Move On

JacobxBella

Rated T

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Move On

The old red Chevy sat in front of the little yellow house that was the Swan household, the occupants of the truck being Bella Swan and Jacob Black. Jacob had saved Bella from drowning after she had stupidly decided to cliff-dive during a storm and high tide, as well as from Victoria, who she realized had been in the water at the time she had jumped. They had talked as he took her home, though they had eventually fallen into a comfortable silence and she had snuggled up to his warmth, instantly getting rid of the chill she had from jumping into the ocean.

They had been sitting in front of her house for some time, simply talking to one another and soon, Jacob had broached the subject of his feelings for her. It was something that she had originally tried to avoid, as she wasn't over Edward and didn't think she'd ever be; she did still love him, after all. But somehow, somehow her feelings had shifted, and she found that she cared about Jacob as more than just her best friend and confidant. So much so, that if she really tried, she would be able to let go of the vampire and move on with Jacob—after a respectable amount of time to completely get over him, of course. Yes, she could view herself dating Jacob, but it seemed too sudden to think about, a big change in her life that she wasn't sure she wanted or needed. Then again, maybe it was the one thing she needed if she just embraced it. And when Jacob almost kissed her in her truck, she actually wanted to kiss him in return, wanted to take a chance with him. However, instead of kissing, her, Jacob suddenly stiffened and pulled away, suddenly on alert.

Alarmed by his sudden change in behavior, Bella asked, "What's wrong?"

"Vampire," Jacob hissed out, instantly cranking up her truck to leave the area.

Scared that he meant Victoria, Bella looked out around them into the dark, even looking in the sideview mirror just in case the vengeful redhead was behind them. What she did see caused her to gasp in surprise, because instead of seeing Victoria, she saw Carlisle's Mercedes parked on the street in the shadows. She was surprised she hadn't noticed it earlier, but she had been focused on Jacob at the time.

Reaching over to grab his arm, she cried, "Stop! That's Carlisle's car! Carlisle is here!"

"What?" Jacob said incredulously. When he saw that the brunette was opening her truck door to get out, he grabbed her hand and said, "Bella, don't."

"I have to, Jake. I have to see him; I need to talk to him."

"Bella, this could be some sort of trap. Why are you trying to rush inside? I don't trust this, and you shouldn't either."

She could see Jacob's viewpoint, even understand it, but that didn't change the fact that still needed to see go in and see the kindly doctor. And furthermore, she could ask the questions that had been plaguing her and get some answers. "He won't hurt me. I need to talk to him."

"Why?"

"Because…I don't know, but I need to."

Opening the door to her truck, she got out of it and closed the door, rushing up the driveway to her house. Jacob had also gotten out of the truck and was going after her, quickly closing the gap between them. Reaching out, he grabbed hold of Bella's hand again, causing her to turn around to face him. Bella was going to tell him to let her go, but instead didn't say anything. As she looked up at him, she could see the tension in his face from this situation, but his eyes—eyes that were always going to be expressive no matter how well he hid his feelings—showed how distressed he was.

Gently tightening his hold on her hand, he pleaded, "Please don't go inside, Bella. That leech in there will just pull you back to the way you were before if you do. Don't do it, please Bells."

They stared at each other, silence flowing between them after Jacob's words. Even though they said nothing, Jacob looked into her beautiful, chocolate brown eyes and could see that she was going to go inside anyway, despite his plea. Frustrated, he lets out an angry huff and let go of her hand, turning and walking off into the night. As he left, Bella called out, "Jake, wait!"

But Jacob didn't wait, he just kept walking and disappearing into the darkness. Bella stared after him as he did, the feeling of guilt hitting her hard. And she couldn't help but feel guilty, knowing she was hurting him by still choosing to go inside to see one of the vampires that had callously thrown her away and left, causing her life and heart to fall apart. She just wished he would understand why she needed to go in and see Carlisle, to talk to him. Sighing, she turned and walked up to her house, ready to see the vampire waiting inside for her.

Turns out the Cullen that was waiting inside her home was not Carlisle, but Alice. Bella was so happy to see Alice, glad that her friend was back, especially after sending all those emails to her that she never responded to. That, and in a way, she felt like having Alice present was the closest she would have to having Edward back. She was his favorite sibling, after all.

Upon seeing her, she had instantly glomped her in a hug, ignoring the surprised, distressed, and relieved look on the vampire's face. She couldn't help but ask her questions about where she and the others had gone, why they had gone, why they hadn't said 'goodbye' to her if they cared about her so much, at the very least. Edward's harsh words to break up with her had been bad enough, but to have Alice and the others leave without so much as a 'goodbye' had been traumatic, especially with them being so important in her life; at least, they were at the time.

Sitting on her couch, she listened to Alice answer her questions and explain the real reason for the Cullens to suddenly uproot. Apparently, it had all been Edward's idea to leave after the disaster of a birthday party she had—one that she hadn't even wanted in the first place. He had even gone as far as to pretty much demand that they not say 'goodbye' to her, or contact her in any way, no matter how much she tried to contact them. Knowing this now, Bella felt angry at Edward for making those decisions, and was angered that the rest of the Cullens had so readily agreed to it, Alice being the only one to protest. Why hadn't Carlisle at least had the decency to call her and explain why they were leaving without it being so traumatic to her? He was the coven leader, wasn't he? Why did he let Edward call the shots there? Was it because of her? Because she was Edward's girlfriend, therefore he got to make decisions concerning her? Oh, it made her angry that that seemed to be the case, and yet…yet she also in the same moment felt unbothered by the information.

A strange combination to be feeling, especially when the whole entire situation bothered her and had bothered her for months. She certainly was feeling the oxymoron of her emotions. As she sat thinking about how she felt concerning what Alice had told her, she realized that the unbothered feeling wasn't because she was unbothered by what had been said. No, it wasn't the feeling of being unbothered at all, but rather the feeling of being liberated from all the questions of 'why' that had been left behind when Edward and his family had left. Now she could fully understand why she had been so desperate to get inside to speak to Alice, though having believed it was Carlisle. She had needed to hear what had been said to get closure, to finish up and close that part of her life.

Realizing this, Bella also realized that during the time they had been gone and she had been in her depression, then later picked up by Jacob and learned how to smile again, she had already, though unknowingly, moved on with her life. But she also still needed that closure to fully move on. And now that she had it, she now knew that she could without looking back. And as for Edward, she knew she would always love him, always care for him and wish him the best, but being in love with him, that ended the moment he broke her heart. After all, first loves never last, not always, not if they weren't meant to be from the start. In her case, her and Edward just weren't meant to be, but there was someone that-

Bella didn't finish that thought, as Jacob had walked into her home. She was surprised to see him there, as he had walked away when she had willingly run into her home with an awaiting vampire. She thought he was upset with her, and yet here he was anyway. Seeing him here in the vicinity of his supernatural enemy and controlling his emotions for her sake, it made her heart beat quickly in her chest. And though she could see the worry in his eyes for her, especially seeing her so close to Alice, she could also see trust in them, trust in her that she could handle herself without him in this situation. And him showing up now was out of his concern, not because he wanted to continue fighting, even though they hadn't really fought. It just let her know just how much Jacob cared about her, and it made her care for him all the more.

Of course, his presence in her home did not go off without a hitch with Alice, the future-seeing vampire verbally attacking him for his supposed wet dog smell (something she didn't agree with at all) and that she couldn't see past him and the other wolves. That was the reason she had returned to Forks so suddenly, because she hadn't seen Bella being saved after her jump off the cliff. Jacob had his turn to give back as good as he got in the exchange of words, not at all intimidated by the pixie in front of him and letting her know that at least someone had been looking out for Bella, seeing as they hadn't been. Bella quickly cut in, excusing Alice and asking her to leave them be, her wanting to speak with Jacob alone.

The moment Alice was gone, Jacob asked if they could leave the living room, the smell of leech to powerful in there. Bella nodded and led him to the kitchen, Jacob following close behind. Once in there, she looked up at him and said softly, "I didn't think you'd come back."

"I didn't go far," Jacob replied. "Is Pixie sticking around?"

"I don't think so, she just came to check on me," Bella replied, amused at the little nickname he had given Alice.

Continuing to look up at him, she noticed that he was still tense, but that was understandable considering Alice was still nearby somewhere. She could also see that he was troubled. It wasn't really present on his face, but she could see it in his eyes. Wanting to know why he was troubled, she asked him so; she knew it had to be more than just Alice being there.

Jacob didn't answer right away, looking away from her for a moment to gather his thoughts. When he finally did seem have his thoughts together, he turned back to her. "I'm scared, Bella. I'm afraid that now that you've seen one of them, that you'll run back to those vampires, that you'll run back to him. I'm afraid that you'll go back to them and leave me behind; you'll forget all about me."

Shaking her head, Bella replied, "That won't happen."

"Won't it? Charlie did always complain to dad that you seemed to forget everything and everyone when he came around. I just…" Jacob took hold of her hands and stepped closer to her, holding her hands tightly, yet gently as he looked into her eyes. "I love you, Bella. I've always loved you, even back when we first met all those years ago. My love for you grows stronger every minute and it has never faltered. I love you so much, and I'll always love you. And knowing that doesn't scare me in the slightest, but I am afraid losing you, losing your love."

The brunette gasped softly as he wholeheartedly confessed his feelings to her. It was completely heartfelt, and she knew he meant every word. She wasn't sure what to say but didn't want to interrupt Jacob by saying something anyway. It was obvious that Jacob felt he needed to get this off his chest and was going to say more.

"I have to know though, Bella. Do you…do you love me back? Do you return my feelings? Even just a little bit? I know I can't make you love me the way I love you; that wouldn't be right of me. But I want us to look forward together, for me to be by your side going into the future. And if so, you can stop looking back on the past that hurt you, and forward with me. What…What do you say?"

Bella didn't respond to Jacob, just simply looked up at him as he stared back at her almost anxiously. Jacob would have felt dejected and rejected from her silence had he not been staring into those beautiful chocolate brown eyes that he loved. Though she hadn't voiced her answer, it was there in her eyes as she looked up at him. Taking a hand, he cupped her cheek and bent down towards her face, his lips inching closer to hers. And just like in her truck, they almost kissed, and would have had it not been for another interruption. This time, it was the house phone ringing.

He moved his hand to answer it, but Bella's hand reached up and caught it, stopping him from answering. Looking at her, he waited for her to speak, the sound of the phone ringing through the house. Bella looked back at him, knowing he had seen her answer to his questions in her eyes, but she found it better to voice it. Lacing their fingers together, she told him, "I'm not looking back anymore; I don't want to. I don't need to keep looking back to find a semblance of happiness in my life again. All my happiness is right here."

With that, she stood on her toes and pressed her lips against his, closing her eyes as she kissed Jacob for the first time as the phone finished ringing out. The kiss truly was magical, the best one she had ever had. It was like an eruption within her, like all the nerves in her body were on fire, and her lips fit against his so perfectly. Jacob was obviously thinking and feeling the same, using his free hand to wrap around her waist, pulling her close to him and loving how easily Bella melded to his body. God, this moment was perfect, absolutely perfect.

The moment was ruined when Alice suddenly rushed into the kitchen crying out, "Bella!"

"What?" Bella asked as she whirled around, completely startled by the vampire's sudden appearance, making her break the kiss with Jacob.

A panicked look on her face, Alice, said, "It's Edward; he's going to the Volturi!"

"What? Why?"

"Because he thinks you're dead! I had told Rosalie about my vision of you jumping off the cliff and not seeing you resurface. She told Edward and he called to see if Charlie was here and have him confirm if you were dead or not. That was him calling just now! And because you didn't answer, he's assumed Charlie isn't here because you died. Now he's going to the Volturi to be killed! We have to stop him, Bella!"

Bella, as shocked as she was by the news, as well as Edward's misunderstanding of the situation, simply shook her head and said, "No."

Alice looked at her as if she had grown another head. "Didn't you hear me, Bella? Edward is going to the Volturi to die! We have to save him!"

"No, Alice. I'm not going."

"Bella!"

"No! Look, I don't want him to die as much as you don't, but there is no reason to make him a part of my present now when he's my past. And I can't help that he misunderstood Rosalie when all she did was repeat what you told her. I'll always remember what Edward and I had and will always love him in a way—you can even tell him that when you save him—but I've moved on. I've moved on with my life, even though I just realized it, and I'm happy that I have. And you and the others need to do the same, especially Edward."

The vampire stared at Bella incredulously before turning her gaze to the Shifter behind the brunette. Narrowing her eyes, she said lowly, "You've moved on. You mean you've moved on with this beast."

"Watch it, leech," Jacob responded with a glare.

"Bella, they are dangerous creatures; Edward said so. He'd be disappointed to find out you're hanging around them, even carrying on with one of them."

Bella tilted her head. "And? So what if I am? It's not of his or your concern. You guys all left as if you didn't leave behind the looming threat of Victoria over me, the most dangerous thing hanging around these parts. Luckily, Jacob and the Pack are going to fix and clean up the mess you all made before leaving. And so far, I have been very well protected by them, and will continue to be."

Alice looked miffed and annoyed with her, the vampire huffing before turning to leave. She did stop however, turning back to face Bella. "You're making a mistake choosing him."

"No, I'm not. And even if I was, it's my choice to make. Goodbye, Alice; don't come back, any of you."

Alice looked at her with a hurt expression before disappearing in a blink of an eye. The sound of a car starting up was heard, followed by it driving quickly down the street. As soon as Alice was gone—gone for good—Jacob embraced Bella from behind, hiding his face in her neck. In a low, almost uncertain voice, Jacob asked, "Did you really mean it?"

"Mean what?" Bella asked softly.

"That you have truly moved on? That you've move on with me?"

Turning in his embrace, she wrapped her arms around Jacob and hugged him close, her head lying on his chest. Eyes closed, she whispered, "Yes, I did. I didn't know it at the time, just realized a few minutes ago, but I have moved on from that part of my life. That chapter is closed now, and I want to look forward with you. I love you Jake. The feeling snuck up on me, but I really do love you."

His heart swelling with love and joy, Jacob gently lifted her head from his chest and pressed his lips against hers in a sweet kiss. Bella moaned softly as he did before breaking the kiss, then placing her head back on his chest as she continued to hold him. Jacob held her in return, never planning on letting her go.

Bella hadn't wanted to move on from Edward and the Cullens at first. She wanted the memories to remain, to replay over and over in her head, no matter how painful they were to her. She had needed to move on, but she didn't think she could. And because of the belief that she couldn't, she never realized that she was already in the process of doing so all this time. She hadn't known she had moved on from that part in her life, only realizing that she had; she just needed to catch up. And now because she had, she could finally rest easy and look forward to life, look forward to life with Jacob.