Disclaimer: I own nothing!

"cardigan" by Taylor Swift
When you are young, they assume you know nothing

But I knew you
Dancin' in your Levi's
Drunk under a streetlight
I, I knew you
Hand under my sweatshirt
Baby, kiss it better, I

And when I felt like I was an old cardigan
Under someone's bed
You put me on and said I was your favorite

BPOV

We ate our pancakes, which really were amazing. They had homemade maple syrup that was absolutely delicious. After I scolded Jacob to finish drinking all his water, we paid and started walking back to the parking lot.

"Please tell me you didn't drive to the beach." I said to Jacob as we were walking. Jacob seemed a little more sober now, but not much.

"No, no! I didn't. I walked."

"Okay, good. I can take him home, Quil." I offered.

Quil turned and looked at me quickly with a little bit of panic in his eyes. "No! Don't take him home."

His reaction startled me a little. Quil was more serious now than I had ever seen him. "What? Why?"

"Just don't. Um…" He paused. "Shit, my aunt got kinda pissed the last time I brought him over when he was like this, and with my mom just being out of rehab and trying to stay sober... I don't know…"

"Guys, it's fine," Jacob said easily. "Bella can take me home."

"Shut up, Jake. That's not happening." Quil responded sharply.

I got an idea. "I can take him back to my house, and he can crash on the couch. I'll just have to bring him back tomorrow before Charlie gets home."

"Yes, do that." Quil agreed.

"Or you can just take me home like I said." Jacob chimed in again.

We ignored him as we got back to the parking lot. I unlocked the passenger door and pulled it open. Jacob plopped inside ungracefully. I said bye to Quil then climbed into the driver's seat. Jacob was leaning against the window with his eyes closed. That was good; he probably needed to sleep it off.

I pulled out of the parking lot and started driving toward Forks. I listened to Jacob's even breathing while I drove the 20 minutes home.

My mind was lost in thought again, worrying about what was really going on with Jake and if he was ever going to open up to me. I glanced over at him and wondered if I was making a stupid decision by bringing him home with me. I quickly dismissed that thought as I focused on the road again. Quil seemed adamant that Jacob not go home for whatever reason.

I wondered if Sam, Embry, and Jared would be waiting for him there, and Quil thought he would get more hurt. But I also worried that Jacob's parents would worry about him if he didn't come home. I should have asked Quil about that.

I pulled into the driveway and parked in front of my house. Jacob was still asleep. I pulled out my phone from my pocket and messaged my dad to tell him I was home. Afterwards, I reached over and gently shook Jacob's shoulder to wake him up.

He gasped and sat up quickly, like I scared him. He was dazed for a second as he looked around. "Jake, it's okay. We're just home. Let's go inside."

He nodded as we both got out of the truck and started making our way inside. Jacob stopped walking suddenly and hunched over.

"Jacob?" I asked as I turned around. "What is it?"

He was walking over to the far side of the house. "I'm gonna throw up."

I followed after him slowly, and, sure enough, he hurled in the bushes on the side of my house. I put my hand on his back and rubbed it gently as he threw up again. I breathed through my mouth to avoid setting off my own stomach.

When he was done, he wiped his mouth with his jacket sleeve and stood up. "Sorry," he muttered embarrassingly.

"It's okay. Let's get you inside so you can sleep."

As we walked in, I turned on the lights, shrugged off my jacket, and set all my stuff down on the side table in the living room. I went to the hall closet and pulled out some extra bedding. I covered the couch with a sheet and placed a pillow and quilt on top.

"Let's go upstairs, and I'll get you a new toothbrush." He followed me into the bathroom. I gave him the toothbrush and showed him where the toothpaste was. I went back downstairs and got a big glass of water.

When Jacob came back downstairs, he sat on the couch, took off his jacket, and kicked off his shoes. I handed him the water. "Drink."

He sighed as he took several big gulps. I went to fill up the cup again and set it on the coffee table for him in case he woke up thirsty.

He laid down on the couch, barely fitting with how tall he was. I grabbed the quilt and draped it over him. "Do you need anything else?" I asked.

"No, this is more than enough, Bella… Thanks."

"Okay. I'm gonna go get ready for bed, too. I'll come back down in a few minutes to check on you again. I don't know much about taking care of drunk people, but I know they usually need food, lots of water, and are supposed to sleep on their sides. So, no rolling over on to your back."

He laughed as I walked up the stairs. I changed into my sweats and a comfortable T-shirt. I put my hair up then brushed my teeth and came back down the stairs.

Jacob looked like he was asleep. I walked quietly into the kitchen and turned the light off. Only a small lamp stayed on in the living room. I went to sit on the floor beside the couch. I was paranoid and wanted to make sure Jacob was breathing, and wasn't going to throw up again, before I went back upstairs.

"Bells, I'm fine. You can go to bed." He chuckled lightly with his eyes still closed.

I sighed. "But you're not fine, Jake… Not really." I whispered.

He opened his eyes slowly and met my gaze. He looked sad, which made my heart break. I realized then that whatever caused Jacob pain made me feel pain, too. My stomach knotted. I wanted to take away his sadness.

I reached up and moved his hair away from his cheek before letting my hand cup the side of his face. I used my thumb to gently rub back and forth against his cheek. He closed his eyes again and smiled lightly. His skin was so soft and warm. I brushed my fingers through his hair before resting my hand back on his cheek.

He opened his eyes after a moment. "Quil was right – I got drunk with Sam, Jared, and Embry."

"How come?" I asked quietly.

He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly before sitting up on the couch. I got up from the floor and went to sit next to him. We turned to face each other.

"Because I got the black eye and was pissed about it, so I wanted to blow off some steam… Escape reality, I guess."

"Those guys didn't do it to you?"

He shook his head. "No. They're assholes, but not like that."

I nodded and waited for him to continue explaining if he was going to. He looked torn, like he was grappling with something. I reached out to hold his hands. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just don't like seeing you hurt like this."

He looked up at me. "My dad purposely gave me the black eye, Bella." He said quickly.

My breath caught in my throat as I tried to digest the words he just spoke out loud. "What?"

"Yeah… That's why Quil said not to take me home. I tend to fight back quite a bit more if I'm drunk and it makes things worse."

I looked down at the couch as I tried to make sense of what he was telling me. His dad gave him the black eye? On purpose? His dad… abused him? Jacob couldn't go home tonight because he could have gotten more hurt? By his dad? I felt my stomach turn and suddenly wanted to run outside and throw up in the bushes like he had earlier.

I looked back up and Jacob appeared sad, but also ashamed. He looked away from me and down at our hands.

"What about your mom?" I asked.

"She died in a car accident when I was a little kid. That's when things got bad with my dad."

I felt some panic as I thought about taking him home tomorrow. Everything was starting to sink in more. "Jake, we have to tell someone… The police, my dad, child protective services. Someone! You can't live there with him! He… he can't hurt you like that anymore! You're too important. I won't let you get hurt." I felt tears fill my eyes.

"Bella, none of that would do any good… Because I'm Native American, it's pretty hard for the state to take custody of me and put me in a foster home – they have to show what's called 'active efforts' by placing me with my own family or another Native American family… In the past, they've always placed me with a relative, Quil, actually, since he's my second cousin. Then when CPS isn't involved anymore, I go back to actually living at my dad's, so I don't bug Quil and his aunt. I just spend a lot of time at Quil's but sleep at my dad's and stuff. It's a cycle that happens over and over. And since I'm 16 now… Well, they really aren't going to do anything different. Trust me, the hospital just called CPS again before we got out, and the same thing happened."

I shook my head. "No! No, there has to be something else we can do."

Jacob squeezed my hands. I looked up at him. "There's nothing… But I'm okay. Really. One of my older sisters, Rachel, is moving back with her husband, Paul, in the summer when they graduate from college. I'm going to live with them. So only a few more months."

"Is this why you've gone to the hospital so much?" I asked.

He sighed. "Yeah. When I drink, I usually get into it with my dad and the police show up. When they show up, my dad tells them some bullshit story about me being suicidal or homicidal so he's not in the wrong."

I searched his eyes and finally saw the sadness that he worked so hard to hide. I wasn't sure if this was Jacob finally trusting me enough to let me in or if this was the alcohol. Either way, I couldn't take looking at his pain anymore, so I scrambled into his lap, wrapped my arms around him, and buried my head into his neck. I squeezed him firmly, then, in between sobs, I said, "I'm so, so sorry… I hate that this has happened to you… You deserve so much better."

He wrapped his arms around me and held me tightly. I ran my fingers up and down his back. "You…" Jacob started to say but paused. I lifted my head to look at him. "You don't want to run away from me screaming?" Jacob laughed lightheartedly, but he also looked somewhat serious.

I looked at him, confused. "I just told you how damaged I am, and you ran toward me instead of away. I think we need to reevaluate whether you're the smart one." He said before laughing again.

I thought back to the night in the hospital when Quil and I shared our stories, but Jacob wasn't able to. That was the same night I realized how important Jacob had become to me. I thought about how he was the light, and I was the dark. How I needed to give him some of my rain, and he needed to give me some of his sun.

Jacob couldn't run and hide from this pain forever; he had to feel it to move through it. He was far from damaged. He was just choosing the rain instead of the sunshine for a moment… And then I imagined the rainbow that always came after the storm.

Maybe I had been right – sometimes I needed to pull Jacob back into the rain and sometimes he needed to pull be forward into the sunshine; that was the only way to find the rainbow.

It was in this moment that I realized, again, just how much Jacob Black meant to me. I needed him, and he needed me. Maddie would be upset with me over the word, 'need,' but it felt so true.

I shifted in his lap so I could hold his face in my hands. "I'm not going anywhere," I vowed.

He was quiet as I searched his eyes for a moment. Then, without hesitation, I looked down at his lips and leaned in toward him. I stopped just an inch or so away, waiting to make sure he wanted to kiss me, too. He closed the gap immediately, pressing his lips softly to mine.

If I thought the hand holding had been intense, that didn't even compare to the feel of Jacob Black's lips molding and moving with my own. One of his arms stayed wrapped around my back and the other tangled in my hair, securing me to him. My heart was pounding as my entire body lit up in a way I was completely unfamiliar with. Blood rushed to unfamiliar places as I parted my lips, wanting to explore more of him. I felt his tongue carefully touch mine, which sent even more electricity through my body.

I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. My sole focus was to ensure that Jacob's mouth stayed attached to mine – that his tongue stayed moving against my own. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my body closer to his.

When Jacob finally pulled away, panting, he rested his forehead to mine. "Holy shit," he whispered breathlessly. "You definitely taught me that I should open up to you more often. What secret do you wanna hear next?"

We laughed as our lips found each other again.

. . . . . . . .

We ended up moving the coffee table out of the way and sleeping together on the floor in the living room. I went upstairs and grabbed another pillow and blanket off my bed. I still made Jacob sleep on his side even though he promised me he was a thousand percent sober after all the kissing. We laid facing each other, holding hands.

"No more drinking?" I asked as I yawned.

"I'm going to work really hard on it. I promise." Jacob said sincerely.

"If you can't be at Quil's, you can always come over to my house."

He smirked. "I can probably be easily convinced to come over here more often."

I smiled back at him. "Are you still taking your medication and going to therapy?"

"No… The medication is too expensive. And it's a lot of gas to drive to my therapy appointments. I used to tag along when Quil would go and make my appointments at the same time, but Quil isn't going anymore either."

"You could make your appointments the same time as mine and I could drive us." I offered.

He sighed. "Maybe."

"Okay."

I yawned again and closed my eyes as I prepared to fall into a very comfortable, deep sleep despite laying on the hard, cold floor.

"'I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep. Just sleep together in the most innocent sense of the phrase. But I lacked the courage and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane.'"

I opened my eyes to Jacob's face being lit up by his phone as he read the quote from Looking for Alaska to me – the book we both read in the hospital. I smiled. "Most romantic quote in a book ever, right? That's what you told me in the hospital."

He grinned. "Yes. I wanted to look it up because it fits this moment pretty perfectly, except, unlike that character, Pudge, I actually get to sleep next to the girl." He squeezed my hand.

I leaned forward and kissed the tip of his nose before snuggling back into my pillow and falling asleep immediately.

. . . . . . . .

When we woke up the next morning, I made us eggs and toast for breakfast before I drove Jacob back to La Push. I pulled up to Quil's and parked. Jacob grinned at me as he unbuckled his seatbelt and scooted along the seat to get closer to me.

"I don't want to leave you now." Jacob pouted.

"Me either." I turned to face him as he slowly leaned his head in toward mine. I closed the gap, pressing my lips to his and wrapping my arms around his neck the best I could at this angle in my truck. I didn't think I could ever get sick of Jake's lips on mine. I could kiss him all day.

My mind started to feel foggy, fully intoxicated with Jacob, until I heard a loud bang on the hood of my truck. Jacob and I jumped and turned toward the sound.

"What the fuck! I leave you two alone for, what, ten hours and now you're making out? I knew it was only a matter of time, but, man, I hate being a third wheel!" Quil yelled as he playfully pounded the hood of my truck again with his fists.

Jacob was laughing as I rolled my window down. "Quil, you'll never be a third wheel. I promise. Also, respect the truck, c'mon."

"Eh, you two losers deserve each other… Plus, now, I don't have to listen to Jake's annoying musings about whether you like him or not. I was getting really sick of that shit."

I blushed as I looked at Jacob who just smiled at me, not caring about Quil's comment whatsoever. "He's right. I was getting annoyed with me, too."

"Hey, while you're both here, my mom wanted me to invite my friends to dinner on Wednesday. And since you lovebirds are my only friends…"

"Well, I'll be here like always." Jake said.

"I can't Wednesday… I have to go to court that afternoon, and I don't know when I'll be done."

"For what?" Jacob asked.

I frowned. "To get a more permanent restraining order against Mike… I also have to go to court again for the criminal case in a few weeks."

Jake squeezed my hand. "I'll go with you."

"You can't go into the courtroom since Mike and I are both minors."

"I can wait outside for you then." Jacob said. I nodded.

"We'll do dinner Thursday instead. Does that work? My aunt will be at work, so it will just be the four of us." Jacob and I both agreed.

"Okay, I really have to get home before Charlie or else I won't be able to come to dinner Thursday or see either of you ever again." Jacob jumped out of the truck but came over to my window.

"Miss you already." He said as he pecked my lips.

"Bleh! Already feelin' the third wheel vibes over here."

"We'll work on it." I said to Quil before smiling at them both and rolling up my window. I reversed out of the driveway and headed home.

A/N: Thanks to Twin268 and Guest4590 for the reviews after the last chapter! I wasn't sure anyone was really reading this story until recently. Have a great week! :)