Hey kids! This is part one of a two-part chapter. I've never done that before, and I wouldn't have now except that it's taking me years to write and I figured I was due for an update, like, yesterday. Also it would have been freaking long as a single chapter.

Hope eveyone is good. Thanks for the reviews, alerts, and pms. I appreciate it. Thanks Irritable Grizzzly for being my beta.

Side note: Two of the Jake stories contained in this chapter are based on actual things that have happened to me. The tent and wake-board... you'll see. ;)

Work of Art

When Edward and Alice walked into Bella's apartment Friday night to pick her up for the bonfire, they were greeted with the overwhelming scent of Mexican food. They found her in her kitchen wearing an apron that covered a baggy sweatshirt and jeans that were worn white at the stress points, pulling a deep casserole dish from the oven.

They stood bewildered in the doorway while she bustled around the kitchen, covering dishes, oblivious to their presence.

"Bella?" Alice finally broke the silence.

Startled, Bella squealed and nearly dropped a full container of sour cream. "Alice! Geez, you scared me."

"Sorry." She came to Bella's side. "What's all this?"

"I'm running behind," Bella answered, jumping a second time when the microwave beeped. She turned and pulled out a glass dish of refried beans and transferred them to a nacho server. "I'm sorry. We're going to be a little late. The enchiladas need about ten more minutes. And, um, the salsa… where did I put the salsa?"

Edward enjoyed her bewildered expression as she stared blankly around the kitchen. "The refrigerator!" she announced suddenly, and dashed toward it.

"Aren't we headed to a bonfire?" Alice asked as she examined the kitchen. "What's with all the food?"

"I cook," Bella answered with her head still in the 'fridge as she passed a collection of hot sauces to the counter. "It's tradition."

She stood suddenly and looked at them seriously. "Listen, this thing is going to be really boring for you guys. It's something we do every year to honor Jacob, but you guys didn't know him, so I'm afraid it's just going to be lame for you. We eat Jake's favorite foods, listen to his favorite songs, and wear his clothes." She pointed to her baggy sweatshirt. "We tell stories… it's just…" She trailed off as she raised her hands and then let them drop. "You're going to think we're being silly or insensitive…"

Edward rounded the counter to take her hands. He tried to ignore his sister as he lifted them to his lips. Alice just smiled at the display of affection.

"Relax," he told her. "Don't worry about us. I think this tradition is great. We're just honored to be invited." He mirrored his sister's gaze as it landed on the array of dishes covering her counters. "Now what do you need help with?"

The legs of two sawhorses were buried in pebbles and sand next to a large piece of driftwood, and a deep and obviously well-used fire pit, and they'd arranged a wide plank of plywood over them as a make-shift table. Everyone participated in helping Bella and her guests carry the food down to the beach. Edward was introduced to everyone in "the pack," as well as some of their younger siblings. It was a little intimidating, but everyone was open and friendly. It didn't take him long to feel comfortable among them.

It was an education to watch Bella with these people. This side of her, one that he'd only been able to glimpse when they'd run into Embry in Port Angeles, was radiant when his perspective wasn't clouded with jealousy. She laughed openly, joked easily, and teased mercilessly. The hugs she exchanged with various members of the group were easy, as were the kisses that were traded with an intimacy that spoke of time and familiarity, but not possessiveness. It became obvious within minutes that these were, indeed, her brothers.

Plates were filled to heaping, while coolers were relieved of their load of sugary soda. A small, round woman with a long black braid came to drop off a layered chocolate cake. The Quileute boys rose to applaud as she laughed and curtsied. Bella went over to give her a hug and murmured something in her ear. The woman smiled and nodded before squeezing her hand and heading back to her car. "That was Sue Clearwater," she explained as she took a seat next to Edward near the fire. "The woman who found Felix."

Edward nodded. Alice appeared on his other side, with her plate no less heaping than the largest tribe member's. "This stuff is amazing Bella! Where did you learn to cook?"

"Growing up, I spent my summers with my mom in Arizona." She shrugged. "Mexican food is big down there, so… I don't know. I guess I just picked it up. This," she pointed her fork toward the chicken enchilada on her plate, "was Jake's favorite. I made it for him every year on his birthday since we were nine."

One of the Quileute boys who'd been listening leaned around her to talk to Edward. "And then this one year, I was, like, eight, so you guys must have been twelve?" He looked to Bella for confirmation and then laughed at her glare.

"Shut up Seth."

"No, no, this is a good one." He grinned as she elbowed him, and then called across the fire pit. "Hey Quil, remember the enchilada incident?" When Quil let out a roaring laugh, the others took interest and smiled as Seth took pleasure in sharing the story with a new audience. "Okay, so Jacob always talked about these amazing enchiladas that she made, and that year he invited my family over for dinner -"

"I hate you," she interrupted.

"Shut up Bella, this is one of my favorites," laughed a pack-member who Edward remembered was named Paul.

"I hate you too," Bella pouted.

This comment was met with a careless shrug.

"Stop interrupting." Seth settled back and draped an arm over Bella's shoulders. "Okay, so we're all sitting at the table, and Billy invites my dad to take the first bite. My dad was a notoriously picky eater, so it was a big deal whenever he got up the nerve to try something new."

Edward watched as Bella smiled in spite of herself.

"We were all waiting for his opinion, you know, so we were all watching his face. He took a bite-" Seth broke off and then burst out laughing. "Do you remember Leah? It was priceless."

Leah gave her brother a smile that was only a little sad. "Yeah Seth, I remember. His face got all red and his eyes got big."

"Yeah. And then…" Seth paused again and snorted with laughter, "he grabbed the water and started gulping it down. It was awesome."

Bella rolled her eyes. "It was an honest mistake. I accidentally used RedHot sauce instead of enchilada sauce." She looked around the circle of laughing faces. "I was TWELVE!"

"My dad talked about that forever." Seth grinned into the fire, oblivious to the tears that had formed in his sister's eyes. "And after that we never could convince him to try the real thing. He totally missed out."

Bella sighed and leaned her head against Seth's shoulder. "Your dad was so great."

He gave her a lopsided grin and squeezed her shoulders. "He really was."

As the sun set, everyone around the fire took turns telling Jacob stories. Most of them had to do with practical jokes he'd pulled. Jacob's dad, Billy, sat in his wheelchair and told everyone about the time Jake washed all of the whites with one of his sister's red scarves and Billy made him wear the pink underwear as a lesson. As the evening passed, Edward began to feel like he knew Jacob.

When Quil's turn came, he turned to Paul. "Sorry man, I have to tell it."

Paul glared and shook his head. "No, c'mon dude."

Everyone was already laughing in anticipation of the story they already knew. "I'm sorry, it's a classic. We have to tell it."

"Then I'm gonna take a walk. Leah?"

Leah smiled and rose to take his hand as they wandered away from the fire.

Seth stared after them. "How long has that been going on?"

"Only forever." Bella reached up to pat his shoulder.

"Huh," was his only response.

Quil turned to face Edward and Alice, obviously enjoying that this year he had a fresh audience. "The young men in our tribe go on this huge hiking and camping trip every couple of years. We try our hand at living off the land and the older boys tell us the stories and legends of our tribe. There were always two or three tents full of boys; we sort of divided them up by age.

"It was Jake's, Embry's, and my first year and we were really excited. Paul and Jared were only a little older than we were. The original plan was that the five of us would share a tent, but when we made camp that first night, Paul decided he was too good for us and weaseled his way into Sam's tent because he wanted to hang with the older guys. That really ticked the rest of us off. The next morning we were in our tent, rolling up our sleeping bags and beefing about how sick we were of Paul and his bad attitude. The sun was bright, and the tent walls were thin."

Quil paused to smile as chuckles broke out.

"Jake was lying on his stomach and he was going on and on about how tired he was of Paul and calling him all sorts of names. The rest of us could see this familiar silhouette walk up and stop right outside of the tent. It was Paul, but he didn't realize we could see him. Jared starts waving his arms at Jake to make him shut up and that's when Jake realizes that Paul's been eavesdropping. He was so ticked. He stood up really slowly and quietly came to stand near the tent so he was facing Paul's shadow. They were nose-to-nose and Paul didn't even know it. Then Jake brought his arm back and bam! He punched him right in the face."

Alice gasped as laughter broke out. "Was Paul all right?"

Quil waved the question away. "He was fine, except for his pride. He couldn't see it coming, so Jake got him good. His nose starts bleeding and he just loses it. He tries to punch Jake back, but Jake can see him coming so he moves aside. Paul tries again and throws all his weight into it and the whole tent comes down on us. Then it was just a free-for-all. Best brawl ever."

They continued around the circle, telling stories about Jake's life. The portable CD player played a steady mix of songs ranging from Matchbox20 to Zebrahead to Disney's The Lion King soundtrack. Paul and Leah returned from their walk and Paul announced that he'd thought of another story to tell.

Bella turned to look at him sharply. "Not the wakeboarding story."

Paul grinned mischievously and nodded. "The wakeboarding story," he confirmed.

Bella groaned shook her head. "Why does this always feel like it turns into a 'Bella's Most Embarrassing Moments' marathon?"

Paul shrugged. "You'll live." He sat down and cracked open a can of soda. "So, we used to go wakeboarding a lot in the summer. Charlie let us tinker on his fishing boat and Jake got it to run fast enough to pull a wakeboarder. But the thing was that only two could ride in the boat or it was too heavy. Bella usually drove the boat because her dad trusted her the most.

"That day Jake and I were trading off as flagger. Jake was in the water, and I was the passenger. Jake's goal that day was to jump high enough to clear both wakes, which was almost impossible at the speed we were going, but he was convinced he could do it. He wound up taking a bad spill, bashed his chin on the edge of the wakeboard, and cut himself pretty bad. I put up the flag and Bella brought the boat around to pick him up.

"We didn't notice how bad he was bleeding until I got him in the boat. I grabbed the nearest towel and was so preoccupied with trying to help Jacob that I sort of forgot what happens when Bella sees blood. Pretty soon I start to feel sort of dizzy and I can't figure out why because I don't have a problem with blood at all. Then Jake said he was feeling dizzy too. Finally we look up to see Bella has passed-out at the helm with her arm hooked around the steering wheel and her knee against the throttle and we're going in circles."

Finally the laughter died down and the group lapsed into silence. It was a comfortable silence, but a heavy one. The song changed to "Crash and Burn" by Savage Garden and Edward looked over to see tears leaking from Bella's eyes. Seth's arm came around her again, this time in comfort. "Do you want me to change it?" he asked her.

"No." She reached up to pat his hand. "No, it's time I remembered."

The silence hung a few minutes longer, and then Bella spoke. "I was painting…" She stared into the fire as though she'd forgotten they were all there. "I was painting and like always I lost track of time. He was so exasperated with me." She smiled. "He was trying to be helpful, but he just wanted me out the door. I was supposed to be ready. We were supposed to be on time."

The silence hung again. Edward sensed from their expressions that this was a story Bella hadn't shared before.

"It was the perfect day for a wedding and the widows were down and I was breathing in the fresh spring air and I felt like nothing could go wrong. This song came on and we were singing along to it." Her voice faltered and Edward felt a pressure in his chest. His heart was breaking for her. "I'd forgotten to eat, so he was opening up a package of PopTarts, but he didn't want crumbs spilling all over his precious car and didn't trust me to be neat, so he was opening the package while I held the wheel. Suddenly the truck was coming so fast and heading right for us. I think I screamed and then -"she broke off and shrugged. "Then there was only black. For so long there was only black."

The tears continued to fall as she dropped her head in her hands. "I can't…I can't…" she murmured. Seth let his arm fall as Edward reached for her. He pulled her close, not caring who was watching. The others sat in silence.

Eventually she lifted her head and wiped her eyes. "I'm sorry." She looked up and attempted a faulty smile. "I just wanted you all to know what happened. I want to be able to talk about it, but I just…" She shrugged and her lower lip trembled.

"You don't have to, Bella." Embry looked at her soberly from across the fire as the light flickered on his face, accenting his own tears. "We all remember what it was like for you."

She nodded gratefully and then turned to Billy. "It's been a long night for you. May I help you home?"

"Yes, thank you. I think it's time for this old man to call it a night." He smiled warmly at her.

"I'll be right back." Bella smiled at Edward and rose to her feet.

He understood her need for a moment alone with Jake's father and didn't offer to help. It looked as though she was accustomed to maneuvering Billy's chair, even through pebbles and sand. He watched her retreating back as she faded and blended into the moonlight, and wondered how it was possible to become friends with someone he'd never had the chance to meet.