A low growl wakes me from an unrestful sleep. I try to blink but it doesn't clear my foggy vision. I don't know where I am. The low growl contines and I begin to recognize it as snoring, the heat surrounding me feels safe even though I don't know where it is coming from. As I become more aware of my surroundings I discover that I am in pain. Finally the blinking works and I take in my surrounding. The walls of the only trauma room on the reservation begin to take shape around me. The snoring is coming from Jacob who is sharing the small hospital bed with me.

I begin the mental checklist of my symptoms. My left leg bares the most of my pain, along with my head. The IV in my arms is managing my pain so I am unable to get an accurate measure. The drugs being pumped in through my IV begin to pull me under again, but not before I nestle further into Jake.

The next time I wake, I don't feel quite as foggy. Jake is still laying next to me, but this time he is also awake. His eyes light up when he see that I am alert. He looks exhausted, there are red circles around his eyes and I wonder if he has been crying. Now I understand where the heat is coming from.

"Bella, you're awake" he says, tears dripping from his eyes.

"Jake, what happened. Are we safe?"

"Yeah Bells we're safe. I'll tell you the rest when you're stronger"

"No Jake, I need to know now!" I say firmly.

"Are you sure?"

I nod.

"Last night while we were on patrol Edward somehow slipped past us. When I got home he was gone but Victoria had just arrived. She was trying to kill you, because you were part of Edwards past. My duty to protect you caused me to phase…" his voice wavers. "I hurt you… when I phased. I was too close. Bella I'm so sorry"

"Did you get rid of Victoria?"

"Yes, of course. The pack and I destroyed her. No one will ever have to worry about her ever again."

"Then you didn't hurt me. You saved me" I say grasping his hand.

"But I did hurt you" Jake says, pulling the blanket covering my legs back.

A foot long bandage runs the length of my left thigh. It's clear that the pain I was feeling is coming from whatever is being covered by the gauze. Jake is beside himself at the idea of hurting me. He tries to pull his hand away, but I stop him.

"This wasn't your fault. Phasing saved both of us. Jake… I love you"

"I love you too Bella"

"Oh there's one more thing. The pack got Edward."

"Oh" is all I can manage.

I take a silent moment to mourn Edward, it had been almost 11 years since I'd seen him and he hadn't aged a day. I didn't think of him often before learning more about the supernatural world. Since falling for Jacob I realize what Edward and I had wasn't love, it was obsession and unhealthy.

When I look back to Jacob I see the pain in his eyes. Clearly the thought of hurting me is still plaguing him. Just as I am about to reassure him again there is a knock at the door and Dr. Freedman pokes his head in.

"Bella you're awake" He says with a kind smile.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay, still a bit tired and my leg aches a little" I say quietly. I don't want Jake to feel any worse.

"Let's take a look at it" Dr. Freedman says, as he unwraps the gauze covering my leg.

He exposes an eight inch gash in my left thigh. I hear Jake whimper as I examine it. The wound is clearly deep but with Dr. Freedman's excellent suturing the scar will likely be small. The swelling is well controlled at the moment and the fact that I am feeling pain around the incision is a good sign that there was no nerve damage.

"Bella, you are healing surprisingly well. As long as you will have Jake's supervision I'm okay sending you home today, if you promise to take it easy. That means nothing strenuous, no walking or physical activity" He gives Jake a pointed look after his last statement and we both turn bright red.

"Of course Doctor, she'll be in good hands" Jake says.

Twenty minutes later we're pulling into Billy's driveway. The house is empty but I can't seem to make myself get out of the car. Jake comes around and opens my door, but as he goes to scoops me up from the seat my pulse beings quicken and I can't control my breathing. I think I'm having a panic attack.

"Bells, sweetheat what's wrong?"

"I can't go in. I'm too scared. What if they come back?" I cry into his chest.

"Baby, you know they can't come back" he tries to comfort me.

"Jake I thought I was going to lose you. I can't go through that again." I cry harder.

"I want to go home"

"To your apartment?" He asks

"No… I ended my lease"

"I can drive to Charlie's house" Jake suggests

But that doesn't seem right either.

"No, he's not home anyway. He'll be at work."

I pause for a long moment.

"Actually, home is anywhere you are" I say pulling him into a fierce hug. "I think I'm ready to go inside now, as long as you promise to never leave my sight."

"I can do that, but I think I have a better plan. Let me make a quick phone call"

Jake closes my door and pulls out his phone. He is far enough away so that I can still see him but I can't tell what he's saying. A minute later he joins me in the cab of my truck. We drive down to the beach and watch the waves crash against the shore from the comfort of our seats.

"Bells, do you trust me?" he asks.

"Of course I trust you."

"Good" he says, as he leans over and kisses my lips gently.

I think for a moment that we're headed back to Billy's house but than Jake turns onto a small road that I have never been down. He pulls into an unfamiliar driveway, just as Paul, Embry and Quil are exiting the front door of the mystery house. The house is sweet, two stories with a wrap around porch. The white paint looks new and the grass has been freshly mowed, the green shutters make it look homey and inviting. I turn to Jake and give him a questioning look.

"Welcome home Bells" He says taking my hand.

"What?!"

"Welcome home!"

"Jake I don't understand. Where are we?" I question.

"Do you remember when we first got together I told you that I was planning on buying a house. Well about a week before we met again, I put in an offer on this house. I didn't tell you because I figured I wouldn't get it. I signed on it two weeks ago, I wanted to fix it up before I told you about it, but it seems like you need it today." he tells me all of this with a nervous sheepish look on his face.

"Oh Jacob, it's perfect!"

"May I give you a tour?"

"Of course"

Jake scoops me up out of the truck and carries me up the porch steps and across the threshold of the house. The house is cute on the inside even though it needs some work. When we get to the master bedroom I see that our bed has been moved to the new bedroom from Billy's house.

"This was the phone call I made, the guys in the pack brought over our bed so that you could rest without having to go back to Billy's house that is full of bad memories."

"Jake thank you, I love all of it!"

"But Bella, I want you to know just because I bought this house doesn't mean you have to live here. If you want to have your own place on the reservation after you get permanent residency I will absolutely understand." He says as he lays me down on the bed.

"Thank you Jacob, but can we cross that bridge when we get to it? For now all I want to do is take a nap next to you."

"Well Dr. Swan your wish is my command" He says pulling the comforter up over us and snuggling up to me.

AN: Hey guys, thanks for sticking with me. I apologize for the short chapter and the delay, I've been struggling with some writers block. Let me know what you think and what you want to see in future chapters.