CHAPTER 12

BPOV

It was so surreal…this feeling of being slow roasted in an oven.

It had been so long since I had last experienced it… too long…

And yet, being here…in his arms… gave me a sense of comfort. Almost like the feeling of coming home after a long and heart wrenching absence…

'Has he always been this warm…or is he warmer now than he was six years ago?'

But…the most disconcerting thing of it all was; I had absolutely no idea how I ended up here… all I knew was that one minute, Jake had been glaring at me…and then the very next minute, I was in his arms!

I was still trying to come to terms with the fact that after six, long, endless years I was finally in the arms of the one person in the world who had the ability to make my entire world seem right… with just a smile. And the only thing I seemed capable of doing right at that very instant was blubbering all over him!

I wasn't even sure where the tears had suddenly come from…I'd been under the impression that I'd dealt with my past…gotten beyond all the heartbreak… But Jake's soaked t-shirt was enough testimony to the fact that I'd been obviously mistaken…

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry. I don't even know why I'm crying!" I wailed despairingly.

"Shhhh honey… it's alright. I'm here now. Don't worry. Everything will be alright…you'll see."

The way he uttered the endearment… the way it just slipped so easily out of his mouth… so naturally… even after such a long time… resulted in yet another bout of tears which only served the purpose of confusing him further.

He was being so sweet, so supportive and understanding… in short, so 'Jake'… and I couldn't shake the certainty that I didn't deserve him… didn't deserve his kindness or his friendship… I never had!

"Talk to me, Bella. Tell me what happened. I can't make everything better unless you tell me what's wrong! You're starting to scare me a little bit, honey. You need to calm down."

When he spoke, I could detect a trace of panic in his voice and the last thing that I wanted to do was scare him.

So, I tried to stop crying…tried to put my feelings into words, but, unfortunately I was finding it very difficult to do so.

I didn't know how to make him understand that just being in his arms again... experiencing the incredible warmth and safety of his embrace… was an experience that I hadn't dared… even in my wildest fantasies, to hope for! I realized that I hadn't felt this safe in years! Four and a half years to be exact…

"Did the leech hurt you honey, is that it?" he inquired gravely.

I was aghast, though not necessarily surprised, that he'd reached that particular conclusion as to the reason behind my tears.

"Oh no… God no! Edward didn't hurt me. At least not in the way you're talking about. Whatever hurt was involved was mutual. I hurt him just as much as he hurt me… actually…no… maybe I hurt him much more than he hurt me."

There it was… I was having the very conversation I'd been dreading all this while but could no longer avoid…

This was a part of my relationship with Edward that I was still very sensitive about. I'd not been able to discuss it with anybody till now. I'd tortured myself with thoughts about the reasons behind our break-up ever since our separation… I'd suffered in silence because I'd felt guilty about my part in it…but I still hadn't been able to talk to anyone about it. The pain had been too overwhelming!

Maybe it was unfair on my part, but I felt that Jake was the only person in the world who'd understand the situation and my feelings, completely…

Then again, taking into consideration the fact that Jake was the one person who deserved to hear this explanation more than anyone else in the world, I guess; I would've eventually given in and spoken about the whole sordid mess that was my life anyway…

"I left HIM Jake… 'I' broke all my promises…all the vows I'd taken! Even after things went horribly wrong, he was still willing to work things out. I was the one who couldn't! I was the one who backed out and ran away! Like a coward… I just abandoned him… and at a time when he needed me to be there for him. If anyone's to blame for the break-up of my marriage, it's me… not him! So, please… please don't ever think that he hurt me!"

I'd been too caught up in my explanation to notice Jake's reaction to my impassioned speech. But when I looked at him pleadingly, I noticed that even though he was trying to appear calm, his jaw was clenched and he was holding himself very rigidly.

Surprisingly, none of that anger manifested in his tone of voice. He didn't yell or shout like he would have in the past… Rather, he was unnaturally calm, coolly in control of his emotions. In fact the only indication of his anger was in the way his eyes blazed. I was taken aback by this 'new' version of Jake…so unlike the Jake I remembered from six years ago…

This change in his personality was brought home even more clearly to me when he spoke. Instead of the passionate anger I remembered, there was now a bite in his words…a derogatory quality that was somehow much more hurtful than outright rage could ever have been.

"So then, you're crying…why exactly? Because you miss him?? Because you feel guilty?? Well, well… Isn't that typical of us? Seriously, can we be any more cliché than 'Bella cries over Edward and Jake consoles her'? So, I guess some things haven't changed at all, huh sweetheart? And to think that I thought that this time, things would be different! Shows how much I know!!

I guess the guys are right to call me a fool. I mean, really, I should have realized this sooner! After all, this is exactly how you've always operated!! God! I AM dumb! I was actually ready to go fight the leech for you… because; I'd stupidly convinced myself that he hurt you! Lame, huh?

I'd forgotten once again that you don't need ME to act as your rescuer… especially since you've got your precious leeches jumping through hoops to get the job done! Honestly, when am I ever going to get it through my head that you don't need me… for anything! You never did! Not now…not then! I wonder why I'm finding that so difficult to accept… I mean what more has to happen before I'm finally convinced…

God! You're just using me…like you always did!! But…I have to thank you for reminding me where I stand…now, before it was too late and I ended up doing something much more stupid! At least now, I won't get carried away… and I definitely won't have unrealistic expectations!

Oh yes, and let me reassure you… 'Put your mind to rest' and so on and so forth, you know… that, this time at least, you don't have to worry about me losing my head over you. That was just a one off thing. Believe me, this time there is no danger of that happening! The last time around, I was too blinded by my feelings for you to realize what was right in front of my eyes the whole time! But no more… this time I see you for what you really are! A selfish, self centered bitch!"

I flinched in shock. Jake had never spoken to me in that tone before… never! He'd almost sounded vicious there towards the end…

'Well can you really blame him? Isn't everything he said true? That's exactly how you treated him in the past… Like a 'use and throw' paper napkin! So if you expect him to believe that this time is gonna be different, you'll have to make an effort to convince him first…'

"Well…you're wrong. I've pretty much dealt with my past and hence don't feel the need to cry over it. Yes… I screwed up with Edward, but that's not the reason why I'm crying now. I'm actually crying because I just realized how much I've missed you. And also, because it just felt so overwhelmingly good to see my best friend once again…" I replied quietly. "But… it's kinda obvious that you don't necessarily feel the same way…"

That seemed to rattle his composure. He looked stunned… his angry eyes softened with something akin to tenderness for a moment before they hardened once again…

"Yeah right!" he scoffed bitterly. "Am I expected to buy that? After you've conveniently ignored me for SIX years? Really Bella, couldn't you come up with a better ploy than that? I mean, sure…I am a fool… but not 'that' much of a fool."

My heart sank with despair. For a brief moment there, I'd actually thought that I'd succeeded in making a small dent in his resentment…but… no such luck…

Suddenly, I wasn't so sure that talking to him about my broken marriage to Edward… when he was in this frame of mind was a good idea.

'No Shit, Sherlock!! That's a brilliant piece of deduction if I do say so myself!! What're you, dumb?? Of course it isn't a good idea!! Just look at him! He looks pissed as hell! Does he look like he's in the mood for a boatload of shit to be dumped on his head?? Besides, you have more important things to do right now… Like apologizing to him and mending your relationship with him… the rest can be dealt with later!

You already know that this conversation is going to be heart wrenching… for both of you. The least you can do is wait till you're both feeling a little less stressed out about it! Now, can we just get on with the rest of the program?'

"I meant every word when I said that I missed you… because I did. Every single minute of every single day… I'm sorry if you don't believe me but it's the truth." I said softly. "But most importantly, I'm sorry that I treated you so badly. I know I hurt you and I really regret doing so… more than you'll ever know!"

I must have managed to communicate some bit of my sincerity to Jacob because he was finally beginning to look a little uncertain.

"But… if what you say is right, how do you justify not even contacting me to let me know you were alive?!? What… did you not think I'd want to know? Or did you just think it wasn't important enough?? How could you let me go on thinking for six years that you were dead and still claim to have cared for me and missed me?! I mourned you Bella… I wept for you! I blamed myself for not saving your life!!"

The pain…the anguish in his voice just about broke my heart and brought tears to my eyes… But, before I could say anything, the true meaning behind his words sunk in…

"What… WHAT?!? What're you saying Jake?? Are you saying that you didn't know about me and Edward? That you didn't know that I was still alive?? How could you not have known? Charlie knew… he's always known! And Charlie is Billy's best friend! The same Billy who is your Father!! How could you not have known??"

Throughout my slightly hysterical outburst, there was a gradual but visible thaw in Jake's attitude until, towards the end of it; there was a huge grin on his face.

"You didn't know that I didn't know? You didn't purposely hide it from me? You were actually under the impression, all this time that I already knew??"

All I could do through his rapid-fire round of questions was either nod or shake my head dumbly.

He suddenly let out a wild whoop of delight and ran full tilt towards me… picking me up and twirling me around like crazy, laughing joyously all the while! I held on to his shoulders for dear life but I couldn't help joining him in his infectious laughter…even though I had absolutely no idea why he was laughing! Finally when I was about to collapse from dizziness, he lowered me back to the ground and pulled me into one of his infamous bone crushing bear hugs.

And even though I couldn't breathe, I wouldn't have changed anything about that moment for any reason in the whole world!! I couldn't have been happier than I was, right then, right there…in that moment…with my best friend!

He pulled back to look at me and the transformation on his face was amazing. The rigid, cold, in-control Jake had disappeared completely…almost like he'd never even existed and in his place stood 'MY' Jake!

He let out another whoop of joy and I couldn't keep the smile off my face… yup… he was back! My crazy, fun-loving best friend was back! After six years apart, we'd somehow…against all odds…found our way back to each other…

"Soooo Mr. Happiness, you mind letting me in on your little secret here? I still want to know how you could've been so totally unaware about my situation…"

"Oh…yeah….Funny story that…" Jake started fidgeting around… making circles in the sand with his feet, refusing to look me in the eyes… "Well you see… when you left with Cullen, I kinda had a hard time dealing with the whole thing and I might have told Charlie to never ever mention your name to me again… and so he didn't tell me, I guess…" he finished sheepishly.

"Well…that…was the… I don't even know what to say… Shit, Jake… You do know that you're a complete dork at times right?" I teased him, laughingly.

"Yeah, yeah… laugh it up funny-girl! Laugh at my expense, why don't you? What else do I exist for if not your amusement?" He said, pretending to be very hurt by my amusement.

That took care of my laughter. "Hey, I really am sorry for hurting you, you know that right? I wish I could take back all the things that I've ever done that caused you even the tiniest pain… if I could go back in time and change my behavior, trust me, I would…"

"Hey Bella… its okay. I was just kidding… Don't sweat it, really. Yes things were bad back then, but this is now. We can't really change the past, so let's just focus on the here and now, ok?"

"Really? You're sure it's okay?" I asked him hopefully.

"Hmmm… lemme see… Do you promise that you won't lose your common sense and behave like a crazy person this time?"

"Oh Jake… Don't even kid to me about that stuff please!! Of course I promise to behave myself. And I won't ever hurt you again, I swear! I'll do anything! But I just want my best friend back!"

He'd worded the previous request so somberly that I'd actually believed that he was serious about it and I'd been sincerely trying to convince him of my intentions. But the moment I saw the smile lurking on his face, I knew that he'd played me…

"Very Funny Jake!! I'm so glad my sincerity amuses you!" I huffed in irritation.

"Or… how about, we set up some ground rules if… just to make things easier for you. Like, let's see… Rule number one – No dating ancient guys or even older guys for that matter… try younger guys; I've heard they're a lot of fun! Rule number two – Any crazy suicidal ideas are a strict no no… alright?"

"Oh just forget it! here I am trying to mend fences, and all you can do is joke about it?? Real nice…"

"Sorry Bells… please don't me mad at me? You know me, I just couldn't help myself! But, on a more serious note, just the fact that you said 'sorry' means a lot to me. You know what? We're going to be just fine, you and I… it may take a while to get back to where we were, but I can promise you, right now, at this very moment… that we'll be fine!"

The moment he called me 'Bells' was the exact moment that I knew that everything was right in my world once again. But when Jake assured me that we'd be able to get back to the way we once were, I just couldn't control my joy and it was my turn to give him a hug of my own.

It was probably the first time that I'd hugged him of my own free will… without any coercion or any threats or heart rending goodbyes hanging over our heads… and the feeling was all the more precious because of it…

"What in the name of all that is holy is going on here?!?"

Oh Shit!! That was Leah's voice… and she sounded pissed!

I slowly extracted myself out of Jake's embrace and turned around to face the Queen Bitch herself...

'Uh Oh…it's not just Leah… the whole pack is here!! And they're all glaring at me!! Why, oh why couldn't things ever be easy for me?'

Jake pushed me behind him, shielding me with his body, and slowly moved forward till he was standing between me and the rest of the pack.

"Jake, what the hell is she doing here?" Leah demanded. The emphasis she put on the 'she' implied that I was either some kind of a filthy, disgusting bug or a mass murdering psychopath!

'Nice…'

Then, without giving Jake the opportunity to reply, she turned to me and yelled, "Wasn't I clear enough when I said that you weren't welcome here? What part of 'Stay the Hell away from us' don't you understand?? In fact, you still haven't answered the question I asked you the other day…why are you even here? Why aren't you off enjoying all of eternity with your fucking leech?"

Till that moment, Leah had managed to intimidate me with her aggression, making me cower behind Jake but it all changed the moment she reminded me of her behavior in the hospital! She'd actually tried to keep me away from visiting my dad… while he was in the hospital… fighting for his life!!! Boy… was that a big mistake on her part…

'Nobody… and I mean 'Nobody' messes with me and my own!! Its time she knew that once and for all! I think it's time to give Leah a taste of the new and improved Bella Swan! She might've scared me silly six years ago but not anymore…'

I stepped out from behind Jake and got right in her face. "You know what Leah? Fuck YOU!! You might've managed to scare all 'Your Boys' with your tough girl act but you don't scare me! Oh yeah, and what was your question again? Why I am here, right? I'm here because my dad got shot, you bitch!! He almost died!!! Doesn't that matter to you at all??

No… I guess not! That doesn't fit into your neat plans, huh? Well, you know what? Too bad! Or maybe you'd like it if I asked him to apologize profusely to you for not thinking about your convenience before getting shot! I'm sure if he knew how my being here bothered you, he would've stayed the hell away from that particular burglary! I'll be sure to let him know about it…as soon as he regains consciousness, you know, for future reference!!"

I was so angry I was shaking from head to toe with it.

She at least had the grace to blush after hearing my tirade. But just because she didn't have any words in answer to my criticism, didn't mean she didn't have any for Jake.

"Jacob, I cannot believe that you can be so stupid as to allow this leech- lover to come here…on our turf!! What the hell is wrong with you?? The next thing you know, you'll be inviting the leeches here too…and having a welcome to La Push party for them!!" She scoffed in disgust.

And then she turned to me again…"And you know what… Fine! I get why you're back in Forks! But does that mean you have to come to La Push!?! UGH! And, I also get that you probably aren't going anywhere till Charlie recovers fully. But that doesn't mean that I have to tolerate your presence here!! So… just do me a favor and get off my land! NOW!! I can't believe you have the guts to come here when it's so clear that you aren't welcome here! Since when did you become so shameless?

Forget that… just tell me what I have to do to get the message through that thick skull of yours…throw you off the reservation? Don't think I won't do it… cos I will! And I'll enjoy every minute of it! And I won't even be alone…all the guys here will help me…that I am sure of! Well… maybe all the guys except Jake. He always was an idiot where you were concerned!

"Well I guess you're wrong then Leah…cos not everyone's on your side here. Whether Jake takes Bella's side against you or not, I know I definitely will!

I had to say; I was completely shocked by Embry's defense! Even though he'd been kinda nice to me a while back, I hadn't expected him to stand up for me against one of his own friends… pack members…

If I was surprised, Leah just seemed completely blown by Embry's words. In fact, I think that she wouldn't even have been as shocked if he'd suddenly announced that he was secretly a woman. But as his words registered, I noticed something other than shock and anger on her face. There was also an element of hurt and betrayal.

"Embry!" she looked as though he had just stabbed her in the back. "Do you even know what you're saying here? Are you even aware that you're going against the wishes of your whole pack here? That you're betraying your pack, your duty by supporting her?"

"Nope…wrong again!" Embry almost sounded cheerful…like he was enjoying proving Leah wrong. "I'm just going against your wishes! Something that everyone else here is too much of a wimp to do. But that's not important…what is important is that you seem to be forgetting that I'm actually the only one who's obeying my so called 'duty' here. Because I'm the only one here who's proudly supporting my alpha!"

Suddenly all eyes turned towards Jake who hadn't uttered a single word since the beginning of Leah's outburst. He calmly returned everyone's gaze before meeting my shocked one. His lips twitched slightly in amusement.

I sucked in a stunned breath. Whoa!! Jake was 'Alpha'!?! When did that happen?? How? And what happened to Sam?? Did he and Jake have a falling out or something? Wow! I really had missed out on a whole lot of things! Man I had a lot of catching up to do!!

'OHHH… I guess THAT explains the increased warmth… the change in behavior… the decreased impulsiveness and the increased control over emotions…'

Jake calmly stepped over between me and Leah and turned to each of us in turn. "You done, Leah? How about you, Bella? You got anything else to add or are you all yelled out now? Nothing? Good! That means that I can finally get heard here. Whew!" He shot us a totally annoying… condescending grin.

"All right people… Listen Up! There are apparently some misunderstandings here that need clearing up so I need everyone's complete attention for the next few minutes, okay?"

I could see the authority rolling off him in waves and it was obvious that everyone else felt it too… they were all quick to do as he said. If I'd still had any doubts as to 'who' was alpha… 'This display' would've definitely put them to rest…

"Turns out, that Bella here is no longer married to Cullen." Suddenly there were a lot of questions and exclamations breaking out all over the place. Jake let out a shrill whistle which resulted in complete silence once again.

"Just let me say my piece and then I promise you that there'll be plenty of time for all of your questions! Clear? Good… Now, before you ask… no, I don't know why or what happened. I'm sure she'll tell us when she's ready to do so. So please, respect her privacy! In the mean time, I don't see any reason any more for her not to visit La Push, do you?

And before you ask Leah… yes, I DO trust her. Completely… Why? Because I KNOW her… Is there anything else? No? Good. Now you know that I won't force any of you, but I think it wouldn't hurt us to be friendly to each other again… I also know that all of you are wary of Bella's presence but I do hope that you'll find it in your heart to forgive her… I know I have…"

"Way to go Jake! I'm with you all the way man!" Embry hollered.

The others… with the notable exceptions of Embry and Seth… weren't as enthusiastic or supportive, but at least they weren't as openly hostile as last time. Even Quil appeared somewhat okay with my presence. Not Leah though… she was still very resentful…

"I can't believe you Jake! What is it going to take for you to finally see her for what she is, huh?? Did you not learn your lesson last time? Did she not hurt you badly enough when she broke your heart? Are you ever going to learn to cut her out of your life for good?!?" Leah yelled at Jake before rounding on the rest of the pack.

"And the rest of you… have you all forgotten what she did to Jake the last time?? Have you all forgotten how she almost broke him… how we almost LOST him!?! How could you not remember?? I can't believe that you're all just going to forgive her so easily…"

Leah's words sickened me to my core… Oh God… what had I done?!? How many lives had I ruined? Edward… Jacob… Charlie… apparently the whole pack… Alice… Esme… Jasper… Would there ever be a time in my life when I wouldn't have to feel guilty about something or the other??

Leah turned her wrath on me. "I don't know what it is about you that makes everyone around you want to worship the ground you walk on… If I didn't know better, I'd say that you could cast some sort of spell over people or something! Frankly, I don't care!! All I know is that I'm not just gonna stand by and let you ruin all of our lives once again! And I'm especially not going to let you ruin Jake's life…

So you better watch your back Swan…cos I'm going to be keeping both my eyes on you! Even one toe out of line and I'll have you on your butt so fast you won't even know what hit you, you hear me?!? And trust me, this is the one and only warning you're going to get!"

"Hey sis, just let it go for now. I'm sure Bella has no intention of hurting Jake this time… Let's just give her a chance, okay?"

I gave Seth a grateful smile for trying to intervene on my behalf and calm down his sister but Leah was having none of it.

"You stay the fuck out of this, Seth…I mean it! Hell…you're just as bad as Jake when it comes to her! In fact, you could actually be worse! At least he hated Cullen. You on the other had… idolized him!!"

Seth gave me an apologetic smile, as if wanted to say, "Hey… at least I tried!" I responded with a reassuring smile, trying to convey that I appreciated all his help.

"All right…all right ladies. As much as I'm sure the guys would love to see a cat fight here, let's just all cool off, alright?"

"Aww man Jake… You're such a spoilsport!! And just when things were about to get a little interesting…" Quil protested, much to Leah's displeasure.

She gave a menacing growl of displeasure and flounced off angrily, yelling "Fuck off, you bastards…"

A few minutes of deafening silence followed her departure, during which no one knew what to say…

It was broken by Quil's deadpan comment of, "Well, Bella, there's one person that you won't have to worry has changed in the last six years!!"

That definitely worked as a stress buster resulting in chuckles all around.

"Hey, Bells… you okay?" Jake asked me softly.

"I'm fine. I appreciate you trying to protect me but you really didn't have to. I'm a big girl now. I can handle Leah just fine."

"Oh yeah… Believe me, I noticed. And I have to say I was very impressed! It's so nice to finally see you stand up for yourself, Bells! It's been a long time coming… trust me! I just wish you could've been so gutsy six years ago… but then, as they say, better late than never!" Jake was sporting a proud smile on his face and that smile made me feel like I'd finally done something worthwhile in my life. I couldn't help thinking that I'd go a hundred more rounds with Leah just to be able to see that expression on Jake's face once again!

Our private moment was interrupted by Quil and Embry who came up on both sides of me and put their arms around my shoulders. As soon as I saw the smirks on their faces, I knew that I was in for some major ragging.

'Oh Boy…'

"Well, well…Em… that was an impressive display by our dear Isabella, don't you think? I mean, did you see the look on Leah's face when she got her 'balls' handed back to her on a platter?? Priceless, wasn't it? What I want to know Bella dear is when do we get to see a repeat episode?"

I rolled my eyes in amusement at Jake. God… how I'd missed the comic relief that the pack brought to my life…

"Screw that… what 'I' want to know is if Bella here would be willing to take classes on Leah bashing? I think they'd do wonders for the whole pack, don't you? Just tell me where to sign up…"

Jake's whole body was shaking with quiet laughter… it felt so good to be a part of this once again… to share a laugh with him, just like the old times…

And apparently Quil and Embry were not yet done with their stand-up routine. Quil continued where Embry had left off.

"Oh no… forget that… what I want to know is if Bella has any idea how hot she looked standing up to Leah like that? In fact, I'm still quite turned on right now… aren't you Em?"

I gasped in outrage and immediately felt a blush bloom on my face. Just like that, the smile on Jake's face evaporated.

"All right guys, that's it for today. Wrap it up, come on! And get outta here, go on! I have to drive Bella home."

"Oh yeah… I do have to leave. Renee must've come home from the hospital by now and there's probably no one sitting with Charlie. I should go there. The doctors think that he could wake up any moment now and I don't want him to be all alone when he does..."

"Alright Bells. I'll come with you. I haven't visited Charlie anyway."

"What are you talking about, Jake? Weren't you there just yesterday night?"

"Yes, yes… 'THANK YOU' for reminding me, Seth. Anyway, you ready to go Bella?"

He once again refused to meet my gaze and strode away in the direction of the car. I struggled to hide my grin and hurried through my goodbyes to all the guys assuring them that I'd be back soon to spend some quality time with them.

I had to run along behind Jake, his long legs made short work of most distances and he'd already reached the car and got the engine idling by the time I'd covered even half the distance…

Just as I was reaching the car, Embry hollered, "Hey vampire girl! We're thinking of having a bonfire on the beach tomorrow night. You wanna come?"

I turned around to him and responded, "Do me a favor okay? Don't ever call me vampire girl again!" My declaration was met with lots of wolf whistles and a huge round of applause. Once the noise settled down, I continued. "About the bonfire, I'll have to see. A couple of my friends from London are here. I'll have to see what their plans are. I'll talk to them and let you know, alright?"

"Oh please, get them along… we don't mind…especially not if any of them are even half as hot as you are…" Quil was quick to respond.

"Well… Lisa can definitely be classified as hot but I'm not sure that Dylan's exactly your type." I answered him sweetly and with a straight face.

The loud burst of laughter behind me faded into the background as I climbed quickly into the car.

"What took you so long?" Jake asked impatiently taking off as soon as my door was closed and my seat belt fastened.

"Nothing… just your friends…clowning around like usual!"

"Well… you don't need to entertain them every time. They're big boys… they can handle the disappointment!"

"What?!? What does that mean??"

"Nothing… Just forget it! What did they want?"

"Hmmmpf… they wanted to invite me and my friends to the bonfire you guys are having tomorrow night."

"Bonfire? What bonfire? This is the first I've ever heard of it…"

"Really? That's strange… Oh… I hope it wasn't a surprise or anything like that!"

"I'm sure it wasn't… so, you coming?"

"Well… I'll have to talk to Lisa and Dylan first. And to Renee… I don't know yet if she's gonna need me to sit with Charlie. But if all goes well… sure, I'll come. It'll be fun to catch up with everyone once again. I haven't even had the time to touch base with Emily and Kim… or with Billy for that matter. This'd be the perfect opportunity to meet all of them, you know?"

As I wound to a stop, I realized that Jake wasn't paying attention to what I'd been saying. In fact he wasn't even paying attention to the road. He was just staring at me with a weird, spaced out look in his eyes.

"Jake? Jake ?? Earth to Jake!" He snapped out of his trance and quickly focused his attention back on to the road. "Yeah, that's right... just watch the road buddy! We do not need another accident on our hands right now!!And what is the matter with you? Why were you staring at me like that? Is there something wrong with my face or something?"

My question appeared to fluster him for a moment before he regained his composure again. Then, suddenly he had a serene smile on his face that I knew…somehow… didn't bode well for me…

"Uh…no… nothing's wrong with your face. In fact, it's just about perfect!"

I couldn't help wishing desperately that in all the things that I'd apparently learned to do in the last six years, I'd been able to learn how not to blush at such comments! Damn my stupid, fair skin! I could actually 'feel' the redness on my face in that moment!

"Ahhh… there it is… Beautiful…"

"You… you… you actually said that on purpose so that I'd blush!?! That's just… mean… and rude and… and evil!! Yes, that's it… you ARE evil!!" I spluttered in indignation, hitting his arm ineffectually.

Jake just roared with laughter… the devil! Apparently, he found my indignation amusing!! UGH!!

Thankfully, before he could think up more ways to humiliate me any further, we reached the hospital. As soon as he turned off the ignition, I got out of the car and made my way towards the hospital entrance in a huff… not even bothering to wait for him.

"Bells! Hey Bells… Wait up!"

"What?!? What do you want… further opportunities to embarrass me, maybe?"

He'd sneaked up behind me noiselessly and the moment I turned around to address him, he effortlessly lifted me up in a hug. "No honey. I just wanted to tell you that I've missed you! And that I'm incredibly, joyously happy that you're here!! Welcome home, Bells… welcome home!"

The heartfelt poignancy of his declaration robbed me of all the steam I'd built up and I just melted into his arms… hugging him back wholeheartedly.

The irritating buzz of my cell phone brought me tumbling down from the high of the moment and I took it out of my pocket intending to give Alice... who I was sure was calling just to check up on me… a piece of my mind about improving her sense to timing. But the LED display proved me wrong. I picked up the phone hesitantly, expecting a full-fledged lecture on how I was running late…

"Hey Mom… look I know I'm very late and I'm sor…"

"Bella!! Where the hell are you? Why aren't you here yet?? Oh… I don't know what to do… You need to be here… RIGHT NOW!! Oh God… Doctor… Nurse… somebody!!" She almost shrieked in my ear.

I almost felt my heart stop beating. Besides me, Jake, who could clearly hear her too… stiffened in alarm! We shared a look of raw panic before both of us began sprinting towards the hospital lobby almost as if by mutual agreement. Jake of course, reached much faster while I tried desperately to keep up. Meanwhile I was still trying to decipher the reason behind Renee's frantic phone call.

"Mom… calm down! What happened? Is Dad alright? Say something! MOM!! Talk to me, damn it!!"

"Oh Bella, I'm so sorry! Don't worry, baby… everything's just fine. I just panicked there for a moment because I didn't know what to do when your Dad suddenly opened his eyes... I'm sorry if I scared you honey. Just… try to get here as soon as you can. Charlie's awake and he's asking for you!!"

'Oh Thank God!!'

A/N: - So here it is people… the B/J reunion that you've all been so eagerly looking forward to! I really, really hope that it was worth the long wait. And yes, I am aware that I'm being mean in not telling you the big reason behind the B and E split-up… but…well… that's my ploy to keep your interest peaked! Is it working?? Don't fret… you'll come to know soon… hopefully in the next couple of chapters… although there's really no guarantee! :)

Oh, by the way, to all you wonderful reviewers out there, I want to point out that I've tried very hard to take your suggestions into consideration and made some changes/improvements to my writing style. Accordingly, this chapter has less of 'thoughts' and more of 'conversations'! Hope this makes it a better read! Let me know if you like this… or even if I need to make any further changes. Am always looking forward to constructive criticism… :)

Anyway, as usual… a huge 'Thank you' to my wonderful beta's Cheryl and Ashley (augustblack)!! Really, where would I be without them?

Ladies… this is as much your story as it is mine and it is all of your brilliant ideas and suggestions that keep the creative juices flowing! Thank you so much… for everything!! Your contribution is invaluable!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

Also, in case you haven't read Ashley's stories, please do so… right now! They are all published on FF and the links are available on her profile page!

Lastly, comes the 'begging' for reviews part… Guys, please, please, please review!! It makes me wanna update faster, honestly! Whatever you want to say… Question, comments, suggestions… they are all welcome! And I promise that I'll reply to each and every one of you… if you sign your reviews, that is. Anyhooo… Just lemme know…Cos, unless you do, how will I know how I'm doing…?