A/N for 2018-10-29: I think I responded to a reader earlier in the story (or left an author's note) saying that Jacob was a solid dude in this story. He is, but...well, writing this very small Jacob-Bella interaction utterly creeped me out. He has no nefarious intentions, but as the saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

Happy reading!

~ Erin

"I don't want to talk about it," she muttered, when Billy asked her what was wrong. He wasn't surprised when she arrived home earlier than usual.

To his credit, Billy listened, only calling out "I won't hassle you, Bella, but I'm here to talk if you need me." Then he let her alone.

There was a residual shake in her hand as she pulled out her phone.

Staring at her was a message from Edward: I love you. I'm here when you're ready.

She didn't deserve him. Not at all.

Her heart thudded, heavy with regret.

She made herself punch in the numbers for the call she needed to make.

"Hi, Pam?...Yeah, it's Bella….Bella Swan...Um, I wanted to ask about that option you'd mentioned before….Yes. That one...No, but I can. Is there anything else I need to do?...I know, I know. I can deal with that. It's only a few more months. OK. Tomorrow?...I'll be by after school….three-thirty?….OK. Thanks, see you then. Bye."

The shake subsided with this small piece of control now exerted.

She made herself emerge for dinner, speaking when spoken to, but otherwise silent.

Jacob tried to make up for it by talking more. He was rambling by the end of dinner, and Billy leaned over with a quiet, and admonishing, "Son," as they all cleared dishes.

Bella had avoided interacting with Jacob, so when he stood and put a hand on her shoulder, it make her start.

"Sorry," he mumbled.

She took a deep, cleansing breath.

"Can we talk?"

"About what?" Her voice was edgy. Careful.

"You know. Clear the air? Outside?"

She didn't know, but she said, "Sure." She could listen. She didn't have to talk.

After cleaning up the dinner dishes, they went to the porch, Bella taking one end of the bench, and Jacob the other.

"Bella, I'm sorry for the way I told you—"

"You've already apologized Jake. It get it, it's fine." It wasn't, but she didn't need to invest in her relationship with him anymore now.

"It's not, though. Things are still—"

"Awkward? Yeah. Kinda happens when you tell someone you hate their boyfriend, and then follow that up with how their dad really died."

His jaw clenched at this blunt description.

"You don't owe him anything, Bella. I know he paid—"

She growled out her next words. "That is not why we're together, Jacob."

"No, I know, it's just...you could have someone who's human, Bella, whose nature won't be a risk to you."

She stood up. "Think I get the gist of this conversation, Jake." She went to move inside, but was prevented by the grip of his hand on her wrist.

"You don't." He looked angry, and she stood still, transfixed by fear, and by the power of his hand. Good things didn't come from such holds, and she knew better than to try and fight it.

He stood now to join her, taking her other hand. His voice was very low. "You have choices." He placed her captured wrist on his chest, where the heat felt blistering.

Then he released her, and before he could change his mind, she turned and fled back inside, slamming her bedroom door, locking it.

Now she understood what Edward was talking about, about things he didn't have a right to say. She really wished he'd said, because this was the last straw.

She sat against the door for sometime, waiting for her body to stop shaking. It took a long time. When the noises in the house died down, she got up and began packing. There wasn't much, and most of it fit in a few bags. She didn't dare sleep in the bed, but at the far end of the room, on a patch of carpet furthest from the door.

In the morning, she didn't see Jacob. He'd left early, or perhaps been out. It didn't matter, and she didn't care.

"What's all that?" Billy asked, eyebrows furrowing with concern.

"I'm leaving."

Billy blinked for a second, then opened his mouth to say something.

"I can't do this, Billy," she blurted out.

"Bella—"

"No." She shook her head as he moved to come closer. "It's really clear that me seeing Edward is going to be a problem here—"

"I will talk to Jacob, Bella—"

"I think we've both done enough talking on that front, and I doubt it will make a difference. He was really clear that he felt I had better choices, and he was the best one."

Billy closed his eyes, and his face fell. He whispered, "I'm so sorry."

"Me too."

There was an awkward stretch of silence.

"What's your plan, Bella?"

"I'm going to see the social worker, and get the paperwork together for emancipation."

They'd looked at this in February, but she didn't have an income, and wouldn't inherit until she turned eighteen. "But you're—"

"I have the financial means, now." Her insides squirmed uncomfortably. She was still uneasy with the source of the cash in her bank account.

Billy opened his mouth to ask a question, but then stopped, obviously remembering the money Edward had given her. "Of course."

"I'd like to have the rest of the keys to my Dad's house, Billy." Her message was clear. She didn't want them having access.

Billy rolled towards the coat hooks, pulling out his keychain. "Here," he said, handing it to her.

"Thank you," she mumbled, fingering it. Jacob's actions the night before had completely unsettled her. Add on top of that how she'd left things with Edward, and she felt utterly unanchored.

"Lotta work, taking care of a house, Bella. Living on your own."

"I know."

"Do you?" He asked gently.

"I'll need to figure it out at some point, Billy. Not like I was going to stay here forever."

"I'm here if you need me," he said softly. She noticed the difference: I, not we.

The distinction did not disappoint her.

"Thank you," she murmured. "I appreciate you giving me a home, Billy, and supporting me. I'm sorry—"

"Don't apologize Bella. I'm sorry. Jake is—" he sighed. "It's been hard for him—the change. He's always liked you, and now, to see you with creatures his very body tells him are wrong—" He held his hands out palms up, as if offering this inexplicable explanation to her.

"Yeah." It was a muttered dismissal. She didn't need Billy's justifications. She knew well enough to stay away from Jacob. His good intentions were were no protection against harm.

This stilted farewell had gone on long enough. "I won't be coming back." She gestured towards her things.

"If there's anything you've forgotten, we'll bring it by."

"Call please, first, if you do." She didn't want to be caught off guard by both of them, or worse, Jacob, showing up unannounced. Not after last night.

"For sure."

"OK, I'm off." She picked up her bags.

"Call me? Please? Let me know when things are settled?"

She nodded, and was out the door as quickly as she could move.

On the way to school, she stopped at the small strip mall that sat on the edge of Fork's main street, hoping Newton's was open, or that the owners would be there. She'd overheard Mike mention that his parents liked to hire students for the summer. She needed the work, if she was going to live on her own.

The lights were on, and a tall woman in—of all things—heels and skin tight jeans answered the door. "Hi there, we're not quite open yet. You need something quick?"

Bella smiled nervously. "Um, yes, actually. A Job."

"Oh," she said, taking Bella's appearance in.

"Mike said you were looking for people? My name's Bella Swan. I thought—"

"Bella, of course. He's mentioned you."

There was something in the woman's smile that made Bella's stomach feel uneasy, but she dismissed it.

"We are looking for someone right now, actually, if you're free weekday afternoons?"

"I am." Bella couldn't believe her luck.

"Can you come by tomorrow?"

They made their arrangements, and Bella found herself tentatively, but gainfully employed for three days after school each week, and one day each weekend. It wouldn't be much, but it would be enough to pay for groceries, and gas, and some of the utilities for the house.

She approached school much more cautiously, wary of her reception there.

Principal Green was outside, watching casually, as he did every morning, as students arrived. He nodded politely at her as she went by, only giving her a friendly, "Have a good day," as she passed by.

Bella saw Sally at a distance, and waved to her. Sally turned and tentatively waved back, but didn't approach, and Bella didn't pursue her. It hurt to feel this rejection, small though it was. They'd been through a lot together, and the wedge that Bella felt between them hurt.

At lunch, Mike Newton sidled up to her. "Hear we're gonna be coworkers!"

She smiled back politely, letting the expression flicker on her face. "Yeah, guess so." Then she looked at Jessica, letting her take over the conversation, happy to slide into the background.

There was a certain level of nervous anxiety bubbling inside her as she walked towards her truck, trying to decide if she had enough time before meeting Pam to stop at the grocery store. Head down, she watched her steps, deciding it would be best to wait until afterwards, just in case it took longer than expected. She wouldn't want the food sitting in the—

"Bella."

Her head snapped up. Edward was standing beside her truck. He stepped sideways, making it clear she could get by without going near him.

"Edward."

After how she'd left things, she hadn't expected him to come to her. She'd stuffed that painful ache deep down inside, only touching on it when she and Jacob had talked the night before. Now flickers of their last, and most painful conversation flooded her conscious mind.

"Are you leaving?" he asked softly. "Because of what I said?" He looked at her truck, where her small stack of belongings sat in the passenger side.

"No!"

"Then," he asked, turning his head towards her truck. "Would you care to tell me why your truck is packed with your things?"

She pulled in a deep breath, and then let it out. "I'm moving out, from Billy's."

"And where are you planning on going?" He still hadn't moved closer to her, hands loose at his sides.

"My Dad's."

He exhaled in obvious relief.

"You thought I was...leaving?"

"After the way things ended yesterday, I wasn't sure what to think." His posture seemed to stiffen, like he was keeping himself from moving closer.

She closed her eyes, and then opened them, trying to not let the emotion show in her voice, or manifest in tears. "I'm sorry," she started. "I shouldn't have asked what I did yesterday. It's just been—"

He moved towards her now, his hands pausing before they reached her.

She leaned in to the welcome of his arms, mirroring it with her own. She felt like she could finally breathe again with him close.

"I'm sorry I upset you. I'm sorry for saying no, I—" Edward started.

"It's OK," she murmured into his chest. "I wasn't thinking clearly. I'm sorry, Edward. You don't want to, I get it—"

"That's not what I said." He leaned back a little, so he could look at her. "It is not a question of want, in anyway."

Eager to avoid the rehashing of this conversation, she nodded, hoping they could move on from it for now. "Did Alice see something?" she asked instead. "Is that why you're here?"

"No," he answered quietly, brushing his hand down over her hair. "She's away right now. I just wanted to see you. I was a little alarmed by the sight of all your worldly possessions in your truck though."

"Sorry. It's been a while coming, I just—things came to a head last night."

Now Edward frowned deeply. "How?"

She shook her head. It wasn't the time or place. "I have an appointment I need to get to, with my social worker."

Edward's eyebrows rose again, this time in querying surprise.

"I'm applying for emancipation."

"You don't need to."

It was her turn to let her eyebrows ride high on her forehead. "Actually, I do."

"Carlisle and Esme would be happy to have you, Bella."

She smiled a little at the notion. "From one supernatural home to another. Thank you, no, I think I need to have my own space. To be responsible for myself. I've had enough of being minded in one way or another."

"They would not mind you in any sense you didn't welcome, Bella."

His words tugged at her heart. She'd so wanted to be welcomed and cared for with the Blacks, and she had, but it had twisted into something ugly with Jacob's presence, and the memory of Rosalie's hostile indifference was loud in her thoughts.

"No, Edward, but thank you. I need someplace...neutral, to be."

He nodded, accepting her words. "Do you want company, to see your social worker?"

She bit her lip. The answer was yes, and no. "Maybe?"

"I'm only offering. If you'd prefer to be alone—"

"No, I'd like you to come, but can you let me handle things?"

"Of course."

Pam sort of blinked at Edward when she met him, as if trying to reconcile something in her mind. Then she snapped back to herself, and talked Bella through the paperwork. Her tone relayed just how impressed she was by what Bella had already prepared.

"You've budgeted before, clearly." She looked at Bella's notes. "Do you have a job?"

"Yes. I don't have anything but a handshake on it, but I can bring you something later this week."

Edward glanced at Bella, hearing this, but as promised, said nothing.

"That's fine. You have financial means until you're eighteen. That's enough at this point." She frowned a little now. "This is a pretty final step though, Bella. If things go sideways the state steps in again, but you don't get a whole lot of choice in terms of where you land."

"I understand." She let a small shudder ride up her spine. The thought of being placed in a foster home was enough to keep her from even thinking of screwing this up.

"If you need any help, or advice, please don't feel too proud to ask." She looked levelly at Bella.

"I won't."

It felt surreal, leaving, her independence only needing a judge's approval to be official.

"What next?" Edward asked.

"Grocery shopping."

"Perhaps I can take you to dinner to celebrate?"

"And save me the joy of cooking for myself?" She grinned, swinging his hand back and forth as they walked to her truck.

"Would you prefer to cook?" he asked, his genuineness apparent. "Or I can, if you'd like."

She thought of the last meal she'd enjoyed in his presence, at his house, and the question that had half-formed in her mind, bubbled to the surface. "Why is Alice away?"

His look told her she'd hit upon something significant. "She and Jasper went with old friends of theirs."

Theirs. Not ours. "Their friends? Not yours?"

"No." The word was clipped.

Bella's eyebrows nudged together.

"Old friends of Jasper's. Not vegetarians."

Ah.

"That's why we couldn't go to your place."

"Yes," Edward said, "and why Alice and Jasper are accompanying them out of the area."

That sounded awkward indeed, and her expression registered it.

"They respect our wishes and our territory when they visit, but I felt better knowing they were seen leaving without being tempted by anything."

"You mean you were worried about me."

"Very."

"I don't know whether or not to be flattered, or worried for the insane level of paranoia you have about my safety." She said this with a smile, but his face bore no marks of humour.

She felt a flush rise up her cheeks, and looked down, embarrassed by her poor judgement anticipating his reaction.

His hand cupped her chin, lifting it. "I love you. And having seen what you've already endured, I will do whatever I can to spare you any danger or discomfort." Then he grinned. "But yes, I am insanely paranoid. Please excuse my excess."

Lifting herself the necessary few inches on her toes, she found his lips with hers, and forgot about safety, and groceries, and budgets, and all manner of human preoccupations.

Edward pulled back far too soon, murmuring, "I think we're attracting more attention her than you'd like."

Bella flicked her gaze around, and then blushed deeply, seeing the eyes lingering on them. Several passersby had slowed their walks, quiet snickers in their faces.

"Right," Bella whispered.

"Right," he agreed. "Groceries?"

"Groceries."

The store was moderately busy, so they kept close together pushing the cart through it, Edward watching her make choices. She was keeping a running total in her head, and there was a distinct pattern of picking up, and putting down. Some things here were just too expensive to buy.

"Can I take you to dinner tonight?" he asked. "I have a feeling you'll be busy at home, getting things set up."

"I will," she said, biting her lip. The place hadn't been cleaned since she'd left, and the dust had been something to behold when they'd been there the day before.

At the cash register, she gasped out a horrified "No!" when he went to pay, giving the cashier a stern look when the woman paused, presented with two methods of payment. "These are my groceries," she clarified. "He can go buy his own."

The woman lifted an eyebrow, but took Bella's card. Edward picked up all the bags before she was done paying, smiling.

"Where to, Miss Swan?" he asked demurely.

"Home," she smiled, amused by this domestic version of Edward.

"Home it is, then," he said, smiling back.

DISCLAIMER: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.