Moonlight

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you very much to everyone who kindly read and reviewed the last chapter.

Chapter Thirty-Two-Love Comes Softly

Bella's brain stuttered for a moment and her eyes took in more light than she expected, every part of her went on pause, her thoughts playing catch up. The shock had rendered her mute, and she stared at Jacob opened mouthed.

"Are you okay, Bella, honey?" Jacob waved his hand in front of her face.

The moment Bella realised she'd misinterpreted his actions, his words, his expressions, as if he'd been speaking a language she couldn't understand, she finally found the will to speak. "You called me stupid and an idiot."

Jacob felt a strange urge to laugh. "After everything I've just said…that's what you choose to focus on?" He exclaimed.

Bella held up one finger to hush him. "I'm still processing."

"Can you please process a little faster?" Jacob pleaded. "I'm dying here."

"And I'm still waiting for an apology."

Jacob groaned in frustration. "I'm sorry I called you an idiot, okay."

"And?"

"And…I'm sorry I called you stupid." Jacob just about refrained from rolling his eyes. "Now have you finished processing?"

"Nope." Bella shook her head and looked up at him critically. "I'm stressed."

"You don't look stressed." Jacob was disbelieving. In fact, she looked quite calm considering the circumstances. He guessed she was probably keeping him in suspense for as long as possible to get her own back after freaking her out.

"I'm hiding it well." Bella countered. Despite Jacob's thoughts to the contrary, she was still in shock. She needed a moment to feel her emotions change gear so she could deal with the fall out. "I have questions."

"K.'" Jacob drew his shoulders back, steadying his nerves for what was to come. "Shoot."

"How did Emily deal with this? If she was so close to Leah, how could she bear it?" Bella hesitated, frowning. If Sam and Emily were meant to be so utterly right for each other, why was there so much tension between them. How had Emily gotten past the fact that Sam had belonged to someone else? Her sister, almost.

"She was really angry, in the beginning. But its hard to resist that level of commitment and adoration." Jacob sighed. "And then Sam could tell her everything. There are no rules that can bind you when you find your other half. You know how she got hurt."

Bella swallowed thickly and nodded.

"Well, weirdly enough, that was sort of how they resolved things. Sam was so horrified, so sickened by himself, so full of hate for what he'd done…He would have thrown himself under a bus if it would have made her feel better. He might have anyway, just to escape what he'd done. He was shattered…Then somehow she was comforting him, and after that…."

Jacob didn't finish his thought, and Bella sensed the story had gotten too personal to share.

Bella pushed her fingers into her hair and drew the silky strands back from her face. She wanted to feel sympathy for Emily, but she was still struggling to grasp the concept. For Emily to be drawn to Sam, despite the tragic circumstances that had pulled them together, it must have meant she'd had feelings for her cousin's boyfriend on a deeper level. Where did Sam's previous feelings for Leah factor into all this. Jacob had said that Sam loved Leah. Those deep emotions couldn't have just vanished, surely.

"How's Leah coping?" She asked eventually. "She must be heartbroken after losing Sam…and now on top of that she's lost her father, too."

"Yeah, Leah got the worst end of the stick." Jacob agreed. "She puts on a brave face for her mom's sake. She's going to be a bridesmaid."

"You're kidding me?" Bella was incredulous. Surely Sam and Emily could spare poor Leah that humiliation. Or was Emily really that self-absorbed that she would force her poor cousin to go through the charade of playing happy families to save her own face.

Bella gazed toward the jagged rocks that rose from the ocean like stubby broken off fingers on the south rim of the harbour, while she tried to make sense of it all. She could feel Jacob's eyes on her face, waiting for her to say something. "Did it happen to anyone else?" She questioned in a low voice.

"Besides me and Sam…Jared is the only other one." Jacob revealed.

"Jared?" Bella's eyebrows shot up in surprise. It wasn't that long ago that Jared had mentioned to her that he was interested in a girl who sat next to him in his calculus class. Bella remembered telling him to go for it and ask the girl out and he'd quickly agreed. "How did that work out for him?" She asked curiously.

"No drama there. It was just a girl he sat next to in school every day for a year. Kim was thrilled. It turns out she'd always had a huge crush on him. She had his last name tacked on to the end of hers all over her diary." Jacob laughed.

So, it was the same girl, Bella mused. She gave Jacob a sly glance. "I bet you had my name doodled all over your school books, too." She quipped.

Bella knew she had hit the mark when Jacob averted his gaze. HIs colour infused cheeks dimpled as he tried to hide his sheepish smile. "I'm not going to confirm or deny that." His smile quickly faded and an anxious expression took over his face. "So…have you finished processing yet?"

The sun broke through the clouds suddenly, a surprise Bella hadn't been expecting, and she had to narrow her eyes against the glare off the water. Everything changed colour-the waves turned from grey to blue, the trees from dull olive to brilliant jade, and the rainbow hued pebbles glittered like jewels. She had always thought of Jacob as her own personal sun. Even when they were kids, they had always gravitated toward each other, way before any of the imprinting thing came into effect. She was glad that it had happened naturally, organically. Unlike Sam and Emily, even Jared and his Kim, their connection was different, borne out of a deep love and friendship, not merely because of some mystical, wolfy connection.

Bella squinted for a moment, letting her eyes adjust to the brightness. There were no sounds besides the hollow roar of the waves that echoed from every side of the sheltered harbour, the soft grinding of the stones under the water's movement, and the cry of gulls' high overhead. It was very peaceful.

For some reason an old hallmark movie she'd watched with Renee, years ago, on one lazy Sunday afternoon came to mind. There was quote from it that had always stayed with her- 'Love comes softly.' She thought it was an apt description regarding her feelings for Jacob.

Their love had built slowly, over time. It didn't come rushing in like a tidal wave and knock her down. Of course, there are different kinds of love, but often the tidal wave kind doesn't last, has no depth, while the love that comes softly is more apt to last and be strong. The tidal wave kind of love may be more exciting at the beginning-much like her relationship with Edward- but the love that comes softly, that was the one that lasts forever.

Jacob settled closer to her, so that their arms were touching. He was so warm. After a minute of this, Bella shrugged out of her rain jacket. He made a little sound of contentment in the back of his throat, and rested his cheek on top of her head as he put one arm around her waist.

Bella could feel the sun heat her skin-though it wasn't quite as warm as Jacob-and she felt completely content. "I love you, Jake." She said softly. "And my feelings have nothing to do with any imprint. My feelings snuck up on me, and before I realised what was happening, I was already in love."

When Bella glanced up at Jacob, he was wearing the sweetest smile she had ever seen, holding all the love and adoration that she would ever need. In moments they were locked in an embrace that neither of them ever wanted to end. One of Jacob's hands clasped around her lower back, the other stroking her hair. With each soft touch happy tears began to fall, tears neither of them wiped away.

A/N-thanks for reading! Please review.