Just a pleasant and friendly reminder that this is an Edward x Bella fic and will remain that way. Stephanie Meyer owns Eclipse and all of the characters in it.

I raced through the trees to get to my Bella, continually reaching out with my gift, searching for the wolf's thoughts so I could check on her. Hopefully, with Jacob there, she was distracted enough and she didn't look at the clock to notice my tardiness. Hopefully, my pact for honestly was showing, and she had enough trust in me not to panic. Hopefully, hopefully, hopefully...

When I was close enough to find Jacob's thoughts, Bella was standing in front of him in the Swan's living room. Just as I had feared, tears streamed down her face. She held an unfamiliar cell phone in her shaking hands—it most likely belonged to Jacob. I internally kicked myself—of all the days to leave my cell phone on silent in the car...

"It's okay," Jacob tried to reassure her, careful not to touch her.

"No. It. Is. Not. Fucking. Okay. It's. Not. Fucking. Okay." It wasn't the curse words that stunned me. It was the pure anger and rage present in every tight line of her body. Her eyes sparked, and instantly I was taken back to the night she had woken up after Italy. The look of heartbreak and disbelief was back, only this time she didn't fight it back.

When she lunged for Jacob in her anger and tried to pummel his chest, my first reaction was to protect her. She couldn't hurt him, but she could hurt herself badly. Jacob was hurting for her, he moved his body in ways that compensate for hers, partially deflecting each blow of her small fists without denying her the satisfaction of some impact. When she sagged against him, transitioning from rage into a pitiful sadness, he held her forearms, too terrified to make her panic attack worse.

"You lied. You swore you'd never leave me, you swore you never would. You swore," she sobbed. Jacob helped lower her to the ground and knelt beside her, unsure of what to do.

Finally, finally, I reach her house. Bella was on the ground, her arms wrapped around her middle as she rocked back and forth, crying in complete silence. Immediately, I was on the floor beside her. I scowled—furious at myself and my seemingly endless carelessness—as I shifted my body, trying to peer into Bella's eyes. She stared straight ahead, unseeing.

"Bella, sweetheart. Baby, listen to me. Isabella."

"She doesn't want you here," Jacob Black murmured under his breath, low enough that Bella could not hear, "She's had enough."

I ignored that and went right into what usually worked when I had to pull her out of her panic attacks. I sat in front of her, willing her eyes to clear, and gently stroked her hand. "It's okay, Bella. Sweetheart, everything's all right. I'm right here."

I continued to murmur to her, stroking her hand gently. I wished my own hands were warm; it felt like the temperature of her skin matched my own.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," I promised, "Just open your eyes and look. Look at me, Bella."

And she did. She shut her eyes tightly for a long moment, and when they opened again they focused immediately on me. I held as still as I could, counting her loud, quick heartbeats as she hovered there, her brain obviously whirling, trying to decipher what had just happened. After an agonizing wait, she blinked again, shifted her trembling body, and launched herself at me.

It was with the deepest relief that I gladly caught her, holding her as tightly as I dared. She still shook against me, but she buried her head in the crook of my neck and squeezed me, holding herself to me as if to a lifeline. I released a held breath, smiling into her hair. "Thank you," I whispered, "Bella. Bella. You're okay. I'm here."

Jacob was floored by the scene in front of him. How could she go to him like that?

"Edward?" her voice cracked. The fissures in my heart had never quite healed, and now burst wide open. I have never experienced this level of pain while I was so close to her. Not even burning into immortality can match it.

"Yes, I'm here. I'm right here."

She sobbed at that, and I held her tighter, willing her to calm down. Her arms around my shoulders were frantic, her fingers digging into the impenetrable skin of my back in a way that would have felt amazing if done out of passion. But the fear I scented from her was too much, and I would have broken down and cried myself if it were possible. Her breaths were tense and ragged, expelled against my neck like little bursts of pain.

"Beautiful girl," I whispered, settling Bella on my lap and slowly pressed my lips to her hair, her forehead—anything I could reach, "Bella, it's okay. I'm here."

She was slowly relaxing again, muscle by muscle, and I felt her nuzzle my throat, her nose tickled softly against my skin. Every touch she gave me filled me with the sweetest pain—it was so innocent, so trusting.

"You came back," Her voice was raw, and I almost winced.

"I never left," I swore, "Come, my love, let's get you some tea with honey." I shifted to stand with her cradled against my chest, but Jacob stopped me.

"I'll get it," he mumbled, looking for any excuse to get out of the room. I was just as grateful as he was when he crossed the threshold into the kitchen, leaving me alone with my love.

"Bella," I kissed her temple, then slipped two fingers under her chin, asking her to raise her eyes.

She did, slowly.

"I'm so, so sorry," I murmured.

She nodded slightly, her eyes locked with mine. "I'm sorry, too." She coughed and cleared her throat.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, sweetheart."

Still curled in my lap, she laid her head against my shoulder, "I—I shouldn't have reacted like that. It was stupid."

I shook my head, "It wasn't stupid. I was stupid for making you worry."

"You were late, and when you didn't answer your phone I thought—," she cut herself short.

"Thought what?" I encouraged.

"Nothing."

There were few things I wanted more than to know what she was thinking, but this time I let it go. "I'm sorry, sweetheart." I repeated, "Will you forgive me?"

She smiled, and though the smile was tremulous, it was real, "Will you kiss me?"

An answering smile broke across my face, and I pressed my forehead to hers, "Just say the word," I breathed.

"Yes."

My mouth dipped down as hers tipped up, and when I felt the first hesitant brush of her soft lips, I melted. Relief flooded through me as I pressed my mouth gently against hers, moving slowly, tracing the contours of her full lips. She slipped her arms around me again, pressing her body close to mine. That she was so willing to forgive me… was a gift.

I pulled back, looking into her dark, sparkling eyes. The tears had faded from them, and now they shone. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen in my life, the way her eyes flashed and then deepened when they locked with mine.

Before I could lean in for another kiss, I heard the door of Charlie's police cruiser slam shut. I had been so focused on Bella's lips, I hadn't heard him approach. Quick, disjointed memories flickered through Charlie's mind: eating a good sandwich at the station, a call from Jacob declaring an emergency at the house, switching on the police sirens of the cruiser.

"Bella? Bella?" he called before he even entered the house. Then, the front door flew open as if he were bursting into a criminal's house for a raid. Charlie's eyes found Bella first, still huddled in my embrace on the living room floor. And although he imagined burglaries and injuries on his whole drive over here, somehow seeing Bella curled up with me was just as bad in his mind's eyes.

"Dad?" Bella croaked.

I began to help Bella up, but Charlie rushed over and shoved me out of the way so he could do it himself. He ushered his daughter over to the couch and draped a blanket over her. After fiddling with Bella and the pillows, he turned to face me.

"What did you do to her?" he pointed a demanding finger.

"He didn't do anything!" Bella argued, but Charlie didn't seem to hear her. All he saw was her splotchy face and her red eyes, still wet with tears.

"Charlie," I started, but I was immediately interrupted.

"I don't want to hear it!" he exploded, "I want you out, now!" There were very few moments where I saw Charlie Swan turn into Office Swan Chief of Police in his own house, and this was one of them.

Jacob came back into the room, with a mug of microwaved water and a tea bag in hand, "Uhhh…"

Charlie snatched the mug out of Jacob's hands and almost spilled it on Bella, his movements were so frantic from frustration and fear. "Both of you, out!"

"Dad," Bella put her foot down, "I freaked out. But everything's fine now. I'm fine. It was no one's fault but my own."

Simultaneously, Jacob, Charlie, and I all voiced our disagreements with that statement.

"I don't want these boys in this house while you're hurting, Bells," Charlie tried to explain.

Bella looked like she was about to fight back, but I stopped her. "Yessir," I nodded to Charlie. Then, to Bella, "I'll call you later, Bella, to make sure you're okay." Bella and I shared a meaningful look before I stalked out the front door.

Thinking there was no way I was going to make a better impression on Charlie than him, Jacob shared similar words with Bella and was soon out the front door as well.

I walked down the driveway towards my car. Once I was out of Charlie's line of sight from any window, I slunk into the woods and climbed up one of the larger trees to keep an eye on the Swans. Once I found a decent spot in the high branches, I listened to the noises in Bella's house while Charlie tried to care for his daughter. He had suggested playing one of her favorite movies or making soup, but Bella opted for a hot shower and a nap, asking to be alone. The last thing Charlie wanted was to leave her alone, but he wasn't going to argue with her in her current condition. I heard Bella's slow, uneven tread up the stairs, the sound of her clothes hitting the tile floor in the bathroom, then the shower turning on.

When I realized I should have also heard the sound of a dusty, old vehicle wheeze to life and putt down the road, I searched for Jacob's mind. When I found it, he was looking into Bella's dark bedroom window with longing.

A longing I wished I could tear from his mind.

I crawled to the spot above his hiding place in the tree line, "You can go home, Jacob. Thank you for helping her, but I can take it from here."

He tried to hide his finch from my voice appearing from seemingly nowhere, but I still caught it. Stupid, shitty, vampire. "I'm not leaving until I know Bella is okay."

"I'll make sure she's okay."

"I need to see it for myself."

"She is none of your concern," I coolly reminded him.

"Oh?" he asked, looking up towards my voice, "Do you wish she was none of my concern the day she threw herself into the ocean and stopped bothering to swim because of you?"

I stiffened.

"You got some nerve," Jacob shook his head, curling his lip over his teeth, "Coming back here, thinking that your presence was enough of a gift to fix everything! But, I have news for you, asshole. She never acted like that"—he pointed a shaking finger towards the house—"while you were gone. All you did was make things worse! All you do is make everything worse!" When thoughts flittered away from Bella and towards his painful transition, I knew he wasn't only talking about today.

"Jacob," I wasn't sure if I was going to defend myself or apologize, but he interrupted me before I could make the decision.

"What's insane is that all you had to do was be there. But, you couldn't do that in September, so I guess there's no reason to believe you could do it now."

I flexed my jaw, "The Swan residence had a visitor last night."

He hadn't expected that. Curiosity doused his fiery anger and brought it down to a simmer.

"A vampire unknown to me," I clarified.

Jacob's eyes widened as he considered the ramifications behind that; how close Bella had been to such a threat.

"Thankfully, she was at my house last night," I couldn't help but throw in—a not-so-subtle reminder to who Bella actually chose, "so she was nowhere near the vampire. But when I got here this morning, after I smelled its scent, I panicked and went after it immediately." Of course, now I realized the scent was at least a few hours old, so I wouldn't have caught up to him anyway, but Jacob didn't need to know any of that. "So, before you come at me, maybe you should figure out why you were too dull to pick up on such an obvious threat to the girl you like to pretend you're protecting."

"I thought it was another member of your family. It's not my fault her house is infested with leeches. You really expect me to pick out one different scent?" I try not to inhale around your kind, thank you very much.

"Well, you better start inhaling. You and your pack are going to learn our scents," I commanded. "Something like this is never going to happen again. Do you understand me, Jacob Black?"

Fat luck getting the guys to agree to a cute little meet-and-greet with a bunch of bloodsuckers.

"I'll bring you samples," I compromised, "You won't have to see any of them."

His thoughts flickered back to Bella, alone in her home, then to his pack of wolves, then back again to Bella. He didn't think his pack would want anything to do with our kind, especially when it would be just as beneficial to us as it was to them.

Though the feeling was mutual, I made the offer only for Bella, and I reminded him of that fact, "It would help keep Bella safe."

Jacob still struggled with what his pack would think of this idea, so he brought Bella's smiling face up to his mind for encouragement, just as I did when I had to make a difficult decision. And, like me, he was willing to do anything to keep that smile in his life. I hated how he treasured Bella's wellbeing almost as highly as I did; it made me want to punch him in the mouth. "Fine," he agreed, "I'll have Billy call up Carlisle to make arrangements."

His bodily reactions to her smile definitely weren't something a casual friend would have. "What happened to 'Bella's friendship being better than nothing'?" I asked, quoting the mantra Jacob silently repeated to himself during the past few weeks.

He crossed his arms over his chest, which were rapidly becoming closer to Emmett's size than mine—another physical deformity of the werewolves, "That was before she told me she actually had concrete plans to become one of you bloodsuckers." His body trembled so slightly over that fact, only a vampire could pick up on it. Jacob was hiding his very real fear and he was hiding it well under his tough façade. He uncrossed his arms only so he could point a finger in my face, "If you think for even a second I am going to let you take away her life without a fight you are dead wrong. She—,"

I slapped his finger away, "Oh, calm down. We're on the same side here, Jacob," I informed him, "I don't want her to turn any more than you do."

Confusion flickered through his mind, which quickly transformed into doubt. These bloodsuckers are always lying. "Sure, sure."

"Why do you think I left?" I hissed, "Do you think I wanted to hurt her? Do you think I wanted to break her heart, Jacob? No! I was trying to show her how much better her life was without me!"

It was. "Sure you were."

I had no idea why I needed to defend myself to Jacob, but I kept talking, "From the moment I loved her, I knew I would do anything to keep her from turning. I knew that no matter how much it would hurt, I would give her up to give her more."

Jacob wasn't buying it, "If you knew all of that, why didn't you leave her alone from the start?" You selfish, disgusting leech.

"I tried!" it sounded like I was begging him, "I tried so hard to stay away from her—but it was impossible. Imagine being asleep for eighty years and the first thing you really hear is her voice, saying your name, the first thing you really feel is her hand, brushing across your skin." I watched his eyes soften as he imagined the scenario I painted. "How was I supposed to resist that, Jacob?"

Then, his dark eyes hardened into iron, "You should have tried harder." Your so-called relationship with her did nothing but destroy her life.

"You think I don't know that!?" I wailed, "You think I don't know that I am the worst decision she has ever made!?"

There were a lot of things he wanted to say to me at that moment, ranging from broad vampire insults to specific digs on my family to the simple fuck you. But that hardened exterior wasn't actually inside of this innocent kid, and we both knew that. Instead of any of that, he uncomfortably muttered, "Sorry."

"It's soul-crushing, Jacob, knowing that her love for me is going to kill her. I'm trying to do right by her. I already destroyed her once by leaving, so I have to find a way to save her soul while staying in her life."

Suddenly, Jacob hatched an idea. He caught on quickly to being around a mind reader, and began listing baseball stats as he began, "Fine then."

"Fine?" I echoed.

He nodded, "I believe that you love Bella. And I believe that you want a better life for her than death. Let me win her heart from you."

My immediate response was never, but I held my tongue.

"Think about it. You can't expect to give her the life you want. If she stays with you, even as a human, she might as well be in a half-life. But with me, she can live a human life and stay in the supernatural world she loves so much. She would be in no danger from bloodsuckers under the protection of the pack. I am fast and strong enough to protect her against herself. And if she is with me, you can stay in her life, because I already know about you and what you are. She would not have to learn to live without you. Everything you wish to provide, I can offer with no cost to her."

In every scenario I imagined of Bella continuing on with her life as a human, I faded further and further into the background. As she married a faceless, human man and filled her life with children and warmth and love, I watched on as a ghost. But Jacob was right. If he became the faceless husband, I would be able to stay in Bella's life. It would change, obviously. I wouldn't be able to hold her as she slept, or kiss her soft, full lips—that would become Jacob's role. I would assume his role as a friend. But as a friend, I would still be able to talk to her, make her smile, hug her when wanted my touch… And it would be enough.

And it would expand beyond that. Her children would be raised learning the legends on the Cold Ones. They could know me, too. I would be able to stick by her side as she raised a family and lived her life. I would not have to survive without Bella, and I would not take anything away from her.

I had finally found what would be best for Bella.

"What do you say?" Jacob asked.

I wasn't sure what to say. It was everything I wanted. But if there was one thing I learned the hard way, it was that Bella could not be put on a path she did not want to go down. "I won't lie to her, Jacob."

He snorted, "Now you decide to develop a conscience?"

I glared at him.

"Fine, fine," he rolled his eyes, "Neither of us needs to lie. My plan was on track before you came back, anyway."

I quirked an eyebrow, "Plan?"

He nodded, "My plan to woo her." I could see that he had this plan even before she showed up on his doorstep with two broken motorcycles. In fact, the plan started when he rudely interrupted our dance at prom. He had always wanted to take her from me.

Simultaneously, our heads turned towards the gentle creak of Bella's bedroom window opening.

"Well, we'll see which one of us she wants now," Jacob challenged, "The plan has been going smoothly so far, so I bet it'll be me."

Bella's small voice called out of the window, "Jacob?"

With a bow and a triumphant smile, Jacob turned to Bella's house and leaped up to her window with a graceless swagger.

To my extreme delight, the first words out of her mouth upon his arrival were, "Where's Edward?" Without a second to waste, I had her scooped her up into my arms.

"You really did come back," she nuzzled her face into my neck.

"I never left," I swore, "I'm so sorry I was late."

"What happened?" she murmured against my skin.

"There was an unwelcomed visitor that I had to take care of."

She shuddered, "Victoria?"

"Not this time," I kissed her nose, "My siblings are cleaning up everything now. When you're ready, we'll meet them at the house and we'll get the whole story together, okay?"

"Okay," she nodded.

I kissed each eyelid. I was going to keep Bella safe and give her a life happier than anything she could dream up as an immortal. She would be whole and happy, and if she was, I would be whole and happy right beside her.

Downstairs, Charlie had decided he left enough time between the end of the shower and now for Bella to have dried and dressed and was filling up a glass at the sink. "Charlie's going to come up to bring you a glass of water," I told her, placing her on the bed and tucking her beneath the covers in one, fluid movement.

"I'll make sure he lets you back in the house," she promised.

Jacob cleared his throat.

Bella's eyes shifted to Jake and warmed, "You too, Jake."

"Actually, I'll head back home, now." He mussed her hair, wishing he could run his fingers through it instead, "Don't forget what we were talking about… before…"

Bella sighed, "I don't think that's going to change, Jake."

"Still," he winked, "think about it." And he was out the window.

Charlie was halfway up the stairs, but I still had enough time to give Bella a quick peck on the cheek before I followed Jacob out the window.

I waited next to my car while Charlie and Bella discussed her recent behavior. As promised, she asked Charlie to let me back in. It seemed to take an eternity, but eventually, Charlie made it down the stairs and outside and beckoned for me to follow him into the house.

"Do you have any idea what you did?" he muttered when I walked through the front door.

"I do, Charlie," I lowered my head in apology, "I'm sorry I was late—it won't happen again."

Blurry memories of Bella's state in the previous fall flashed through his mind. "Learn to think through your actions, boy," he warned.

"Yessir."

"Edward?" Bella called from the top of the stairs.

Charlie and I shared one more tense stare before he jutted his chin up the stairs dismissively. Even though his mind was fuzzy to me, I could clearly hear how much he wished it was Jacob's name his daughter called for instead of mine. If I was going to give Bella the life I envisioned for her, eventually she would.

I think we can all agree that the Tent Scene was one of the worst things SM had written. I hope my version of that scene was a lot more palpable. I'm trying to walk the thin line of having Edward and Jacob hate each other while also being characters who deserve Bella's love and friendship. I have a lot of thoughts on how SM wrote their interactions in Eclipse, which are all very pro-Edward, so I won't force you all to read them in a story where I'm trying to do good by both Edward and Jacob equally. 😊