All characters belong to Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 14 - Finally Getting Somewhere

YOUNG BELLA

For the next several weeks of school, Edward met me in the parking lot every morning and opened my door for me like a gentleman. He walked me to all of my classes and carried my books, and at the end of the school day, he would walk me to my truck, open the door for me and tell me to have a good evening. At night, after Charlie was in bed, Edward would come to my room, and we would talk until I would yawn, and then, he would leave, wishing me sweet dreams. He never tried to kiss me again or even hold my hand. It was strange. I was starting to miss him and long for him. It was ridiculous. I barely knew him. My dreams of him were getting vivid and focused on our kissing on my bed. I would wake up flushed and panting. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

It was Saturday morning, and I was still struggling with the after-effects of my dream as I dressed, when Charlie called up to me.

"Phone, Bells." I hurried down to the kitchen, tripping on the last stair, but it was as if my father had anticipated it and was there to catch me. He just laughed a little and then pointed to the kitchen. "It's on the table."

Blushing, I hurried to pick up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Bells, it's Jake, I haven't heard from you since the hospital, and I was wondering if you were okay?" Jacob, the wolf, was calling me. What had future Bella gotten me into? Vampires and wolves? This was just insane!

"Bells?" I realized I hadn't answered him yet.

"Um, I'm fine, Jake, how are you?"

I heard him let out a hardy laugh. "Well, better now that I know you're still talking to me. You are, right?"

I would suppose I was, though I had no idea why. "Yes," I answered, not sure what else to say.

"Great, so how about you come down to La Push with your dad? He'll be coming to hang out with my dad, and you and I can make mud pies, just like good ole times."

"Mud pies?" I heard Charlie laughing from the hall. Was he listening in?

"Yeah, Bells, your dad used to bring you to visit when we were little kids, and we'd make mud pies. Unless you'd like to make some other kind of pie? I know you enjoy cooking."

He did? How did he know that? Of course, probably the other Bella.

"So, are you coming out?"

Well, I might as well. "Sure, Jake. Um, why not?"

"Great, Bells! I can't wait to see you. Bye."

"Bye."

I hung up the phone, a little dazed, and turned to Charlie; he had a huge grin on his face.

"So, you're coming?" He held out my jacket to me, and when I nodded yes and took it from him, his grin got even bigger.

"You mind if I follow in my truck, though?" I didn't want to be stuck there if I was bored out of my mind.

"Good idea, Bells, then you and Jake can go up to the cliffs at First Beach."

"Isn't it kind of cold for going to the ocean?"

Charlie just laughed. "Not to swim, silly, whale watching."

"Whales?"

He put on his coat and opened the door for me. "Whales," he said with a smile and walked me to my truck.

We arrived at a small red house with an outbuilding made up of two sheds. When I pulled up, Jake's massive form came flying off the porch and opened the door before I had a chance. He pulled me out of the truck into a bone-crushing hug.

"Jake, need to breathe," I squeaked, and he released me with a shy grin.

"Sorry about that." He kissed the top of my head.

I looked to see if Charlie had seen the exchange, but he was already in the house.

"So, mud pies?" he said with a smile.

I couldn't help but laugh. "Um, maybe we could do something else. Charlie said something about the cliffs and whale watching."

Jake suddenly got very uncomfortable.

"Is everything okay?"

"I…I don't think you should go to the cliffs, Bella." He turned away from me and headed towards the outbuilding. Okay, that was weird. I followed after him and stood just outside of the outbuilding looking in, as he started to collect tools.

"Why not the cliffs?"

He just shook his head.

"Jake!" I was getting annoyed.

"Look, I don't want to take you to the cliffs, okay!"

I noticed he was shaking, just like he had before he'd changed in the hospital. I knew I shouldn't push him, so I just plopped down on an upside down bucket and pouted.

"Ah, geez, Bells, I didn't mean to upset you. I just kind of feel responsible for what happened up there. I mean, I'm the one who showed you…" He stopped what he was saying and looked away.

"What happened, Jake?"

He looked at me with sad eyes and shook his head. "It's not important. I mean, I'm not going to let it happen."

He walked over and took my arm and ran his finger down the inside of my forearm. It was hot, but for some reason, it made me shiver, and he smiled at my reaction. I just blushed in response and pulled my arm away.

"So, how are things with you and Cullen? He hasn't tried anything with you, has he?" he asked in an overprotective tone.

"No, Jake, he hasn't, and I have to say it's kind of frustrating."

Jake looked at me surprised. "Frustrating?" I was suddenly very embarrassed. "You want to..." he made a crude gesture, and I turned such a deep shade of red I thought I was on fire. I shook my head adamantly no. "Oh, well, that's good. You're a bit young for that, anyway. Why is he frustrating you?"

"He, um, geez, now that I think about it, it sounds so stupid."

"What is it, Bells?"

"He won't hold my hand."

Jake's smile got huge. "Really?" he said, sounding rather pleased, and I shoved him, annoyed, but he didn't budge. He started laughing. "That's great, Bells, just great, I love it." I didn't know why the future me was friends with him, because I was finding him annoying. I got up and started to storm out, but he grabbed my hand and pulled me up into his arms. "Ah, Bells, don't be mad. I'm just relieved, that's all. I mean, you and him, it kind of creeps me out. I know how much you need him, but geez, I'd really rather not think about what's going to happen."

"What's going to happen?"

"Yeah, you know, you and he have a kid, and you know what has to take place for that to happen."

I turned a deep shade of red again; I swore he had me setting a record for most blushes. "That's not going to happen."

Jake just laughed. "If you say so."

This other Bella was insane. I couldn't believe what she was getting me into. I turned and looked at Jake, and he had a wistfully sad smile on his face.

"Jake." He looked at me and forced a smile. "Are you okay?"

"Sure, sure, I'm fine, what do you want to do?"

"Well, what did we used to do?" I asked.

It was his turn to blush, and I almost didn't want to know. "Um, you said we road bikes and went to the cliffs."

"Well, you said the cliffs are out, and I don't know how to ride a bike."

He laughed a little. "We haven't even gotten the bikes yet."

"Well, um, when she was here, what did you do?"

"We, ah, lay in bed most of the time, just talked and slept."

My heart beat out of my chest. I hoped he didn't think I was going to do the same.

He just smiled at me. "Does the idea of me in bed excite you, Bells?" I turned a deep shade of red again, and he laughed. "You're so much different than her."

I suddenly felt like he had insulted me.

He gently touched my face. "Hey, that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I mean, sure, I liked having her around; it was nice that she knew about me wolfing out and could calm me back down. If it wasn't for her, I doubt I'd be able to interact with people right now."

I looked up at him, surprised. "What?"

"She was there the first time I wolfed out. She didn't even flinch. God, she was either brave or insane, and I think it might've been a little of both." He laughed at the memory. "She walked up to me wearing nothing but a towel and talked me down while she petted my face. God, she was hilarious, she whacked my naked butt and laughed at me for hiding my 'junk,' as she put it."

His eyes were smiling, and he laughed lightly; it was a good memory for him, but I was trying to hide my mortification. I was naked, just wearing a towel and whacked a naked man's butt; that was so not me. There was no way I could be that Bella.

"So, um, why is it good that I'm different?"

He ran his finger down my forearm again for the second time, and I wondered what it was about.

"You're not hurt."

"Hurt?" I looked at my arm. "Did I hurt myself? If that was the case, I hate to break it to you, but I'm just as clumsy as she was."

He smiled and shook his head. "She wasn't all that clumsy."

"Well, that's one good thing I have to look forward to in the future."

He let out a belly laugh. "You have a lot of good things to look forward to in the future, okay? Just remember that." He suddenly got very serious. "Just remember, too, that there are a lot of people who love you, Bells." He was talking as if I'd tried to commit suicide.

"What are you talking about, Jake? It's not like I'm going to kill myself or something."

He flinched at my words, and suddenly, things started to make sense. Edward had said I had a lot of baggage. He and Jake both said I was crazy.

"I don't, do I?"

"Hey, it's changed, right? So, now you won't."

"I killed myself? What am I, some kind of doppelganger? A clone?"

"No, silly, don't be ridiculous."

"Oh, yes, because it makes so much more sense for me to be pregnant with a vampire's baby, who'll grow up to marry a wolf. That's perfectly sane. God, sometimes I still wonder if I'm hallucinating."

His eyes looked worried.

"What? Did this other Bella used to hallucinate or something?"

"Um, not really while she was here, she was just confused. Apparently, in the future, she had problems with it, but I'd help her through it." He was nervously scratching the back of his neck; I just sat stunned with my mouth open. "I don't age, Bella, so when she woke up with me, she didn't know she was back in time. She thought she was hallucinating again, but she wasn't."

"Why? Why was I so messed up in the future? Why would I go crazy, have hallucinations and kill myself? What happens to me, Jake?"

He looked nervous and shook his head. "It's not going to happen. I'll track him down and kill him myself if it does."

Him? Who was he talking about? Who was going to hurt me so badly that it completely destroyed me?

"Him who, Jake?" It looked like he was debating something, and then, he finally answered me.

"Edward."

"Edward? I thought you were married to our daughter?"

He rubbed his face and paced a moment. "Um, yeah, I was."

"So what? He gets me pregnant, and then, he leaves me?"

He looked up at me worried. I was suddenly steaming, furiously mad as hell; I couldn't believe Edward would be such an ass. "I can't believe him, Mr. Perfect Gentleman, with his panty-melting kiss. One hundred five-year-old-virgin my ass. I can't believe him!"

Jake was suddenly laughing. "He was a virgin at one hundred five?"

"Oh, shut up, Jake! I don't know what to believe anymore, but that's what Alice said." He didn't stop with his giggling. Stupid immature wolf. I shoved him again, and this time, he stumbled back and put a big dent in the side of the shed. He didn't stop laughing; he just slid down the wall and kept giggling. I stormed out of the shed and headed for my truck, angry tears streaming down my face. I was caught up in Jacob's arms before I could get my door open.

"Ah, Bells, I'm sorry. If it's any consolation, I'm pretty sure he didn't know you were pregnant when he left. He knows now, so he isn't going to leave. He swore to me he wouldn't."

"And you trust him?"

He looked uneasy. "As much as a wolf can trust a vampire, but Bells, you trusted him, completely, instantly; you're the one who taught me to trust him."

"Why would I trust someone who leaves me?"

He shrugged. "You told me he wasn't the same Edward, and I suppose he's not, and you're not the same Bella, either, are you?"

He was right, I wasn't. I would never feel comfortable swatting his naked behind or talk to him about his "junk." I shook my head no, but I was still upset.

"Hey, Bells, if you're that upset about it, just talk to him about it." Damn stupid immature wolf was making sense, and I hated him for it.

"Come on, Bells, how 'bout we go for a walk?" I looked at him hesitantly. "I'll tell you all the cool stuff you told me about?"

Curiosity got the better of me, so I went with him. I wanted to know everything, but Alice and Edward were always so cryptic, saying not to worry about it, it wasn't going to happen. I could see why now. Edward didn't want me to know why I went insane. It was his fault.

Jacob was very open, so different from Edward, opposite in so many ways. He was happy to fill me in on everything he knew about me. The more time I spent with him, the more I realized why the other Bella loved him. He was sweet, happy and open. Edward was so secretive and closed; he was polite, but he always seemed to be in pain, as if he was hiding some sort of emotion he didn't want me to see. He was very hands off, where Jake was very hands on. Jake hugged and grabbed me up in his arms frequently, and when we went for a walk, he held my hand to keep me from falling, and it seemed like the most natural thing, as if we had done it for years. It was comfortable.

Yes, Jake was the opposite of Edward; both were beautiful, but so different. When it was time to go, Jake gave me a big hug and kissed my cheek. "Don't be a stranger, Bells."

"I won't," I promised and drove home, trying to understand everything he had revealed to me. It was strange when he told me that, in the other future, we were lovers. It didn't seem as uncomfortable as when Edward told me we were intimate. Jake just teased me, and then, he said he didn't think he could handle sleeping with his mother-in-law, to which I replied, "That's just gross," because it was.

"I know," he replied. "So, let's just, you know, be friends, if that's okay with you?"

I was relieve and laughed. "That sounds good to me."