Bella and Jacob sat next to each other on the sofa, the tension in the air so thick it could be cut with a knife. Bella absentmindedly continued to sip at the warm broth, while Jacob retrieved the blanket that had been discarded to the floor. He tucked it around her with care, before settling into the armchair, as to give her some space.

"So… I guess everything is out in the open now." Jacob said, looking at her and trying to gauge her expression. "Are you scared of me?"

"No. I could never be scared of you Jake. I mean, it was scary in the moment but… Once I saw you in wolf form, I knew it was you and I had nothing to be afraid of. When we made eye contact, it was like everything made sense and all the fear had gone. It was actually kind of cool."

Jacob chuckled at her response, relieved that she wasn't too freaked out by the whole thing. The reveal had happened in the worst possible way, but the moments after he shifted he couldn't bring himself to regret. It seemed fate had been on his side and agreed that after her ordeal, she needed to know the whole truth.

"I'm glad you think so. But besides seeing me shift, something else happened too. Something really significant."

"And what's that?" She asked, placing the bowl on the table.

"When we locked eyes, after I looked at you in wolf form… I… well, it's hard to explain… I uhh…." Jacob fumbled for the right words, trying to explain imprinting in the least creepy way possible. He had loved her from the moment she moved to Forks, but after going through the change and imprinting on her it only solidified his feelings. His concern was with the fact that Bella had already rejected his advances in the past, and the imprint wouldn't change anything if she didn't feel that way about him. He could still be with her for life as her best friend, but it pained him deep down to think that she would never see him the way he saw her.

"It's okay, Jake... After all the horrible things I told you today, I think it's safe to say we shouldn't keep secrets from each other." He took a moment, trying to find the perfect combination of words, but nothing sounded right and his frustration grew until he forced himself to just blurt it out.

"I imprinted on you, Bella. When we locked eyes like that and you felt that energy? That was an imprint."

"What is an imprint? I mean, I know you have feelings for me. Or had, at least… I don't understand." Bella clutched the blanket firmly in her hands, unconsciously chewing on her bottom lip.

"It's not like that. Well, I mean it can be, but it doesn't have to be. It's what happens when a wolf sees his soul mate. The wolf is bonded to that person for life. It can be a lot of different things, a friend, a partner… or anything else we could come up with. It doesn't have to be….romantic. It usually is, but not always."

"But, I've been spending so much time over here, well before...all this. Why is it only just now happening?"

"To be fair, I haven't seen you really since I completed the transformation. In theory it should have happened when I saw you, even in human form, but it didn't take until I turned. I'm not sure why, but… this doesn't have to change things between us, if you don't want it to. It won't be exactly the same as before, but we can try. All I know is that I love you, Bella. I love you with everything that I am, and you can take that in any way you choose." She looked at him once again, his arms resting on his knees and his hands clasped together, resting on his face. He seemed so nervous, and so scared of rejection from her. She tried to take a moment to sort out her feelings, to try and make some sense out of what he was telling her. Deep down, she had always had feelings for him as well, but it had been more in a platonic little-brother sort of way. Things had started to change the more time she spent around him, the days they would spend in his garage together building the bikes, but she had been so blinded by the desire to see him that she had paid those feelings no mind. Bella looked at him now, bearing his soul before her, and hadn't the slightest idea how she felt or what to say.

"I don't get it. How can you love me like this?" She gestured to herself with her hands, taking another anxious breath in. "I'm broken, Jake. I've spent all these months behaving recklessly, shutting you out, and you literally found me about to jump off a cliff. I look like a mess and I'm such a wreck. How could you want any part of me?" There were tears forming in her eyes again, listing off all the reasons that she shouldn't be loved, especially not by someone as pure and wholesome as Jacob. He deserved so many things out of life, and all he had gotten from her so far was rejection and pain.

Jacob stood from his position in the arm chair, closing the distance between them and wiping her tears away. He gestured to the sofa with his head, and getting a nod from Bella, he picked her up easily and sat behind her, allowing her to relax into him once again.

"It would take me a hundred years to tell you all of the reasons I love you, Bella, even before the imprint. What you've been through doesn't change how I feel about you. I know I've been an ass, and I have a lot to do to make up for it, but you're everything that I could ever want and need. I know things have been complicated between us, and I just want you to know that I will never force you to define us. Your health and happiness is all that I care about, Bells." She smiled at him, the first genuine Bella smile he had seen in ages. It made his heart soar to see her happy, and hopefully get it into her head that despite everything he would always love her.

"And for the record, Bella, you look absolutely beautiful to me right now. I could never look at you and think differently. Especially seeing you wearing my clothes." He smiled yet again, seeing a blush creeping up her cheeks. He was walking a fine line flirting with her, but Jacob would never let Bella believe she was anything less than perfection in his eyes.

"Oh yeah… sorry about that. Thanks for loaning them to me while mine dry."

"Anything for you, Bells. Are you feeling any better? I know you've had a really rough day." She thought for a moment, before leaning closer into his chest, sighing at the pleasant warmth that Jake's skin gave off.

"I'm feeling worlds better. Better than I've felt in a few weeks, actually." She looked up to him, excited to see his signature Jake smile return after so long without it. Looking at him like this, cuddled up on the couch, feeling the heat radiate off of him and the strong, steady beat of his heart, Bella realized that for the first time in a very long time, she felt completely at ease. No pain, no desperation, no more of the bone chilling cold that she couldn't seem to shake. Everything felt so natural, and yet so excitingly new. After finally accepting that Edward was gone and realizing how truly cruel his actions were, after being brought within an inch of her life and shedding all of the emotional pain of the last few months, Bella felt as though she had been born again. She was still emotionally raw from her ordeal, but instead of learning to live with the pain, looking at Jake smiling down at her she knew she could finally let it all go. The healing could finally begin, and Jake would be right there with her for all of it.

Grinning ear to ear with this new revelation, Bella felt a sudden surge of courage as she pushed herself up off of his chest, looking at him face to face. Explaining the imprint had left Jacob very insecure, knowing how she had rebuffed his advances in the past. It was one thing to hear over and over how much he loved her, but his actions today had done more than show her how he felt. And after so much time she had spent denying it, it was time to admit that she did feel the same way. But it wouldn't be enough to say it, Bella had to show him the same way he had shown her, through action.

Bella reached her hands out to cup Jacob's face, stroking his cheek lovingly before bringing him in to kiss him. Jacob tensed at first, utterly shocked at her boldness, but after a moment relaxed into the kiss and returned it with just as much passion. His lips were warm and soft, contouring to the shape of hers as she deepened the kiss. She slid up the sofa to be even closer to him, returned by Jacob sliding his hands around her waist and holding her close to him.

Sparks were flying behind Bella's eyes as a fire ignited deep within her. She could feel the strong pulse of the bond that they shared, reverberating Jacob's passion and love as his hands stroked her back. She reached a hand behind his head, running her fingers through his jet black hair as his teeth grazed her bottom lip. She moaned slightly, the feeling new and exciting to her. She had never kissed anyone before him, and he never gave her more than a peck on the lips. It always felt like kissing a statue, cold and unmoving, but Jacob was another world entirely. She could feel his excitement grow as he crashed his lips to hers, running his nails across her scalp in unbelievable pleasure as he ran his fingers through her hair. She shifted herself yet again in an effort to get closer, leaving her practically lying on top of him. Jacob gently grabbed her chin, breaking off the kiss for a moment to breathe.

"Bella… are you sure about this?" His face showed that same insecurity as before, although his pupils were fully dilated and his eyes were on fire.

"Yes, Jake. I'm sure. And I was an idiot for making you wait so long. I love you Jacob." He looked at her, his eyes widening in shock. For so long, he had waited to hear those words from her, and now that she had fully and completely chosen him, he felt like every single moment in his life had led him to this spot. All the tears and heartbreak and sleepless nights had a purpose, every moment of pain and sadness had all been worth it to hear Bella Swan tell him that she loved him.

"I love you too Bella." He said, although through his happiness he did have to break up the kissing for a moment to be responsible. He grabbed her by the waist, lifting her effortlessly off of his chest and placing her onto the sofa. "Gimme just a second, though, something I gotta do."

Bella watched with curiosity as he left the couch once again, approaching the front door. He found Bella's coat hanging neatly on the coat rack, and fished her cell phone out of the pocket.

"What are you doing?" She asked cautiously.

"After everything we've been through today, I was hoping you would stay over here tonight so we can talk everything through. Plus, I said I would bring you to Emily's tomorrow. The rest of the Pack wants to meet you. I was gonna call your dad for you." He saw Bella's brow furrow for a moment, her tell tale sign of being in deep thought.

"Can I talk to him instead? I want him to know I'm doing better, he'll be excited to hear me so happy." His smile beamed at her from across the room, and he gingerly tossed the cell phone to her. Of course, Bella being as uncoordinated as a newborn deer, missed the phone entirely and it landed with a dull thud on the ground.

She picked up the phone, feeling anxiety creeping in as she found Charlie's contact. He hadn't really wanted to be around her much, and there had been a lot of tension between them the last few months. Jacob's warm hand intertwining with her free hand strengthened her resolve, as she hit 'Dial'. The phone rang for a few moments, before there was noise on the other end.

"Bella? Is everything okay?" Charlie answered the phone and right away his tone was concerned. It wasn't like her to call him during the workday unless it was an emergency.

"Everything is fine, Dad. I just wanted to see… me and Jake met up today, and had a long talk about everything and we've made up." The seconds dragged on as Bella finished explaining, nervously awaiting his reaction. She knew he had always had a soft spot for Jacob, but since their "fight", she knew Charlie was hesitant about her wanting to see him. She figured it was probably a knee jerk reaction, seeing how all-consuming the last boy to come around her had been, and what a mess he had left behind when he broke his little girl's heart. It was understandable that he would be hesitant to be so trusting of another suitor so soon.

"Well, jeez Bells… that's great. You sound a lot better too." Relief washed over Bella, and Jacob who was on the other side of the couch but able to hear the conversation clear as day. He sounded relieved for her, happy that she had finally displayed some sort of happiness after all her time sulking.

"Thanks, Dad. I'm feeling a lot better. Anyways, I wanted to see...with the storm and everything, would it be alright if I stayed over here for the night?"

"Yeah, that's fine Bells. There's no power at the house right now anyway so I would rather you stay put there. When can I expect you home?" Bella briefly looked at Jake for an answer, to which he whispered 'Monday morning.'

"I'll be home Monday morning. Tomorrow, Jake is introducing me to his friends on the rez."

"Okay, I have a lot of work to do with all the hikers, and the storm had thrown a wrench into things. I'm glad you're finally getting out of the house, Bells. You've really had me worried lately."

"I know, Dad, and I'm sorry. But I don't want to sit around the house anymore, I think this time with Jake will do me a lot of good."

"Well, tell Jacob I said hello, and that I expect him to take good care of you." Jacob gave her a thumbs up and a goofy face, which made her smile even harder.

"I'll tell him, thanks Dad. I love you." There was a pause on the other end, as Bella realized it had been far too long since she had told Charlie she loved him.

"Love you too, Bells. Gotta go."

"Bye dad."

The call disconnected after a moment, leaving Bella with a warm feeling deep in her heart. It had been months since her and Charlie had spoken to each other like this, lately it had all been fights regarding her refusal to go to Florida. Maybe with a little bit of time, she could show Charlie that she would be okay and they could go back to the way they used to be. The idea filled her with a newfound hope for the future, starting with making up for a lot of lost time with Jake.

"So, now that we have the night to ourselves, what do you want to do?" Jacob asked her excitedly. Now that she was fully back in his life, with none of the tension from before, his mind was bursting with the possibilities. Not all of them were entirely innocent, he thought with a mischievous grin, but of course he would never push her at a pace she wasn't comfortable with.

She thought for a moment, debating something they could do that wouldn't require much effort or attention. After hiking for miles on an empty stomach, going on the world's worst emotional rollercoaster, finding out her best friend is a werewolf, admitting she was in love with him, and reconciling with her father, Bella was feeling the exhaustion set in.

"Can we watch a movie?" She suggested, seeing Jake perk up at the idea of more time cuddled up to her.

"Sure thing, honey. How about you pick one out and I make us some popcorn?" She nodded, moving from her position on the couch to the assortment of movies under the TV cabinet.

"By the way, where is Billy tonight?" Bella asked aloud to Jacob, hoping he wouldn't be coming home anytime soon. That would be a lot of explaining, plus she would rather just spend the time with Jacob alone.

"Oh, don't worry about him. He's staying at the Clearwater's for the weekend. Pack business, actually. But we can get into all of that tomorrow." She sighed, feeling another twinge of anxiety at the thought of having to face everyone again. After everything that had happened, she hadn't exactly made a good first impression. As if he could feel her anxiety from across the room, Bella smiled as Jake was next to her instantly, his hands on her shoulders.

"Believe me Bells, you have nothing to worry about. They all like you already. Plus, word has gotten out about you slapping Paul and the others are having a field day making fun of him. You'll fit right in with them." She blushed deeply, still embarrassed about that whole ordeal. Choosing to cross that bridge when they came to it, Bella popped in the DVD she had chosen, joining Jacob on the couch as she hit play. She snuggled into his shoulder, getting herself comfortable against his massive torso in the limited space on the couch.

Jacob had a massive bowl of popcorn in his hand, offering her some. She held up her hand and declined, knowing that even though she hadn't finished the soup from earlier it filled her more than she had been used to lately. He set the bowl on the table, rubbing her shoulder with his hand.

"Hey Bells? Is this... something I should worry about? I know it's been rough lately but I notice that you've gotten really thin…It doesn't seem healthy."

"I know, Jake. It's not, I look awful… it's been really hard for me to eat much these past few months. The anxiety has made my stomach cramp and I don't have an appetite, but I promise I'll work on it."

"If you say so. Just know I think you're beautiful no matter what." He kissed the top of her head, holding her close to him as they watched the movie in silent bliss. About 45 minutes through the movie, Bella gave in to the exhaustion and fell asleep against him. It took awhile for Jake to notice that she had fallen asleep, but once he did he was able to turn off the movie and slide his arms carefully under her, careful not to wake her. She had a small smile on her face as she slept, which put Jacob at ease. Knowing that she had been having a really hard time sleeping through the night, he carried her into his room and set her down gently on the bed. He had a full size bed, but he knew that it would still be a snug fit even with her small frame. Neither one would mind, though, so changing into a pair of shorts he climbed in next to her, content to breathe in her sweet scent and feel the steady rhythm of her heartbeat as he drifted off to sleep.

The next morning at about 7:30, Jacob's eyes opened as his instincts told him the sun had risen. He took in a large breath, stretching out his arms and legs, before bumping into something soft. He looked over his shoulder to see Bella still asleep, their limbs tangled together and her hair flowing in all directions. He wanted to take this mental image and keep it forever, seeing it every time he closed his eyes. She looked so perfect, and so… Bella-like. Her brows were furrowed together and she held a pout on her lips. He tried not to giggle as he looked at her, instead trying to gently free his leg from hers and replace the blanket so she didn't get cold. She made a little mumble in her sleep, until Jacob tucked the blanket a little tighter around her and gave her a soft kiss on the forehead. Knowing that Bella was usually more of a late sleeper, he decided to give her more time to rest as he went to the bathroom and started the shower. Looking into the mirror, he didn't hardly even recognize himself. The man staring back at him had a relaxed, natural smile on his face and his eyes looked bright and alive. His skin had a slight pink flush to it, and the bags that had planted themselves firmly under his eyes had all but disappeared. This was the man that Jacob wanted to be, now and forever, and he for once was grateful to the wolf side of him.

He had been scared at first, when he first completed the change he was able to see all of the thoughts and memories of the members of his pack if they didn't keep them secret. He had particularly hated watching a replay of Jared showing Kim his true nature, because she had screamed and fainted on the spot. It took a long time for her to come around to it, and the rest of the pack made it very obvious they were not looking forward to having to do it again with Bella. Although they hadn't imprinted yet, Jacob had yet to learn control over his thoughts and memories, and the pack was already quite frustrated with how much his mind wandered to Bella. Most speculated that because she was not Quileute, he would not imprint with her, but that his obsession over her would lead to the truth one way or another. In a way, I suppose they were right, but at least Bella was already used to seeing paranormal beings and didn't have as bad of a reaction as Kim.

Seeing trails of steam begin to fog up the mirror, Jacob wasted no time getting into the shower and letting the hot spray was over him. He felt invigorated after just a few minutes of breathing in the steam, as though the hot water had melted away all of the stress and fear from yesterday. Knowing now how much time Bella had spent in his personal space yesterday, he took it upon himself to go over himself twice with soap, making sure he smelled as fresh as he could. It was a silly thing to be concerned with, as yesterday she had stayed pressed to him for hours and he hadn't showered in days. If he did stink, Bella would definitely be the first to tell him, he thought to himself. Doing a decent job of shampooing and conditioning his hair, Jacob was satisfied and turned the knob off. Stepping out of the shower, he wrapped himself in a towel before wiping off the mirror. Taking his shaving kit out of the cupboard, he set to work ridding himself of the 5 o'clock shadow he had acquired. Feeling more bright and alert, he cleaned up the countertop and hastily pulled on his shorts, forgetting for a moment that he and Bella hadn't gotten that comfortable yet. He entered the bedroom to grab a change of clothes, only to feel slightly alarmed at his bed being empty. He threw on the first pair of jeans he could find, pulling on a t-shirt and jamming his feet into his tennis shoes.

Bella must have woken up and gotten freaked out that they had slept in the same bed. He kicked himself mentally, thinking that he had drastically crossed the line by assuming she would be okay with it. He threw open his door, ready to charge out the front door to find her and apologize, when he got to the living room and was hit with the smells of cooking bacon. He looked to the kitchen where he found Bella bent over the stove, grabbing something out of the oven. His stomach growled when he realized she had made muffins, one of his favorites, placing them on a rack to cool. As she tended to whatever was cooking on the stove, Jacob's heart leapt at the sight of her.

She was still wearing his clothing, although the shirt had come untucked and was almost like a dress on her. Her hair was thrown up into a messy bun, and she was even wearing a pair of his slippers that he kept under the bed. He had far outgrown them, but they suited her perfectly. He rounded the corner into the kitchen, where she finally took notice of him standing there.

"Good morning," She said to him, with the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. Her eyes had a twinkle in them it seemed, as she was so vibrant and lively as she made her way around to him. "Come sit, it's almost ready."

Jacob happily obliged, sitting down at the small table. After a few moments of finishing touches, she brought a plate over to Jake piled high with bacon, eggs, hash browns, and a blueberry muffin. She set another plate down on her side, containing only a small portion of eggs and a spoonful of the hash browns. It concerned him a bit, until she returned to the table again with two cups of coffee and another muffin, buttered on the top and sat down. Normally he would be ravenous with a plate of home cooked food in front of him, however for the moment he was totally transfixed on Bella, watching as she absent mindedly added cream and sugar to her coffee, fixing it to her standards before taking a long sip.

"I can't believe you did all of this in the time it took me to shower," He said, absolutely impressed with her massive spread of his favorite breakfast foods. She smiled, setting the cup down and tearing the paper away from her muffin.

"You were in there for quite a while, Jake, I got started about five minutes after you got up. So...are you gonna eat any of it, or are you just gonna sit and stare at me?" He snorted, giving her a playful grin before he began to eat. In a matter of minutes, his muffin, all of the bacon, eggs, and most of the hash browns were gone. He sipped at his black coffee, relishing the bitter sweet taste as he watched her eat. She had gotten a few small nibbles off of the muffin, before moving on to the eggs. He averted his eyes so he wasn't staring at her, but he watched with concern as she had barely eaten a quarter of the small amount on her plate. She picked at the hash browns on her plate, before taking another tiny bite of her muffin. She sat for a few seconds, contemplating, before she pushed her chair back and stood from her seat.

"Are you done?" She asked, reaching for his plate. He elected to grab it himself instead, standing up as well.

"Are you?" He asked her incredulously, eyeing her plate once again. If he hadn't sat there and watched, he wouldn't have been able to tell she had even touched it.

"I know, Jake… I'm sorry. I'm really trying, but I'm full, really." He sighed, kissing the top of her head as he grabbed her plate as well.

"I'm sorry Bells, I just… I worry about you, y'know. I want to make sure I'm taking care of you, just like Charlie asked me to."

"I'll work up to it, I promise." In the meantime she finished her cup of coffee, attempting to take it to the sink but Jake stopped her.

"Nope. I got this, how about you go get changed so we can head over to Emily's?" She nodded, turning over the cup to him. She passed behind him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek as she went.

After the dishes had been scraped, rinsed, and put in the dishwasher, Jacob pulled out his cell phone to check for any new notifications. He was surprised to find that he had over 60 new messages, all from the members of the pack. He scrolled through them absent mindedly, noting that they were all asking what had happened with Bella and why he hadn't phased back. Apparently, Sam had ordered the only two people who knew of his imprint, Embry and Jared, to keep quiet about it until he was ready to tell everyone himself. He made a note to thank Sam for that, as he saw a majority of the messages were the same. Everyone wanted to know why Bella was here, and what had happened after she had slapped Paul. He put his phone back into his pocket, making sure the keys to the Rabbit were in his pocket with his wallet. He heard Bella approach once again, smiling as he saw her round the corner. In typical Bella fashion, she had neglected to tie one of her laces and subsequently tripped over it, but managed to catch Jacob's outstretched arm to keep her from falling.

"Please, Bells… do NOT make me baby proof this place." He joked with her, offering his arm to her for balance as she tied her shoe.

"I don't think you'll need to. It looks like you're as fast as I am clumsy." She stuck her tongue out at him, which made him laugh until he slung her over his shoulder and carried her out the door.

"Jake, hey! Put me down!" She squealed, even though anyone could see it was a losing fight. Compared to Jacob's sheer height and strength, it was as if he was carrying a child, and she couldn't reach the ground to free herself.

"Nope, gotta make sure we get you there in one piece." She feigned a pout from over his shoulder, earning another one of Jacob's precious, melodic laughs, but seeing as she couldn't get down on her own she relented to being carried over to Jake's car. She noted with interest that he had somehow gotten her truck here as well, it's signature rusty red almost blending into the exterior of the house.

"I had Embry go grab it for me last night." He answered her unspoken question, lowering her back onto her feet. He opened the door for her, allowing her to get situated in the car before he shut the door. Hopping into the driver's seat, he quickly started the car and made off towards Emily's house.

"So, just a couple quick things, before we get there." Jacob announced, gaining Bella's full attention. "Sam's fiancee, Emily… don't stare at her. It bugs Sam."

"Why would I stare at her?" Bella asked, confused at the strange request.

"You'll see what I mean when we get there. Also, I just want you to know that the guys can be a little rowdy, completely inappropriate, and sometimes just plain ignorant. They're good guys, but they have a brain cell to share between them all, so if they say anything rude take it with a grain of salt."

"They didn't seem so bad last night…" She pointed out to him. Jared had answered her questions in great length and made her soup, and Embry had gotten her the clothes to wear and gave her direction when she was too shocked to think straight.

"Like I said, they're nice guys, but last night they were definitely on their best behavior because of Sam. It was kind of a tense moment for everyone after you slapped Paul, Sam went into full Alpha mode to make sure you were okay." She blushed again, feeling another wave of embarrassment.

"I'm never going to live that down, am I?"

"No way. Everybody is going to give you and Paul grief for that for the rest of your lives."

"There is one more thing, though," Jake said in complete seriousness. Bella looked at him, a little worried by the rapid change in mood. "I know Sam will have everyone watching what they say, but someone may bring up the Cullens, or ask about them. I just want you to be prepared for that, and know that you don't have to take anybody's crap if they are making you uncomfortable."

"Noted…" Bella said, her heart dropping a bit at the mention of them.

"I mean, besides Edward, are you good with the rest of them? Have you talked to any of them? The pack may want to know." The question was followed by a heavy pause as she contemplated what she would say if she were to be asked that. Despite the hurt and anger it brought, she had the answer instantly with extreme clarity.

"No, I haven't talked to any of them since they left. And as far as I am concerned, they all abandoned me just as much as he did. They talked a big game about me joining their family and loving me like a sister, but when Ed...he left... they all cut contact with me and left me on my own. Nobody bothered to check in, Alice gave me a fake email address… I never want to see any one of them ever again."

"Good answer," Jacob responded, impressed by her firm resolve. He couldn't hide the relief in his voice though, which made Bella give him a questioning look, but before anything else could be said about the topic they had made their last turn to pull up to Sam and Emily's house.

The two of them each took a deep breath, joining their hands together for a moment, before stepping out of the car to face the pack together for the first time.

The two approached the house together, Bella being amazed by the scenery she had found herself in. The front of the house was elaborately decorated in all sorts of plants, flowers and bushes and ferns as far as she could see. The house looked cozy, with a nice set of patio furniture on the deck giving a very homey feel to it. Jacob didn't even have to knock, before Emily appeared in the doorway.

"Jake, I'm so glad you guys could come! Everyone is already inside." Turning her attention to Bella, she smiled at her as well.

"So you're the one causing all the commotion," she said with humor in her voice. "I'm Emily."

Bella realized right away what Jacob had meant by "don't stare". She had three parallel scars running horizontally across her face, locking her eye and her mouth permanently into place. They looked like jagged claw marks, and she also noticed they ran down the length of her arm as well. Jacob's warning in the car prepared her well, as she reached out to her without missing a beat.

"I guess that's me… I'm Bella."

"Come on in, guys!" She stepped aside, holding the door open for the pair. Sensing Bella's anxiety flare, he instinctively reached out his hand to her, which she took instantly following him inside the house.

It took Bella a second to recognize that the mass of writhing shapes in front of her was actually a giant mass of people. A group of boys, all bearing the same tattoo and forgoing a shirt, were scrambling over a plate of cookies on the table, while there were some outliers lining the walls, chatting amongst themselves. All of the conversations stopped in their tracks, as soon as they noticed the pair had entered the house.

"Hey slugger! Back for round two with Paul?" Embry called out, making Bella's face go beet red as they all laughed and waved at her. Jacob was about to step in, telling the guys to cool it, but surprisingly Bella had beat him to it.

"Tough talk when you're sitting all the way over there behind your buddies. You wanna take me on next?" Embry's face as she raised an eyebrow at him, making a beckoning motion with her hand sent everybody into howling laughter. Jacob glowed with pride, knowing that Bella could definitely hang with this crowd and hold her own.

After the laughter died down, a brief introduction to the pack followed putting faces to the names she had heard. She already knew Paul, Embry, and Jared respectively, but she was then introduced to Quil, Colin, Brady, and more surprisingly, Seth and Leah Clearwater. It didn't go unnoticed that Leah was the only female wolf in the Pack, and Bella's handshake was rebuffed coldly. Jacob shot her a glare, but the rest of the pack was all over her, swapping handshakes and fist bumps. Bella noticed Sam look at Jacob with a questioning expression. Jacob nodded to him, taking Bella's hand in his own once again.

"I haven't phased at all since yesterday, so I'm sure you all are dying to know what happened. Aside from the slapping part, that much you guys all know. I phased yesterday after the incident, and… I imprinted on Bella. She knows about us now, so Sam's order was lifted and that's why she's here."

There was a mixed reaction among the pack members as they took in the information. There was shock, pride, confusion, and from Leah a look of disgust. Bella shrugged it off, trying not to let her harsh treatment get under her skin. In a way she sympathized with her, noticing she definitely didn't fit in quite right with the pack, not unlike how Bella could never fit in with the Cullen clan. Or any other social group, for that matter. Jared was the one to break the tension between them, looking to Jacob with a mischievous grin.

"So does that mean after we left you two…?" He suggested, waggling his eyebrows. His comment was rewarded with a smack to the back of his head with a wooden spoon by Emily, who had previously been standing in the kitchen with Sam.

"Inappropriate, Jared Cameron!" She chided, resembling a mother scolding her child. It made Bella chuckle a bit, until a distinct retching sound came from the corner. All eyes turned to Leah, who rolled her eyes at the display.

"That's just gross, Jared." Bella could feel Jacob tense beside her, as well as the discomfort from around the room.

"What's your problem, Leah?" He took a step towards her, but did not phase her in the slightest. She uncrossed her arms from her chest and stood up to Jacob as he approached.

"So we're all just going to ignore the fact that this girl was involved with those filthy bloodsuckers? Because I haven't forgotten, and I don't trust her. I can still smell their filth on her."

"Leah, knock it off!" Sam sounded from the kitchen. Her body stiffened as she took a step back, but her face was filled with disgust and her eyes on fire. "Nobody has forgotten, but most of us have the decency to not mention it to her face."

"And why not? I'm not afraid to say it right to her face." She turned her gaze directly to Bella. "I don't trust you. I have no doubt that you'll run right back into your leech lover's arms, crush Jacob again, and spill all of our secrets to them. If you're looking for a warm welcome, you're not gonna get it from me."

Jacob could feel his body starting to tremble as his anger rose, threatening to have him shift right then and there, but it was instantly brought back to a manageable level when he felt Bella's small hand resting on his shoulder. She stepped out from behind him, walking directly up to Leah until only a dining room chair separated them.

"Say what you want to, I don't care. The Cullens are dead to me. You can call me 'leech lover' all day, but don't you dare suggest that I would hurt Jacob. I would sooner die than to ever hurt Jacob because of those monsters."

Everybody in the room held their breaths, all in shock that shy, timid Bella would ever mouth off to somebody like Leah. Leah's fury settled into a cool glare, as she shoulder checked Jacob out of the way to make for the front door. As soon as the door closed, the shredding of fabric and the roaring of a wolf rang out, signaling Leah had just shifted and sprinted off.

"Okay, that's it…" Quil suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence in the room. "I officially love this chick! Nobody talks to Leah that way, I can't believe she just turned tail and ran off! That was epic!" Agreement among the pack members broke out, earning Bella enough super powered high fives to make her arm feel like falling off.

"It's about time someone put her in her place!" Embry commented, getting a nod of agreement from Seth.

At this point, Jacob was feeling more than comfortable with Bella being around the pack, and took it as an opportunity to sit and mingle with the guys as normal. Bella smiled, seeing Jacob so in his element, being surrounded by his friends and brothers. Emily came over to stand beside Bella, watching as Sam brought up a chair and a deck of cards. Sam dealt the cards to each person, excluding the girls who were content to watch from the kitchen with glasses of lemonade. Jacob took the opportunity to take his shirt off, effectively making him blend in with the others right away.

"Oh, so we're playing strip poker? Can Bella play?" Jared inquired, managing to narrowly dodge a plastic spatula launched by Emily. Everybody laughed yet again, before being drawn into concentration on their respective hands.

"I swear, sometimes it's like managing a pack of toddlers." She remarked, before pulling out a few items in the oven that had just sounded.

"Toddlers that will eat you out of house and home, but toddlers all the same." Bella raised her lemonade in a 'cheers' motion, clinking it with Emily's.

"I just wanted to say, Emily… thank you for everything. I know I'm definitely the outsider that nobody trusts yet, but you let me into your home and accepted me without a second thought. It really means a lot."

"Of course Bella, any time. I know how it feels to be the social pariah of the rez, especially concerning the past and things you have no control over… Just know that I'm really happy you're here, and I'm always here for you if you ever need anything. It'll be nice to have someone around my age to talk to, who knows the struggles of being an imprint." Emily reached an arm out to her, beckoning her into a hug, which Bella accepted with joy.

She had been so scared to face the pack, after the sordid history between her and the Cullens, and the ups and downs of her relationship with Jake. But after getting to spend the afternoon in their company, with the exception of Leah, they had all been very accepting of her new role in Jacob's life, and welcomed her into their inner circle without question. To finally be accepted into a group unconditionally was a welcome change for her, and she hoped as time went on that she would be able to form a personal relationship with each one of them and truly immerse herself into pack life.