*What are friends for?*

Naomi's POV

Jake said he imprinted on me. He imprinted. Imprint.

That word had scared the crap out of me ever since Jake told me what it meant. It meant Jacob no longer had a choice about loving me. He had to love me, whether he wanted to or not. I was the center of his universe now, his reason for even existing.

Call me crazy, but I didn't want all of that on my shoulders.

I didn't want Jacob to be tied down by me. Sure I wanted us to try and explore a more intimate relationship, but if it didn't work out I wanted Jake to be able to move on with someone else.

But he never would be able to. He wouldn't stop loving me.

For one fleeting second, I thought about telling Jacob that I only wanted to be his friend, thinking that I could loosen up the binds of the imprint. But I knew that would never work.

No matter how mad I was at Jake, no matter how bad he pissed me off, I loved him. Loved him more than I even thought I could. He gave my life purpose again and it was going to be hard to let that go.

I didn't know what I was going to do. On one hand, I didn't like the idea of imprinting any more than Jake did, but on the other hand, deep down I didn't mind having Jake devoted to me.

I know, horrible wasn't it?

I sat at our kitchen table alone, with a cup a tea sitting in front of me. I was hoping the tea would somewhat revive me out my slump but it didn't. My hair was a thick, wavy mass of mess, and I sighed and pushed a rebellious strand out my face. I hadn't been sleeping or eating so I was pretty sure I didn't look all that hot.

But I didn't care. It wasn't like I was planning on having any company anytime soon.

I banged my head on the table and left it there. Why did things have to be so damn difficult?

I heard footsteps come into the kitchen but never bothered to look up and see who it was. I really didn't care.

"You have to stop sulking around like this Naomi, it's not attractive". Camille said, and even if I wasn't looking, I knew she was shaking her head at me. I just groaned in response.

Camille sucked her teeth and slammed something heavy on the table. I didn't even jump.

"Get up off your ass and go make up with that boy so both of you can stop walking around here like the world's about to end". She said, a little bit loudly and I tilted my head a bit so that I could look at her.

"Jake lied to me Camille, about everything. Sometimes I feel like I want this more than he does".

I heard Camille sigh before a chair was being pushed back and she was sitting at the table with me.

"Jacob did what he thought was right at the time. Was it stupid? Yeah it was, but you can't fault the guy for trying to give you a choice. A chance to walk down a path that you chose yourself, instead of doing something because something else is telling you to".

I sat up straight and looked at my sister indignantly.

"How can you say that"? I asked. "Embry never told you what happened either. He only told you about the imprint because you asked him about it and he couldn't deny you anything. He didn't have a choice, he had too".

To my surprise, Camille smiled.

"Yeah your right, he didn't tell me either". She said quietly, but she continued to stare at me. "Just like Jacob, Em wanted to give me a choice. He wanted me to have a chance to get to know who he was because I wanted too and not because the imprint was forcing me too.

Camille laughed a little and took a sip of my tea.

"These Quileute boys are all about their free will". She said and laughed again, now completely taking over my cup of tea.

I shook my head and ran my fingers through my horrific mass of waves and tangles.

"I don't even know what to say to him anymore. It's like everything is so screwed up now".

Camille drained my tea and got up from her seat to walk over to the sink and started a wash. She looked at me over her shoulder.

"Don't think about what to do little one". She said, giving me a small smile. "Go with your instincts".

I couldn't help a smile myself and just was wondering if Camille actually knew what my instincts were telling me to do; she would say it wasn't lady like in the least.

I wanted to tear that man apart. Literally. I wanted to rip whatever clothes he had on to pieces and devour him.

So un-lady like right? I mean can you really honestly blame me?

The kitchen was silent for a minute, Camille washing dishes and me wallowing in my own self-pity, when all of a sudden the doorbell rang. Camille looked over at me, waiting to see if I was going to get it and when I made absolutely no move to get up, she huffed and turned off the water, wiped off her hands and walked out the kitchen. I sat there playing absently with a strand of my hair when my sister called my name. I looked towards the direction of her voice and my heart started thumping wildly in my chest.

What if that was Jacob at the door? What would I say to him?

I shot out my seat and flew towards the front door, my heart going a million miles per hour with anticipation.

But the person standing at our front door wasn't Jake at all. In fact the person was a SHE, and I had absolutely no idea what the fuck she wanted.

Bella's POV

I knew what made me decided to visit Naomi before I left, and that resolve stayed with me the entire ride to her house. But when I rang the doorbell and the person I had come to see stepped to the door with the fiercest scowl I have ever witnessed, that resolve broke.

Maybe this wasn't the best idea in the world.

I wanted to make sure that Jake had a good shot to fix things before I left. I was ecstatic that he was finally able to move on with his life. I was very disappointed with myself for not noticing sooner that Jacob was my natural path but maybe it was better this way.

I had hurt him and I didn't deserve him at all. I wasn't going to be the reason that kept someone from being able to feel how incredibly good it felt to be loved by someone like Jake because he was still tied to me. No, he had let me go and I was going to do the same. That didn't stop him from being my best friend, and I was determined to keep that particular bond strong between us, no matter what.

I was getting more nervous by the second the longer Naomi stood there glaring at me. The older woman behind her who was almost a splitting image of Naomi spoke to her quietly in a language I wasn't familiar with but I assumed it was Native. Naomi gave her a very subtle nod of her head and responded back but never took her eyes off me. The woman spoke again before she gave me a calculating look and strolled back away from the doorway and down the hall.

I got the distinct feeling that I wasn't really welcomed and I almost turned around on the spot and walked away. But I thought of Jake and if I could do anything at all to help him, I would.

Naomi crossed her arms over her chest and leaned against the doorway, but never utter a word and I assumed she was waiting to hear what I had to say. I cleared my throat.

"Um…hey Naomi, I'm Bella but I guess you already know that".

My voice sounded weak even to my ears and Naomi's eyes roamed the length of my body almost as if she was trying to size me up. My nervousness was bumped up ten more notches. I mean Naomi wasn't that much bigger than I was, her standing maybe an inch or two taller than me and our body types were somewhat similar. Her size wasn't what freaked me out. It was this aura she had around her, like she could and would kick the shit out of anything and anyone who pissed her off.

And so far, I kept getting the feeling that I was inching closer to being her next target.

"I know who are, the question that's plaguing me is why you are here"? Naomi asked her voice even and calm.

I swallowed. I knew what I was going to say next would probably tick her off something vicious.

"I'm actually here because of Jake".

Yup, sure enough Naomi's frame started to shake ever so slightly and I swore her eyes flashed amber.

Oh holy fucking hell, what the fuck was I getting myself into? Before this got any more out of control, I raised my hands up in front of me.

"Ok, before you jump to any conclusions, it's really not what you're thinking. I'm here in his defense and hopefully want be able to help you understand him a little bit more".

Naomi's frame stopped shaking but she was still glaring at me.

"Are you trying to say that I don't know Jacob as well as you do"? She asked and I choked.

"No, that's not what I meant at all. I was just saying that Jacob has been talking to me and I thought it was time you know what's going through his head".

Naomi was still glaring a hole into my face but something in her expression changed. Without saying a word, she inclined her head towards the open doorway behind her and I took that as a sign to come in. I gave her a tentative smile and walked passed her, silently praying that she wouldn't take my head off when I wasn't looking.

Naomi reminded me a lot of Leah and I briefly wondered if they were friends. What a pair those two would make. She walked passed me and I followed her down a thin hallway and we emerged in the kitchen. The lady who answered the door earlier was standing at the sink. She looked at us over her shoulder and gave me that same calculating look as before.

I still didn't know what the heck that was about.

Naomi took a seat at the small table and I followed, only because I didn't know what else to do. The woman at the sink had grabbed a couple glasses and looked back over her shoulder at me again.

"Would you like some tea Bella"? She asked and I was momentarily left speechless.

I had no idea how she knew my name because I was pretty certain I didn't give it to her when I first rang the doorbell. Maybe she had heard it when me and Naomi were talking. I gave her a polite smile and a quick nod.

"Yes please, that would be great".

The woman gave me a smile in return and I was starting to feel a little bit less on edge. But when I turned back towards Naomi, that smile quickly faded at the look on her face.

Whatever grudge she had on me was definitely running strong.

The woman placed a cup of steaming tea in front of me and I thanked her quietly. She gave me another smile and a casual shrug.

"My name's Camille by the way and it's no problem. I'll just leave you girls to talk".

Camille walked over to Naomi and placed a kiss to her forehead, saying something quietly in the Native tongue I heard before. Naomi gave her a smile and turned to watch her leave. Then those eyes were on me again and I swallowed.

"So what is it that you want to tell me Isabella"? She asked and I flinched a bit at her using my full name. I knew she was trying to get to me and I would be lying if I said it wasn't working. But I was here for Jake.

I took a deep breath and mentally willed myself to continue.

"Jacob misses you Naomi and he feels terrible about how everything had gone down. He knows it was wrong for him to keep the imprint from you, but he did it with good intentions".

Naomi stared at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Did you know about the imprint before all this"? She asked me and I was somewhat confused.

"Yeah I did, why do you ask"?

Naomi shook her head slowly and gave a very light laugh.

"I can't believe it". She said softly. "I can't believe that he would tell you about our being imprinted before he would even tell me. I can't understand him".

Naomi stood up abruptly from her chair so fast that It scared the hell out of me. She walked over to the sink and leaned on it for support, her shoulders shaking slightly.

Ok, so maybe I shouldn't have told her that I knew about the imprint before she did. But how was I supposed to know?

I stood up quickly myself, hoping I could salvage this before it got any worse.

"Look Naomi, Jacob was trying to give you a choice. Ever since he learned about imprinting he's hated it. He always talked about falling in love with someone by his own free will. He was terrified for that free will to be taken away from him".

I stepped a little bit closer and dared to place a hand on Naomi's shoulder and I was surprised when she didn't shrug it off. Okay, maybe this was going a little bit better.

"Jacob loves you". I whispered. "So much so that he thinks about what's best for you first before he even thinks about himself. He wanted you to decide what you wanted for yourself, and not because something was telling you to do otherwise".

Naomi took in a deep sigh and when she turned a bit to look at me over her shoulder, she smiled.

"I guess you do know him a little bit better than I do".

I shook my head, allowing a small smile to come my lips as I sat back down at the table.

"Yeah, well I've known Jake for a while and that man is pretty freaking head strong when it comes to something he wants".

Naomi turned around to face me completely and she folded her arms across her chest. She never sat back down. She looked at me, but this time it wasn't such a menacing glare as it was before.

"I do love him Bella". She said her voice strong and convincing. "I love him with everything that I am; I just don't know how to deal with all this".

I gave her a nod. I completely understood what she meant.

"I know and that's okay, but maybe you two can figure it out together".

Naomi gave me a small smile and I smiled back in return. She even gave a soft little chuckle.

"Looks like we talked him up". She said and inclined her head towards the direction of the window.

I listened and I heard the low rumble of Jake's bike. I laughed a bit because I'm pretty sure Naomi heard it way before I did. I stood to my feet and walked over to place my cup into the sink. I know I didn't really have to do it but I wanted too.

"Well I guess that's my cue to leave". I said, picking up my purse. "I have a long drive ahead of me and I need to get with it".

Naomi smiled and there was this mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Can you imagine what's going to go through his head when he sees you leaving"? She asked and I couldn't help but feel that she was somewhat giddy about that. I laughed.

"Yeah, he will probably have a complete heart attack; I didn't exactly tell him I was coming either".

Naomi bounced on her toes.

"I say we play it up a little bit, see him squirm".

I had to admit I liked this girl's thinking. Why couldn't we have a bit of fun?

"Let's do it, I'm down".

Naomi squealed and the tough, hard exterior she had before completely went away and I had a feeling this was the person she was all the time.

Before I could take a step towards the front door, she pulled me into a hug and I was shocked for all of two seconds before my arms came up to hold her.

"Thanks Bella for the talk, I needed that. You are a good friend and Jake is lucky to have you".

I smiled to myself and pulled back away from her. At least this trip hadn't been as disastrous as I thought it would be. I got to help out Jake and to me that was a mission accomplished.

When we opened the door to walk out we both worked our faces into frowns, having to calm the giggles right before Jake saw us. The look on his face was priceless and I had to practice a whole lot of self-control not to burst out in laughter. Jake looked like he just seen his worst nightmare and while I felt a little bad about leading him on, I would be lying if I said this wasn't a tad bit fun.

I turned towards Naomi and gave her a quick little smirk before I stalked down the steps and stomped over to my car, hoping that I was portraying a convincing enough performance. I was never a good liar.

Before I could get my car door open, Jake was standing right at my side and he scared the shit out of me. All these damn supernatural people and their freakish speed was something I would never get use too.

"My God Jacob, you scared me". I squeaked, placing a hand over my heart.

Jacob didn't even bother to comment and as his ebony eyes stared holes into my face, I almost forgot the role I was supposed to be playing.

"Bella, what are you doing here"? He asked a hint of panic evident in his voice.

Oh, yeah that's right. I was supposed to be angry and pretend that me and Naomi had a fight. I put my frown back in place.

"I came to have a talk about something's regarding you". I said simply.

Jake closed his eyes and groaned. I know he was going over worse case scenarios in his head.

"What did you say to her Bella"? He asked, his voice shaking slightly.

I smiled. I could no longer put him through anymore torture. I moved forward quickly and wrapped my arms around him, closing my eyes as I took in his scent. It would be a while before I got to hug him again.

"She loves you Jake". I whispered to him. "And that's really all that matters".

I pulled away and gave my bewildered friend a kiss on the cheek before I turned around and got into my car. Jake was still standing there when I began to pull off. I gave him a smile and wave which he returned slowly.

I drove away from my sun then. Hoping and praying that at least I could do something that gave him the happy ending that he's always deserved.

A/N: Hoped you guys enjoyed. Please as always, I would appreciate it if you left me a review. I so do love reading those. Next chapter will hopefully be up this week. I have to agree with you guys, Jake and Naomi has been through enough, now it's time for the makeup. Thanks for reading.