BELLA SWAN

Alice had dropped me off in the driveway, avoiding my gaze and instead looking up at the illuminated porch light, a sign from Charlie.

"Tell him I say hi," she said, her tone clear. I nodded and shut the door of the car. I turned towards the house, but the sound of the power window rolling down stopped me.

"Bella?"

I turned. She gave me a pleading look. "Be careful."

I took a deep breath before nodding. She rolled the window back up and then reversed and sped away. I watched the silver car move with precision and grace. Once she was out of sight I faced the house again.

In between the front door and myself sat my ancient, loyal truck, a sentinel of sorts. Protector and friend. I almost laughed at the thought of my truck being like a golden retriever, but then a glorious and enlightening idea struck.

Of course, Alice wouldn't be happy. In turn, Edward wouldn't be happy when Alice told him.

Or maybe Alice already knew. That might explain her expression before she'd left.

Either way, I fished my key out of my front pocket and jumped into the driver's seat. The loud engine greeted me like a warm embrace. I was buzzing as I pulled out of the driveway, hoping that the negotiations were over or that Jacob had made it home by some means.

I navigated through Forks and the winding, twisted roads that led to La Push carefully. With the memories of my dreams still lingering in my head, I did not want to reenact them.

When I crossed the invisible boundary line--a line I had somehow come to recognize almost subconciously—I could feel myself relax slightly. At least the chances of Edward catching me and trying to stop me were lessened significantly.

I found the little red house quickly and pulled my truck into its driveway. Once the sound of the engine had died away, I found myself hesitating with one hand on the key still in the ignition, the other on the door handle, peering at the house and the tall figure that had just appeared in the window.

Jacob yanked back the curtains to peer at me and my offensively loud truck, expression set in a scowl. As soon as his eyes roamed from the truck to the person behind the wheel, I jumped into action; my left hand released the door handle and my feet hit the muddy ground with a squish.

Jacob released the curtains, letting them sway back into place. He met me at the door and wrenched it open before I could knock.

Before I could say anything his mouth was moving. "What in the hell are you doing here?"

I rolled my eyes. "Come on, Jacob, I wanna talk."

He growled. "It's too late for talking, Bella, you've already made up your mind."

I glared up at him. "So?"

His jaw tightened, his eyes narrowed. "So there's no point anymore, none. Anything I have to say to you won't make any difference now."

He backed away and the door swung shut hard. Indignant, I stared at the wooden door before I raised a furious fist to hammer on it. "Jacob, open up!"

Silence. Not even footsteps from within the house.

"Jacob, I know you're there."

Nothing.

"Jacob Black, I swear to God—"

The sky above me opened up and a vicious crack of lightning made me jump and I emitted a high-pitched squeak. I glanced up at the oil-black sky and redoubled my efforts.

"Jacob! You can't honestly say that you're even thinking about leaving me out here!"

There was a sound of movement from the other side of the door. "You could always go home, you know."

I laughed. "No, Jacob, I came to talk to you and I'm not leaving until I've done just that. I'll sleep on your front porch, so that you have to step over me in the morning. If that's what it takes for you to acknowledge me."

Raindrops began to hurtle towards the ground now; a few glanced off my arm, sending shivers down my spine with each new attack, but there was still no answer from Jacob.

I pounded on the door with both of my fists, as hard as I could without hurting myself.

The sprinkle turned into a downpour in a matter of moments. I didn't try to shield myself from the water, I just kept pounding on the door.

"Go home, Bella!" Jake's voice was pleading. It broke my heart.

"No, Jake! Just talk to me!" I had to yell to be heard over the rain.

"You're going to make yourself sick."

"Like I said, if that's what it takes!"

A few more seconds of rain tapping the house, the sidewalk, the windows, and then there was a growl from within. The door yanked open and Jacob appeared in the doorway, glaring down at me.

"You're pretty stupid, you know that?" he hissed, before stepping aside to let me in. I squished out of my boots—my socks were still thankfully dry—and stood there, dripping. Jacob disappeared for a moment and then reappeared with a fluffy, multi-colored towel; he threw this at me and then retreated to the far end of the room, arms across his chest.

"Thanks," I muttered, toweling off my face. I imagined I looked like a water-logged labrador. "And if I need to resort to desperate measures to get through to you, then so be it."

He muttered something incoherent, before moving to lean against the farthest wall from me. I sighed, giving up my efforts to dry off.

"Look, Jake, I came here to apologize."

He barely moved, but for a cocked eyebrow. I glanced around the room.

"Where's Billy?" I figured if I asked questions he'd feel obliged to talk. At least to an extent.

"The Clearwaters'."

"Oh. Good," I said, taking a step forward; but as soon as my foot landed on the floor, he straightened up and backed away. Frustrated, I let out a growl of my own.

"Jacob, what's the point behind all this?" I cried. "Why do you want me to change my mind so badly, and yet, when I'm here, when I'm right in front of you begging you to listen, you're so damn stubborn?"

His arms uncrossed, a sign that he was getting involved. "I don't know, Bella, you tell me!" His voice ripped through the room. "You tell me what the point is, because I'm drawing a blank too!" His chest was heaving; he was deeply upset. He stared at me for a few minutes before he huffed out a breath and broke eye contact.

"I thought you came to apologize."

My tearducts began to prickle, so I turned to look at the wall to my right instead of him. "I thought I did, too."

There was silence in the room, loud and thick, for five whole minutes; we stood resolutely, neither of us moving but for an inch or two. After the interminable quiet, Jacob sighed.

"I can't do this anymore."

By the time I looked up, he was already in his bedroom and shutting the door.

"No, Jake, wait!" I cried, but the door shut anyways. My palms landed flat against the door.

"I never wanted it to end like this, Jake," I said quietly. I knew he'd hear me. I hadn't expected him to answer.

"You already know how I wanted the story to go," he said. "And I can't stand seeing you when I know it's probably going to be the last time I see you alive."

I laid my forehead against the door. "You're still my best friend, Jake."

He was silent for a while, and then spoke. "Things are going to change, Bella. I can't love you anymore. What I am won't allow it."

"That's not true," I pleaded. "What you feel isn't determined by what you are, but who you are. And who you are is a good person. I know we can find a way around this, Jake. We just have to try."

It was absolutely quiet in the little red house. The only sound I heard was my own heart within my chest.

But, damn it all, Jacob was giving up before the fight had even begun. He was allowing himself to feel what a tradition was telling him to, not what he wanted. What would be so different about he and I when I was a vampire? I'd smell different to him. My diet would change, and my skin would get a little paler. But I was still Bella, and he was still my Jacob, no matter what conventions told me about his kind. We were Bella Swan and Jacob Black. We had overcome darker hours than these—my zombie months, his wicked and sudden transformation, Victoria's attack.

I was right. We'd get better…

Right?

"Jake, I just…" I sighed. "I just want to know we can still love each other. Even if it's in our own, messed up way. I want to know that tonight won't be the last night we ever see each other." I took a deep breath, my voice shaking. My throat was getting dry and sore. "I want you to be there, for all of it."

The only sounds were the howling winds outside and the pitter-patter of raindrops on the roof. I let the tears spill over my lashes. There wasn't any way I could've stopped them if I wanted to.

I sighed again, the breath coming out shaky and uneven. Jake was giving up.

I figured, I might as well give up too.

Just then, the door I was leaning against gave way beneath my hands and I fell into a warm, soft embrace.

And before I could stop to regain my balance, my lips were met with Jacob's.

And everything I'd been feeling – anger at him for not listening, sadness that he was admitting defeat, love for the only real friend I'd ever had, love for My Jacob – was all spelled out on his lips. And I tasted every inch of it, every smile we'd ever shared, every laugh or argument. Every teardrop. Salty, bitter. My tears, still running down my cheeks. The fresh rainwater that was still slowly trailing down my face from my hair.

It was Jacob and Bella. And that kiss said everything I wanted to know.

When Jake pulled away a minute later, he was frowning, his eyes still closed. I blinked the tears out of my eyes so I could see clearer.

"Jake, what is it?"

He shook his head and held my face between his warm palms. He looked me straight in the eyes, tilting my head upwards to meet his gaze.

"I don't think I can stand seeing you every day and knowing I can't have this," he said, with such intensity that my tears redoubled. "And seeing you like them—all pale and glimmering and different—will only point out to me that you're his. Every hour of every day."

I shook my head and clamped my hands around his wrists. "But I'm still your friend, Jake!" I cried meekly. "I'm still your Bella, I always will be."

He shook his head slowly and then pressed his lips to my forehead gently. I couldn't find it in me to feel ashamed of my loud sobs.

He released me, and in a second he had breezed through the house, out the back door in the kitchen. I stared after him for about ten minutes before I pulled myself together enough to drive half-way decently.

Before I left, though, I picked up the phone hanging on the wall and dialed Alice's number. She'd worry if I didn't let her know what was happening. And I really needed some alone time to sort things out; Edward didn't need to see this. I'd promised myself he wouldn't see me cry over Jacob again; I was going to try to keep my promise by avoiding him at all costs.

"Bella, is this you? Where are you?"

I closed my eyes upon hearing her slightly frantic tone. "I'm fine, I'm at Jake's house—"

She cut me off mid-sentence. "Get back to Forks, now." Her voice was hard. "We need to talk."

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Disclaimer.
Ick.

Author's Note.
Hola!!! Please review!! Thanks!

(Sorry, lacking inspiration at the moment.)