splashed us, covering Jackie from the knee down and she shrieked.
I began to laugh. "This is so not funny, Jake, that was cold." She said, brushing the water drops off her legs and shivered.

I took her hand and we walked away from the water and sat down on a piece of driftwood. Feeling her cold hand in mine gave me an idea. "Jackie, do you remember me explaining why I'm so warm?"
"Yeah, you said it was a family thing."
"That also adds to the bond that we all have to each other. We aren't just 'brothers' because we had a similar experience, we are also family."
"What about Embry? I thought he was Makah."
"He is . . . um. . . so is Emily and her and Leah are family, so it still counts." I didn't really think it was my place to say anything about Embry's father and who he might be. The conversation was complicated enough without adding that to it as well.

"What about Bella? Clearly she isn't related to you all."
"Well that is a good thing for me." I smiled. "Being related to Bella would be a problem."
Jackie rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yeah, I guess that would be bad. The point is there seems to be a hesitation or something with me that is not there with Bella."
"I'm sorry, Jackie." I draped an arm around her, giving her a hug. "It's kind of a guy thing."
"Bella is not a guy."
"Once again, that is a good thing for me." I grinned.
Jackie shook her head. "You are a dork, you know that right?"
"Yeah, I do know that, thanks for the reminder though."
We sat their silently for a little while both of us lost in our own thoughts. I kept my arm across her shoulders to keep her warm, when I noticed her bring her legs up to her chest wrapping her arms around them.

"Are you sure it is not me?" Jackie asked softly. "That maybe I'm not the right person for Embry or something like that."
"Not at all, I think that you are perfect for Embry. Are you unsure that you want to be with him?"
"No, I'm sure. I love him." Jackie smiled and her eyes sparkled when she thought about Embry.
"Good, he loves you too. And everyone else likes you too. It is not you at all, I promise."
"Alright, thanks Jacob."
"Anytime, I mean that. However we should get back, I don't want Embry to think I'm going after his girl." I grinned playfully.
Jackie laughed. "We can't have that."

We walked back to the group and Embry and I looked at each other. I could tell that he wanted to know what that was about and I knew that I would tell him later. I sat down next to Bella, pulling her into my lap as I wrapped my arms around her waist, content to hold her while watching my friends relaxing. Emily announced that it was time to eat and a new fight almost broke out to who could get there first, until Emily reminded everyone that ladies needed to go first. Leah laughed as she jumped to the front followed by Kim, Jackie, Rachel, Emily and then Bella. There was so much food that for once I thought that there might be left overs, but that wasn't the case.

"How does that not make you sick?" Jackie asked, shaking her head at Embry and myself as she walked around with a trash sack for us to put our empty plates into. "It almost makes me sick just thinking about eating that much food."
"What can I say, he is a beast?" Embry elbowed me.
I grinned. "No, not me," I joked, clearly lying.
"Whatever, I didn't eat half as much as you did." Embry replied.
"There is a reason that I'm top dog." I couldn't help laughing at our puns.
"Oh, is that why. I thought it was something else." Bella giggled, shyly.

I felt a slight blush creep across my cheeks, as I looked at her with surprised eyes. I expected her to look innocent, not meaning that the way it sounded. One look at her red face made my jaw drop in shock.
"Damn, Bella making Jacob blush." Paul laughed, holding his hand out for a high five, which Bella leaned over to reciprocate despite her embarrassment.
"Gross, too much info." Rachel shuddered.
"I am not blushing." I insisted.
"Sure, sure," Jared smirked.

I laughed as I scooped Bella into my lap and kissed her until we were both panting.
"Jeez, get a room." Leah scoffed.
I flipped her off and continued to kiss Bella, hearing several laugh around us. Coming for air, I gave Bella another hug and cradled her into my chest.
"Can you believe that we have one more month until we head off to college." Jackie said to Bella.
"Shhhh, we don't talk about that." Embry said, kissing Jackie's lips.
"Uhmmm," I murmured, as I watched Embry with Jackie. They really were fantastic together and it was so obvious that they both loved each other a lot. Embry took her hand and they began to walk along the beach.
"What?" Bella turned looking up in my face.
"I don't . . . I don't know if I should go." I said, softly. "I didn't expect to be alpha when I made the plans to go away to college."

"Should I stay?" Bella asked.
"No, I don't want to keep holding you back." Bella opened her mouth to protest, and I placed my finger over her lips. "No, don't say it. You know it is true, you would have already gone to college if it weren't for me."
"I'd also be a vampire."
"Shhhh, we don't talk about that." I kissed her lips, wrapping her closer to me. I could feel Bella's smile as she kissed me back, then snuggled in closer her head, resting against my shoulder.

"So was all that hard work this past year for nothing?" Bella whispered.
I shrugged. "Well it did get me out of high school, that is something." I smiled weakly.
"Why do I feel like we get together, just to be separated again?" Bella gave my neck a small kiss and I took a deep breath.
"I don't know, but we will work something out for us to see each other often. Maybe I can still live with you there and come back and forth." It wasn't a very good solution and I knew it, but it was all I could think of.

The moon was full and bright as it reflected across the rippling waves. It was a cool evening from the rain today and I threw a couple more logs on the fire before coming back to sit next to Bella.
"What will you do when you are here?" Bella asked.
"Maybe, I'll finally be able to work on your truck and the Rabbit, get them working again."
"That would be nice, then we can give the Hummer back."
"Awww, you don't think we can keep her." I half-joked. I really did like the Hummer it was such a great ride, but it was weird coming from Edward.
Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You and cars."
"Cars are something I'm good at and there are always a bunch of broken cars on the res because people can't afford to take them to Dowlings. Things are so over priced there that I could probably work something out using most of my own tools and still make a profit."

"What about being a wolf?" Bella asked.
"What about it?" I asked looking at her face confused.
"You said that you would quit after Victoria was destroyed."
"Oh yeah." I paused. "I kind of forgot about that. I don't know if I can. It was different when Sam was alpha instead of me."
"I understand."
"Do you really, Bells? Because I know that me not aging was a problem for you."
"Yeah it is, but I can't take you away from your pack, especially with you being their leader. How selfish would that make me?"
"It doesn't make you selfish, it makes you normal."
"Normal would be nice."

"If I stopped, is there anything about me being a wolf that you think you would miss?" I asked.
"Do you think that you'll be this hot?"
"I don't know. My heat, that is what you will miss, not my strength or endurance?"
"I assume that you will always be strong. I wouldn't mind your heat coming down a few degrees, but if you were a normal temperature then I think I would miss how warm you are. Do you have any idea at all when you would be able to quit?"
"Not right now, but I do not want to be a wolf forever. I want to grow old with you and so I will stop when I can. I'm sorry, that is the best I can promise right now."
"That is fine."
Bella pulled me down for a kiss and we continued to kiss passionately until the fire went out.