Wolf Boy

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!

Part Thirty-One

Bella's eyes fluttered open when she felt the bed dip as Jacob climbed in beside her. He buried his face in the side of her neck. "I've missed you." He mumbled, breathing her in.

"Don't tell me you ditched the fishing trip!" Bella said in surprise.

Jacob pulled her back against him and nuzzled her neck. "I'll go back in the morning. Everyone's asleep. I'll be back before anyone misses me." His hand wandered down to cradle her stomach.

Bella sighed; she had missed him too. Since losing the baby it had been getting harder and harder to be apart. Him going away for the weekend had been a test to see if they could cope without each other. They'd already failed. "I understand." She whispered, smiling guiltily. "I love you, Jake, so much. I'm glad you came back."

This whole situation just proved how much she needed him. She had tried to distract herself with housework, even with other people. It had worked to an extent. She had spent a fun evening with Angela and Embry just watching old movies. After her conversation with Embry she had wondered whether he planned on telling Angela that night, but he obviously didn't feel it was the right time. She had waved them off about midnight, suddenly feeling the walls closing in on her when she realised that she was going to have to spend a long night alone in the house.

"I love you too, Bells." Jacob whispered back to her, bending his head and kissing her gently. By the time he pulled away they were both slightly breathless.

"Jake, can I ask you something?" Bella asked as he settled down the on the bed next to her. Jacob nodded, taking her hand and weaving his fingers through hers. "This is going to sound weird but did you feel me needing you? Answer me honestly. You can tell me if you think I'm crazy." She bit her lip, terrified he would think she was losing it.

Jacob looked at her, his expression troubled. "Bells, I've always felt like that when it comes to you. Always." He admitted.

Bella smiled, happiness bubbling up inside her that he understood. "I thought it was just me being stupid." She said in relief.

"No way. I think we've become so attuned to each other that no matter how far away we are from each other we always know what the other is feeling." Jacob kissed her again, softly and tenderly, making her feel like the most special and luckiest girl in the world.

When she woke up in the morning Jacob was gone. She rolled onto her back, her hand searching for him, but his side of the bed was empty. It was only when she glanced at her clock that it dawned on her how late it was. The sun was already high in the sky. Jacob must have left in the early hours to re-join the others. Bella groaned, already missing him. It was easy to believe that she had dreamed him up last night. She crawled out of bed and headed for the bathroom to take a shower. Standing under the spray she tried to make plans to occupy herself for the day.

The house was already gleaming. So cleaning was out of the question. Bella had caught up all the classwork she had missed. The assignments the teachers had set her were all done. The cupboards were full to bursting so she didn't need to go shopping. She supposed she could have a lazy day just chilling and watching old movies, or reading a good book. But the problem was she felt too wired to sit still.

As she stepped out of the shower and dried herself off, she decided to burn off some of her restless energy by going for a walk. She could stop by the diner on the way and have a coffee and some pancakes instead of having the usual cereal for breakfast. It was a nice day. For once it wasn't raining. The sun was poking his head out from behind the clouds. There was only a slight breeze.

Walking back into her room, Bella hurriedly towel dried her hair, before piling the wet strands in a loose bun on the top of her head. She pulled on a pair of skinny black jeans, t-shirt and matching sweater. Glancing in the mirror to check her reflection she decided to add a smidgeon of mascara to her already long lashes and some lip gloss. Declaring herself satisfied, she grabbed her jacket and left the house.

The diner was surprisingly busy. It seemed everyone had the same idea she did. She joined the long queue, wondering whether to just skip breakfast altogether, when a light tap on her shoulder made her spin around in surprise.

"Hi, Bella. I thought it was you."

"Lily?!" Bella breathed the other girls name in shock. She was completely stunned to see Lily standing so casually in front of her. The last time she had seen the girl, she had been lying curled up on a loveseat in the Cullens mansion close to death. "Wha…what are you doing here?" She stammered.

"Getting breakfast just like you." Lily tried to smile but it faltered.

"That's a bit of a co-incidence." Bella said warily.

Lily lowered her eyes to her hands. They were trembling slightly. "Okay, the truth is I followed you in here."

"Why?" Bella was suddenly on edge. She had hoped never to see Lily or her brother again. She was surprised that Lily had been released from hospital so soon. Her confused gaze swept over the other girl as she tried to assess what her intentions were.

Lily shifted uncomfortably on her feet as she licked her lips nervously. "I've been standing outside your house for ages, trying to pluck up the courage to knock. Then I saw you come out so I followed you here."

"What do you want from me, Lily? I don't think we have much to say to each other." Bella looked desperately around the diner, hoping for some avenue of escape.

"I can't find Trent." Lily answered in a rush. She was close to tears now. "I keep calling him but his phone goes straight to voice mail. It's not like him. He's always there when I need him. I don't understand…." Her voice rose in pitch, attracting the attention of the other patrons.

"Calm down, Lily. Take a breath." Bella sighed, pulling the other girl into a quiet corner. "I don't know what you think I can do."

"I…I thought you could help me find him, Bella. I know he was coming to see you." Lily wrung her hands in front of her. "He's been so concerned about you. I know…"

"Please, just stop!" Bella stepped back from the other girl. She could feel her face getting hot at the memory of what Lily's brother had done to her. Just hearing his name made her heart clinch and the familiar sadness at the loss of her baby wrapped around her like a shroud. "I can't help you. You need to leave me alone."

"Bella, please!" Lily cried desperately.

"I SAID LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" Bella said too loudly. The diner went quiet as everyone turned to stare at her and Lily. She bolted from their curious stares and ran out of the diner, wanting to get as far away from Lily as possible. But Lily didn't seem to want to take the hint as she followed Bella outside, still begging for her help.

"I'm worried he's in trouble." She sobbed. "He would never ignore me like this. He's such a good person, Bella. He really is. He cares so much and…"

"Shut up!" Bella demanded. She couldn't take much more of this. Hearing Lily praise her brother as if he was some kind of hero was sickening. She wanted to tell Lily the truth, but knew the other girl was too emotionally fragile to hear it. What if she tried to hurt herself again? "I can't help you, Lily."

Lily dissolved into more tears. Her eyes were wild, darting everywhere as she started talking. Talking so fast like she didn't have enough time to say what she needed to. Her words crowded together and jumbled over each other, making it difficult for Bella to understand.

"Lily, you need to slow down- "

But Lily couldn't slow down. Her sentences became more fragmented as hysteria set in. Her thoughts seemed to jump from one to another, unchecked by her brain, as if she was in some mental free for all. Bella listened, getting more frustrated with each passing second.

"Lily, you need help. But I can't be the one to give it to you." Bella interjected harshly. "Is there anyone else I can call?"

Her words seemed to bounce off Lily like they were hard rain. She stood in front of Bella, her fingers white knuckled as she surged forward and caught hold of Bella's sweater. "Trent. I need to find Trent. I have to find him. Riley- "

"Riley? What about Riley?" Bella cut in frantically. "Isn't he your ex? Start making sense, Lily."

There was a sudden distance in Lily's eyes as she took a few steps backwards, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her eyes were glazed, her voice now coming out thin and distant. "What, but no, it didn't, that's…not…right." She was breathing all wrong, beginning to gasp like there wasn't enough oxygen in the air. "The house. He told me to go the house. But he wasn't there…. I waited…I waited and waited…"

Bella's head was pounding. Lily was coming apart right in front of her eyes. God, she wished Jacob were with her right now. He would know what to do. She really didn't want to take responsibility for this crazy, broken girl, but didn't feel like she had much choice. She couldn't walk away and leave her in the middle of the street.

"Lily, you need to listen to me." She gentled her tone as if talking to a wild animal. "I'm going to take you home with me now. Perhaps if I make you something to eat or drink, you'll feel better."

With the slightest of smiles and pink puffed eyes Lily nodded. "I knew you would help me. That's why I came to you. You understand what's it like to be hurt. You found me in that house."

"The Cullens." Bella mumbled as she took Lily's arm and began to steer her across the road.

"He told me to wait for him there." Lily continued to babble.

"Who did?" Bella was barely listening.

"Riley."

Bella stopped abruptly, colliding with Lily who was still talking at a hundred miles an hour. "You've seen Riley?"

"Don't tell Trent." Lily put her finger on her lips in a shushing motion. "Trent won't like it. He hates Riley…but he doesn't understand what it's like to love. But you do, Bella. I know you do."

Bella wanted to shake the other girl. She tried to remain calm, though it was difficult. "When did you last see Riley?"

Lily dissolved into tears again. "Please help me to find Trent. He's not answering my calls."

Damn, they were back to this again! Bella fought the urge to slap the damaged girl in front of her. She was beginning to wonder if Lily was on some kind of strong medication and it was having a bad affect on her. She was in a vey bad way. She was acting psychotic.

"Come on, Lily. I'm taking you home with me."

"Is Trent there?" Lily asked, her dark eyes suddenly shining with hope.

"Come on." Bella sighed as she took Lily's hand like she would a small child's and took her home.

A/N-thanks for reading!