Tripping

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you for the awesome reviews!

Chapter Thirty Five

It had been two days since Harry's funeral. Bella stayed close to home as she spent her time comforting Charlie. Jacob was doing the same with Billy. Both men were trying to work through their grief in their own ways, but their feelings were still very raw, so Jacob and Bella didn't see each other at all during the day, but at night it was another matter. Bella decided she must have always loved the tree growing outside her bedroom window. It may block out the light with its huge branches, but it proved a convenient way for Jacob to climb into her room during the night. Due to his patrolling schedule and other claims on his precious time, Bella never knew when he would appear. It could either be midnight or four in the morning like it was now. The new day hadn't dawned yet. Bella had waited up for him, spending her time reading by the light from her bedside lamp. Charlie was fast asleep in the room next door. Max was with him. Her father found the dog's presence comforting and Bella hadn't minded loaning her canine friend to her father for a few nights considering she had a companion of her own.

"Hey." Jacob greeted Bella as he climbed stealthily into her room. Bella marvelled at the graceful way he moved for such a tall guy. His feet made no sound as they padded across the room. Jacob fell onto the bed and spread-eagled beside her, causing Bella to shove him playfully with her book when he took up all the space. Jacob chuckled quietly and grabbed the book, rolling onto his front again so he could look at it. "Shakespeare." He pulled a face. He wasn't fond of the bard's plays, mainly because they made little sense to him. "Romeo and Juliet." He read aloud. "Seriously, Bells?" He questioned.

"There is nothing wrong with a tragic romance." Bella took the book from him and hit him lightly on the forehead with it. "It fires the soul."

"Ugh." Jacob flopped on his back again. "Does climbing through your window make me Romeo?" He asked.

"Romeo, Romeo, where art thou Romeo?" Bella struck a theatrical pose as she read one of the famous lines from the play.

"I'm right here, sexy girl." Jacob laughed again as he captured Bella in his arms and pulled her on top of him. He nuzzled her neck and rubbed his cheek against hers.

Bella giggled. "I don't think Romeo would say sexy girl. It kinda ruins the whole thing."

"Romeo sucks." Jacob mumbled as he tugged Bella closer.

She moved forward, raising herself on her hands and knees as she straddled him. She stroked his handsome face a couple of times before she pressed her lips to his lightly. He gave her a sweet smile, so she kissed him again, a little harder and longer this time. He was getting aroused. Bella blushed at his obvious attraction to her. She kissed him again and ran her hand up his chest. Jacob tightened his arms around her, clamping her to his chest. Bella kissed him again and again, trailing her tongue along his bottom lip. Jacob put one hand behind her head, cupping it. Bella felt his erection pressing against her core, making her yearn for him in ways she couldn't describe. This was all so new to her; she definitely wouldn't have done any of this with Edward. The thought made her feel sick and she forced it out of her mind.

Jacob smiled again and put his hands on her knees as he looked at her for a while. He just laid there with a big contented grin on his face. The feel of him underneath her was turning Bella on so badly it was maddening. She bit her bottom lip as she tried to stop the lustful thoughts driving her crazy.

"Jake, is it wrong to feel so happy when everyone else is so sad." Bella asked. She couldn't stave off the guilt. Harry had only recently passed, so had her mom. She felt ashamed of the thoughts she was having about the beautiful boy underneath her.

Jacob's expression turned tender. "No, it's not. What I've learned is you have to live in the moment and enjoy every bit of happiness you can." He pulled Bella against his hot body and she snuggled against him, feeling safe and warm. "I love you, Bells." He said huskily.

"I love you, too." Bella replied softly as she closed her eyes in contentment.

It was time to go back to school. Bella rode in with Angela and her boyfriend, Ben Cheney. She didn't want to go in alone. The Cullens would be there. She was dreading crossing paths with any of them, especially Edward and Alice. The others never bothered with her. Only Emmet would give her a friendly wave and a cheeky wink from a distance, which seemed to piss his mate, Rosalie, off. She would give Bella a haughty stare before dragging him away. Her return was made even more complicated by the fact that she knew what they were now. They were vampires. Jacob had explained a bit about them. How they didn't drink human blood but feasted on animal blood instead to contain their thirst. Either way it still creeped Bella out. Knowing that one of them, most likely Edward, had drunk Max's blood sickened her.

Jacob wasn't happy about her being in close proximity to Edward again. But there was no way it could be avoided. She had used up all her compassionate leave. The school was putting pressure on her to return. She promised him that she would stick close to Angela and her other friends. Edward couldn't engage with her in public if she didn't want him to. Her plan worked. Everyone was making an extra fuss over her because Renee had died. Mike and Tyler competed for her attention. Normally it would have bothered her being fawned over by them, but it forced Edward to keep his distance and she was grateful. She sat with Angela at lunch. She had missed her friend's calming presence and was glad to be reunited with her.

Bella congratulated herself on getting through her first day back unscathed. It was the last lesson of the day and she wasn't paying attention. She was doodling Jacob's name in her notebook. The teachers had been lenient with her all day, assuming that she was so spaced out because she was finding it difficult to cope, when in reality she was daydreaming about her hot boyfriend.

"Bella, you're wanted in the counsellors office." Mr Varner interrupted her wandering thoughts. She glanced up at him. He was holding a slip of paper in his hand. Someone had delivered it during the lesson and she hadn't even noticed.

"Do I have to?" Bella mumbled, embarrassed. She didn't want to talk to any counsellor.

"Yes, it's not wise to bottle up your grief." Mr Varner said pointedly as he caught sight of Bella's doodles. "Perhaps it might help you focus better in class."

Bella gathered up her books quickly and dumped them in her bag. Angela shot her a sympathetic look as she hurried out of class. Everyone was staring at her curiously, probably hoping she would burst into tears or something. Well, screw them. She put her head down and bolted down the corridor to the counsellor's office. She was debating in her head whether to cut the last hour and go straight to La Push and see Jacob, but then she remembered that she didn't have her truck. She would have to wait for Angela and Ben to take her home.

As she reached the corridor leading to the office a cold, white hand caught her upper arm. She yelped in surprise as she was yanked into an empty classroom. She found her back pressed against the wall and Edward Cullen's face hovering close to hers as he gazed deeply into her brown eyes. Bella opened her mouth to scream but he put his hand over mouth, quietening her. Her eyes got wider as she panicked. He had her clamped against the wall with his body. She couldn't move.

"Hush, hush." Edward crooned as he used his free hand to trail his long fingers across her cheek. Goose pimples erupted on Bella's skin as she gulped. "Carlisle told me." He continued softly. "You know. You know what I am." A tortured look crossed his white face. "I can't believe you would ever think that I would hurt something that you love. Despite my ill feelings towards the beast I respect how much it means to you."

Bella shuddered. She tried to move her head to the side but his hold was too tight. He drew closer and he grazed the bridge of his nose against the edge of her jaw. He breathed her in, and then let out a strangled cry. He recoiled away from her. "You smell of him." He said miserably.

Bella tried to speak but the sound was muffled as his hand was still covering her mouth. She stayed very still, not knowing what else to do. He was acting crazy. He had crossed the line. It took him a while to gather his wits. He returned his attention to her, his expression softening. "You know what I am." He said again. "That can only be a good thing. There are no more secrets. Your memories will return. And you will come back to me." He touched her face reverently again. "I love you so much."

Bella swallowed again. She darted a glance toward the classroom door. The corridor was empty. How long before the bell went? Minutes ticked by as Edward continued to talk. He was speaking about things she had no knowledge of. She was so stressed that she was barely listening. His hand partially left her mouth as he caressed her neck. He leaned forward and pressed his cheek against hers, closing his eyes in bliss.

"Remember how I held you when we danced in my room." He whispered close to her ear. He chuckled as he became lost in the memory. "You were so shy." He inhaled sharply again. "You were so sweet and soft. We were happy, so happy." He opened his eyes again and smiled wistfully. "We can recapture that feeling again. Prom is coming up. I can hold you in my arms again…we can dance."

"I'm going with Jacob." Bella regretted the words as soon as they spilled from her lips. Edward's golden brown eyes darkened to black. His nostrils flared. His hand curled into a tight fist and he slammed it against the wall beside her head. A long crack appeared in the plaster. Bella cried out in shock.

Edward was immediately apologetic. "I am sorry, my love. Darling, I never meant to lose control." He had her in a tight embrace now. Bella fought him but his hard arms imprisoned her against his chest. "I can hear your heart fluttering like a bird in a cage." He buried his head in the crook of her neck; she felt his silky hair brush against her throat.

A memory was stirring in the back of her mind. She heard James' sarcastic laughter in her head. She saw him with his head thrown back, laughing, laughing so loudly it was bouncing off the walls. She couldn't bear it. Tears dribbled down her face as she tried to push the frightening image out of her mind, but it wouldn't leave her. Then James's laughter stopped abruptly. He sauntered toward her, smirking wickedly. He licked his lips as he approached. Bella was pinned against the wall like she was now. Someone was embracing her. It was Edward. Edward was there, in the gym, with James. He was holding her tightly, his head pressed against the base of her throat like he was doing now. He was begging for forgiveness, saying sorry over and over. James appeared over his shoulder, leering.

"Taste her." James urged Edward. "Taste her. You know you want to. You crave her blood. Taste it." His expression turned nasty as he captured Bella's shaking hand and raised it. Edward shuddered as he pulled his head away from Bella and stared at the blood pooling on her wrist. Blood lust twisted his handsome face into something unrecognisable.

Bella screamed….

Suddenly there were voices. Edward was wrenched away from her. Cold hands cupped her face. Bella breathed heavily as she tried to contain her panic. Rosalie's beautiful face swam into view. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?" She demanded.

"I never…I would never." Edward was protesting. Emmet had Edward shoved against the wall. His bulky frame easily overpowered Edward's. His face was hard, menacing.

"Get him out of here." Rosalie ordered her mate. "Carlisle was a fool to let him come in today."

Emmet grabbed hold of Edward's collar and dragged him out of the room, he protested all the way as he called Bella's name. The door closed and suddenly Bella was left alone with the cool blonde. Rosalie let go of Bella's face and stepped back. "Your friend Angela is coming. You'll be alright now. I promise that I won't let him come near you at school again." She said before she swept out of the room after the others, leaving Bella to collapse against the wall in a flood of tears.

A/N-thanks for reading!