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CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN: NUISANCE
(Bella's POV)

Embry looked like he was going to make a run for it, but Paul was quicker, jumping up and flinging the door open. Jessica's eyes lit up the second she saw Embry, and she pushed past a shocked Rachel to plant herself right in Embry's lap. For a guy who fought vampires, he seemed awfully scared, and everyone looked to be enjoying his discomfort. Even Sam had a smirk on his face.

Jessica certainly wasn't my favorite person, but she wasn't all bad. She just seemed insecure, something I had no trouble sympathizing with, but she tended to overcompensate in the worst ways. It appeared she'd now latched onto Embry, and while I was sure Mike would be relieved, I was a little scared for the pack. The only time Jessica was even close to subtle was when she was being backhanded, and I doubted even a werewolf was equipped to handle her.

It was actually Seth who finally took pity on Embry, casually asking if the guys would mind helping his mom with some yard work since it wasn't raining at the moment. There was clearly no polite way to get rid of Jessica, but at least Seth managed to remove some of the audience.

I talked her off Embry's lap by asking her to help me with the dishes. Rachel took one look at us in the kitchen and turned up her nose, disappearing to her room and dragging Paul along with her. Embry, of course, made a beeline for the door, and I nearly laughed aloud when, out of the corner of my eye, I saw Jake's hand fly out and clamp down on his shoulder. We were willing to help him out, but there was no way he was sticking us with her.

"So, Bella…" Jessica said. "Do you guys do this breakfast thing often?"

I knew better than to answer without thinking it through first. No, we didn't, but I was afraid if I told her that, she'd ask why today was an exception. The last thing I wanted to do was admit that I'd spent the night---the rumor mill would be spinning before all the words were out of my mouth---and I was a horrible liar.

"Ah…well, since school was canceled we just…it seemed…you know how I like to cook," I stammered.

"Really? I didn't know that," she said. "That's cool, though. Oooooh! I should make dinner for Embry!"

"Oh," I said. Really, what was I supposed to say?

"What should I make?" she asked excitedly. "Do you know what he likes?"

"He likes pizza!" Jake yelled from the living room.

"Oh," she said, sounding disappointed. "Bella, do you have a recipe for that?"

"No, sorry," I replied. I did, but I couldn't quite bring myself to torture Embry like that. It was time for a change of subject. "Hey, did you see the fires last night?

"Who didn't? They were everywhere!" she exclaimed. "Did you see Newton's this morning?"

I shook my head.

"Really?" she asked, her forehead crinkling up in a very unattractive way. "You had to pass right by there on your way to La Push."

"Oh, yeah, but I was running late…you know, for breakfast, so I didn't really get a good look," I explained weakly.

"Well, let me tell you it's a mess! And Mike better not think I'm going to be volunteering to help or anything. I really don't think that would be right. You know, since I'm with Embry now."

I had to turn quickly and wipe down the already clean countertop so she wouldn't see the look of complete disbelief on my face.


I grabbed Jacob's hand and did my best to drag him into his room. Fortunately, he didn't resist, and it was all I could do not to slam the door behind us.

"Well, if you wanted to be alone…" he said smugly as he closed the distance between us. He started to put his arms around me, and I slapped them away.

"I do not want to be alone," I said through clenched teeth.

"What's wrong?" he asked. His smirk was gone, and his eyes were wide with confusion.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, folding my arms across my chest and glaring at him. "You two go off and leave me with her, and you ask me what's wrong?!"

Three hours. For three hours Jessica had followed me around the house, asking me questions about Embry, insisting we should double date, and basically driving me nuts. She kept trying to talk to Embry, but each time he'd somehow turn her attention to me. Apparently, Jessica and Embry were soul mates and I was now her best friend.

It's not that I minded her company---in theory. She was being genuinely nice, and instead of talking non-stop about herself, she showed a real interest in me, asking questions about Phoenix, my interests, and even Charlie. But it was kind of like that day I jumped off the cliff. If I'd been prepared, if I'd worked my way up to it, if I'd wanted to do it for halfway sane reasons, it probably wouldn't have turned out so bad. But there I was, struggling against whatever current prevented me from getting away from Jessica, and I was drowning in a sea of too much idiotic babbling.

"We didn't leave, Bells. We just went outside for a few minutes," Jake said, stepping toward me again.

I backed away. "Forty-seven minutes is not just a few, Jacob," I argued.

"Well, it took me a while to catch him," he shrugged.

"Catch him? He ran?" Werewolf or not, I was going to kill Embry. Or maybe I'd just give Jessica that pizza recipe and let her cooking do it for me.

"Hell yeah, he ran," Jake said, as if stating the obvious. "Wouldn't you?"

I was in no mood to agree with him, so I just kept glaring.

"He phased before I could stop him, and man, he can really bolt when he needs to," he laughed.

Okay, I suppose it was kind of funny. And Jacob had dragged him back. But it didn't change the fact that what should have been a nice quiet day with my boyfriend had turned into The Jessica Show.

"Get rid of them," I insisted.

"Okay," he said, throwing up his hands in surrender. "Just stop looking at me like that. Please?"


The rest of the day was slow-paced and simple, quite a contrast the night before…and the morning from hell. We watched TV, hung out with the pack---minus Embry, and even went down to the beach for a walk together. We didn't talk about anything serious. Jealous girls, vampires, and all things unpleasant were banned topics, and I think we were both happier for the break. Spending the day with Jacob like that was easy and relaxing, and I found myself daydreaming about what it would be like if we could do that all the time.

"Bella, are you even listening?" Rachel asked, annoyed.

"Sorry," I said, returning to the issue at hand. "I was just..."

"Thinking about my brother?" she grinned.

I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, and she just held up a jar. She'd been acting strange, almost a little mean toward me all day, but then she'd suddenly switch gears and act friendly again. I couldn't figure her out.

"No. Absolutely not," I said. "No 'super secret recipe' tonight. We're making our own sauce."

I'd called Charlie at the station earlier, but he was still buried in his arson investigation. It was the worst crime to strike Forks in all his years there, and the whole town was on edge. I knew there was no need, but I had to stay in La Push until he could come by and follow me home. There wasn't anything I could do to make his job any easier, but I could make sure he was well fed. That's how I ended up in the kitchen with Rachel again, arguing about a jar of Ragu.

"Fine," she sighed. "But trust me, they won't know the difference." She rolled her eyes theatrically and put the sauce back in the pantry then turned to me with a smile. I was starting to wonder if there was some medication around that she'd forgotten to take.

Fortunately, the Blacks were fond of canned goods, fast-cooking pasta, and fresh vegetables from their tiny garden out back, so finding the right ingredients was easy.

I managed to do my part of the chopping without lopping off any fingers, and spent the rest of the time directing Rachel. It was an easy recipe using canned tomatoes, a few vegetables, and a lot of stirring. So as long as she kept the spoon moving, there wasn't much she could do to mess it up.

Charlie arrived just as we were finishing up in the kitchen, and to my surprise he walked straight in and hugged me. I was so stunned I didn't know what to do at first, but then I quickly remembered the natural reaction would be to return the hug. After a couple of seconds, he pulled away, awkwardly clearing his throat and looking for an escape.

"That the game?" he asked Billy.

"Yep."

Charlie grabbed two beers and joined the guys in front of the TV for a few minutes while I set the table.

"Dinner!" Rachel announced loudly when we had everything ready.

She didn't have to tell them twice. Jake and Paul practically fell over each other racing the few feet to the kitchen, and Charlie and Billy were surprisingly close behind them. Everyone had their plates piled high within seconds.

"Smells great. Thanks, Bells," Charlie said.

"Thank Rachel," I replied. "All I really did was chop some veggies."

Rachel's beaming smile was quickly replaced by an angry scowl as everyone but she and I dropped their forks.

"Ah...I'm not really very hungry," Paul said, scooting his chair back.

"Yeah, I had a big lunch," Jake said.

"Doc said I should watch my carbs," Billy added.

Apparently Rachel had quite a reputation when it came to cooking, and it looked like she was going to burst into tears.

"Jacob, if you don't eat right now..." I warned.

Shock registered in his expression, but then he had the good sense to look chagrined. All eyes were on him as he twirled a couple of noodles around his fork and took the smallest possible bite. And then the shock was back.

"This isn't bad," he said, sounding like he couldn't believe what he was saying. He took another, much bigger bite and grinned. "It's actually edible!"

Everyone soon followed suit, and before long they were asking for seconds.

"So do you have any leads?" Billy asked.

"No. It's the damnedest thing," Charlie replied. "At first we thought it was just some stupid kids, a prank gone wrong. But it looks like all the fires were started around the same time. It's more than just simple arson."

"Like what?" I asked. I knew he'd never figure out the real reason the fires were set, but I was curious as to just how close he'd get.

"We think the fires were just a diversion, something to distract us from the real crime. Only problem is we can't figure out what that is. Nothing's been reported missing, no break-ins other than the ones related to the fires, and none of the places that were hit seem like they would have been a target for anything else. The safe at Newton's wasn't touched. And why a church?"

Billy's control over his expressions was simply amazing. He managed to look interested and curious, even impressed a little by Charlie's explanation. And it was his perfect reaction that kept Charlie from noticing those of us who were more transparent.

"We're starting to wonder if they weren't after some kind of information…or maybe a person. Can't imagine what---or who---that would be though," he said. "All I know is that someone around here knows something, and we're gonna get to the bottom of it."

Charlie's assessment mirrored the pack's. The only details the officials in Forks hadn't zeroed in on were the identities of the culprits and their primary intentions. Vampires sent to kill me.

Rachel fumbled with her fork, clanking it loudly on the rim of her plate. I pushed my food around in little circles, afraid if I looked Charlie in the eye he'd see right through me. Paul shoved so much spaghetti in his mouth I worried that he would choke. But Jacob managed to look almost as unaffected as Billy did. Like father like son, I guess.

"But no one was hurt, right?" I asked.

"No, not really. Unless you count Mrs. Cohen's Pomeranian," he laughed. "Stupid little thing decided to eat half a roll of foil while the old lady was outside watching all the action."

Billy managed to steer the conversation from dogs to fishing, and soon Charlie was telling Paul and Jake stories about "whoppers" and the ones that got away. He looked tired, but happy to have his mind off work for the moment, and Rachel and I soon excused ourselves to do the dishes. Jake came in and hovered for a while, but three people in a kitchen that small was just an accident waiting to happen, and we'd already pushed our luck when making breakfast. After I tripped over Jake for the fifth or sixth time, he finally grabbed Paul and went outside, to the garage I assumed. After they'd been gone for a few minutes, Rachel caught me looking at Charlie.

"He's not even paying attention," she said with a knowing smile. "Go find Jake."

I tossed my dishtowel over the faucet and slipped out the front door, wondering if I'd ever figure out Rachel's mood swings.


The garage lights were off, and there was no sign of the guys. I wandered outside and looked around. I waited around for a few minutes, wandering aimlessly around the yard, but I had no idea where to find him.

"Oh, there you are," Charlie said, stepping out of the house. "Ready to go?"

"Ummmm…yeah," I said, still looking around for Jake.

"Come on, I'll follow you."

Rachel stepped outside and hugged me goodbye, and Billy nodded, but there was no sign of Jacob. Realizing I couldn't stall forever and knowing that Charlie was exhausted, I sighed and walked over to my truck. The door handle was missing, but the window was down, so I reached inside to pull it open. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to explain that to Charlie, but that wasn't really my priority at the moment.

Driving back into Forks was…strange. The smell of smoke lingered in the air, and the streetlights illuminated a light haze still clouding the night. I slowed nearly to a stop as I drove past what used to be Newton's Outfitters. The building was still there, but it was charred almost black, and several windows were blown out. Yellow police tape surrounded the scene, and a lone cruiser sat in the parking lot. The honk of Charlie's horn was the only thing that kept me from rolling my truck up onto the sidewalk, and I switched my focus back to the road.

A few minutes later, I was pulling into my driveway, feeling a little like one of those people who returns home after a long time away, only to find that everything has changed. I turned off the truck as Charlie pulled in beside me, and I climbed out.

"Hope you don't mind if I turn in early," he said as we walked inside.

"No, I'm sure you've got some sleep to catch up on. I'm just gonna read or something."

Charlie kicked off his shoes by the door and put away his gun. He stopped at the fridge to grab a beer as I headed upstairs to my room.

"Hey, Bells?" he called out.

"Yeah, Dad?" I stopped halfway up the stairs and waited.

"We still need to talk about Jake."


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