This one is all in Bella's POV, folks. I know you're hoping to see more crazy dates, and we will get there. I am literally posting this story as I write it. I hope you are all enjoying it. Your comments and critiques are welcome.


By the time Bella went to pick Jacob up, his patrol time was finished, and Leah was chatting with him on the porch. Bella climbed out of the Rabbit and practically hopped toward them, holding her temporary plates.

"Nice," Jacob said. "You gonna let me drive it back to the house in case something is wrong with it?"

"Hell no," Bella said. "I need to see what she feels like."

Leah asked, "She?"

"Yes," Bella said. "You can ride back with me, Leah. You'll get it." Knowing it would make him happy, Bella said, "But, Jacob is in love with her, and she is his favorite color. I've decided to let him name her." Jacob beamed, and Bella quickly added, "Think about it carefully.

Leah laughed, rolling her eyes. "Fine," she said. "Sounds better than running home anyway. So, does the Rabbitt have a name?"

Yeah, Bella thought. The cockblocker. She and Jacob had tried to have sex in it once, but the back seat was too small for his massive form. She blushed and nodded as Jacob laughed. "It does, but it's sort of a private joke."

Leah looked between them suspiciously and shrugged. "It looks like a Freddy."

Bella laughed and asked, "What? A Freddy?"

"Yeah," Leah said. "Like Freddy Krueger. You know? Old, mysterious, kind of scary, and roughly put together."

"Hey, hey, now," Jacob said.

Leah said, "You question if you will survive and pinch yourself to see if you are awake by the time you arrive."

Jacob sputtered, making Bella giggle as he said, "You're close to walking home, Leelee."

Bella said, "Come on. Let's go get our new love child."

Jacob barked out a loud laugh and asked, "Love child?"

Bella said, "Please, like you won't lay claim to her every chance you get."

"You are probably right," He admitted and laughed.

"Probably? My ass. You already asked to drive her," Bella teased him. As Bella turned toward the car, he caught her sleeve to hold her back.

Tentatively, Jacob said, "Before we go, we need to chat, Bells."

Bella looked up at Jacob and scowled as all the excitement fled her. She knew that tone too well. It was his bad news tone.

"What?" She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. "Did someone get hurt? Did you guys get the vampire?"

Jacob groaned as the cruiser came up the hill toward the house. "Well, I need to talk to him, too," he said, nodding toward the car. Charlie did not look happy as he climbed out of the cruiser.

Jacob scratched his head awkwardly and said, "We need to talk."

"Yeah, I figured," Charlie said. "I already know what's going on, Jake. Paul and Sam both called me. I want to know why there was a vampire in my house."

Bella shrieked, "What?"

Jacob admitted, "I was just getting ready to tell Bella. Whoever it was, went in and out through the window in her old room. The scent was at the Cullen house, too."

Her knees trembled, and Bella shifted her weight to keep them from locking.

Charlie grunted angrily. "It has got to be one of them, but why would they come here? It has been five years."

Bella felt like her chest was going to implode at any moment as she struggled to breathe. She crouched down, braced her hands on her knees, and tried to calm herself with slow, deep breaths.

Five years. Five whole fucking years and not a word. Why now? The Cullen Clan had not cared enough to save her from Laurent or Victoria, not even when Bella knew Alice must have seen it. Once upon a time, the woman who claimed to be her best friend and sister would not have simply dismissed her visions of Bella in danger. Bella knew that Alice had to have consciously chosen to ignore any knowledge of the pain, fear, and the danger she was in - and the truth was, Bella now loathed her for it. Why would they bother to search for me now? They left me for dead!

"We have another problem, though," Jacob admitted as he began rubbing her back. "Most of the pack are assuming a Cullen because they came here. I agree that it makes sense, but we have been getting trails in La Push lately. The Cullens don't come across La Push. They never even tried the last time they lived here because of the treaty." Bella stood up slowly, and Jacob pulled her into a tight embrace. She looked at Leah as she leaned her cheek to his chest, anxiously chewing her bottom lip.

"It will be fine, Bella," Leah said. "No one is going to fuck with you on my watch."

"Exactly," Jacob said. "We will figure out who it is and deal with it, Bella. You needed to know what was happening, but I truly don't want you to worry about it."

"It had to be Alice or Edward," Bella said. "Edward snuck into my room all the time back then."

Charlie scowled again and grumbled, "Even though I already know about that, it still pisses me off."

"I'm sorry, Dad," she said softly.

"You were an impressionable teenager, Bells," Charlie said. "That motherfucker was over a hundred years old. If he was human, I would put his ass in prison. I don't care if he looks seventeen or not." Charlie sighed defeatedly and said, "Sorry, Bella. I'll shut the fuck up. I don't want to make you more upset."

Bella huffed back, the spitting image of her father as she scowled in aggravation. Silent laughter rumbled through Jacob's chest as he continued rubbing her back.

Jacob said, "Hey, Bella. Let's not worry about this shit, okay? If it's him, I'll kick his ass and make sure he doesn't come back."

Bella pressed her face to his chest and mumbled, "I would tell you to break his dick off and burn it, but he doesn't use it anyway."

Jacob and Leah roared with laughter, and Charlie grimaced, clearly horrified by the idea of his darling daughter being intimate with a vampire. "Gross, Bella," Charlie grumbled. "Please tell me you two -"

"That's the point, Dad," Bella said. "Never happened, I swear."

"Thank God. I would hate to arrest you, baby girl. Fucking corpses is against the law."

Bella's jaw dropped in surprise as Jacob and Leah roared again. Leah said, "I think I finally understand where Bella's unpredictable mouth came from."

"Without a doubt," Charlie said and winked at his red-faced daughter. "Her mom is worse, though. Jake, I have one more question, bud. If it is one of them and they broke the treaty, what happens next?"

"They will be treated like any other vampire that dared to be so stupid," Jacob said carefully.

"Regardless of who it was?"

"Yes," Jacob said. "Why?"

Charlie hesitated, observing Bella carefully before he said, "Carlisle … he actually does good in the world, and I highly doubt he would be so reckless. On the off chance it is him, just run him off. Don't kill him, alright?"

"Thank you, Dad," Bella said quietly. "I don't want any of them hurt. I just don't want them here. Feel free to hurt Edward a little, though. He kind of deserves it after leaving me to die and shit."

Jacob said, "Deal." He placed an affectionate kiss on her forehead.

"Thank you for not fighting with me right now," Bella said.

"We have argued enough this week," Jacob said. "By the way, Reagan said she would love to come with us tomorrow, and thanks for inviting her."

"Good," Bella said, grinning in relief. Now she only hoped she did not end up feeling like the third wheel all night.

Leah asked, "Where are you all going?"

Brilliant! Some of her excitement returned as Bella said, "The Carnival! Lee, do you want to come too? I gotta have someone to ride the rides with. Jacob is a big baby, and spinny rides give him a headache."

Jacob huffed, "It's a legitimate thing. You do not want me hurling out of the truck driving home."

Leah asked, "Is it really that bad?"

"Oh yeah," Charlie said and laughed. "Billy put a stop to fair rides by the time Jake was ten and barfed in the floorboard of the cruiser."

Jacob chuckled in embarrassment. "Yeah, I forgot about that one. The last time I tried to ride the Round-Up, I stumbled off the platform and hurled directly into a big barrel trash can in front of about half of my classmates. That one was way more traumatizing."

Bella said, "Well, you didn't hurl on your classmates, at least." Jacob nearly turned green from the mere idea of it. Bella teased, "You will have to learn how to deal with puke if you want five kids someday. You can't expect your future wife to do all the work." Turning back to Leah, Bella asked, "So, how about it? Wanna be my date tomorrow night?"

Leah gave Bella a dazzling grin and said, "I would love to, but you will have to buy my broke ass a funnel cake."

Bella laughed and said, "I will buy you three, and you can eat one for me. I hate them."

Leah teased, "I knew you were my favorite sibling. Seth needs work."

Jacob looked over at an amused Charlie and asked, "Do you need to get anything from the house? You should stay at Sue's or our house until everything is kosher."

"Yeah, Dad," Bella offered, "You can sleep in my room if you need to. I fall asleep on the couch all the time anyway."

Leah added, "I'm sure mom would want you to be safe, too."

Charlie laughed and gestured for them to tone it down as he said, "I have to get some shit done, but I should be out at the house in an hour or two. I'm not worried about Edwin or any of the others, honestly. They don't kill humans, right? They are probably just curious about Bells and will fuck off again without making a fuss."

Jacob snickered and asked, "Why am I not surprised that you, Sam, Quil, and Seth all seem to share the same opinion?"

Charlie looked at his daughter and gave her a mischievous grin. "I'm guessing Paul is on your side with this one, huh?"

"Oh yeah," Jacob said, gently tugging at Bella for emphasis. "Seems like Paul, Leelee, and I are the only ones alarmed. Everyone else is on guard but assumes the trails we came across are coincidental. Probably a nomad. The scents are too similar to be sure."

Bella said, "Unless they came from Alaska. Crossing either La Push or the ocean would be necessary. Running through would be faster."

"Just do your laundry at the house, Charlie," Leah said, changing the subject back to Charlie. Bella gave her a grateful smile as Leah said, "I heard you telling mom about it this morning. We do have a washer and dryer, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah," Charlie said sheepishly and waved them off as he walked to the house. Despite spending most of his time with Sue, Charlie was still getting used to the idea of cohabitating - also known as Sue seeing or washing his dirty underwear and stinky socks.


Leah rode with Bella back to LaPush as Jacob followed them home. Just outside Forks, Leah glanced back at the Rabbitt and scowled as she turned around.

Bella asked, "What is that about?"

Leah said, "Are you okay? Really? I know you are worried, Bells. You almost had a meltdown back there."

Bella let out a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. Jake can do a pretty good job of keeping me calm."

"Seems like Jake always knows the right thing for you," Leah said.

"Most of the time," Bella admitted. "He sure pisses me off a lot, though."

Leah cackled and said, "Jacob pisses everyone off a lot. Don't feel singled out." She stared at Bella silently for a minute before asking, "So, how do you like Reagan? Are you okay with her going tomorrow?"

"I suggested it," Bella said. "I like her, but Jake loves her, and that matters. I would do my best to get along with her even if I didn't like her. I just want him to be happy."

Leah asked, "Will I like her? I'm not going to want to throw her off a ride or something, right?"

"No," Bella said through her laughter, "You should be fine. She is a smartass but sweet from what I have seen. I actually threatened her the first time I met her, and she took my morning grouchiness with a grain of salt. I was impressed."

"Good. So who is this Mike character anyway?"

"A guy I went to school with when I lived here Junior year," Bella explained. "His parents own the sporting goods store in Forks, and he used to hang out at First Beach. You might recognize him. He was a little sweet on me back then. He and Jacob didn't jive very well back then, but they got along great today."

Leah grinned, nodding. She asked, "Are you sure I should come? This wasn't supposed to be a date for you, was it?"

Bella laughed and said, "No. Trust me. I blew him off enough times that I doubt he would even try."

"So, why did you ask me to go? Why not Paul?"

Bella shrugged and said, "We are supposed to go on Saturday because he is free that night."

"Oh," Leah teased, and Bella reached to lightly slap her arm. Leah asked, "When did you plan to tell me you have something going on with him?"

"I don't," Bella said, sounding more defensive than she intended.

"Bullshit," Leah said and scowled. "Don't lie to me, Bells. I'm your sister now. I thought we were closer than this. When did it start?"

"Nothing started," Bella said. "We went on one date and ended up just being friends. That's all."

"That's all," Leah said and huffed. "All my ass, Bella. You like him. Why else would Shari's bullshit make you cry if you don't care about Paul? I know you're tougher than that."

"I never said I don't care about him, Lee," Bella defended. "I do. A lot more than I probably should. It doesn't matter, anyway. I'm not ready."

"I don't know how anyone could be ready for Paul," Leah grumbled. "He's not as much of a man-whore lately, but it's hard to see him differently. I wouldn't date him, but that is just me, okay? Just … if you fuck him, wrap it."

Bella's face flushed as she grumbled, "Now you sound like Jacob."

"Well, he's not wrong," Leah teased. "Seriously, though. Paul? Why him? Why not Jacob? Or hell, why not Embry? Embry used to have a huge crush on you. Did you know?"

"Ern, no. I didn't, and I don't know what it is about Paul exactly," Bella said and shrugged again. "There is just something about him. Now that we have gotten closer, I just… He's really kind, Lee."

"Kind? Paul? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Yes," Bella insisted. "He is so gentle with me and thoughtful. He just jumps to help me with absolutely anything. I never even have to ask. He is rarely cross, and I think Paul is smarter than he lets on to the rest of you. I know what you all say about his reputation, but he is not the pig you all see him as. Yes, he flirts with me, but, I mean, that is just Paul." Leah chuckled, and Bella said, "He never takes anything too far, though. He makes me feel safe. Cherished, even."

Stunned, all Leah could say to that was, "Wow."

"Yeah," Bella said sadly and sighed. "It doesn't matter if I like him or not, though. If he wanted sex from me, he had plenty of chances to try. Besides, I'm pretty damn sure he loves Shari."

Leah guffawed, the sound echoing in the cab with the sheer volume of her disbelief. "No fucking way, sis. Shari? No. She is just a fuck-buddy for him. He does care about you, though. Any idiot can see that."

"I heard him say it," Bella admitted. "Last Friday, the same day you went after her over me, Paul was on the phone with Jacob, and I was asleep on his couch. I woke up to them talking about our conversation."

"I heard about that phone call with Shari," Leah interrupted, grinning. "It was beautiful. Great job. Bitch had it comin'. I was really proud."

"Anyway," Bella said, "Paul said something like, I think falling in love has made me stupid. And then they went back to arguing about Shari."

"Wow," Leah said again. "I honestly had no idea. He has been screwing her for like four years off and on. Logically, I guess that he could have fallen for her at some point. It could be why he was a celibate sad sack for months. He would kill me for telling you, but I think the person he is in love with is you."

Bella's mouth fell open, and she fought back her trademark, "Oh." She took a deep breath as her heart raced, and the anxiety from the day washed over her. Leah's admission had not helped her already stressed mind. Bella had been so sure Paul was talking about Shari. Why would he go home with her if he wanted to be with me? I was in his bed that fucking morning. She had already begun to resign herself to the idea of moving past it.

"Hey, Bella, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said anything," Leah said. "You already said you aren't ready, and I just made it worse, didn't I?"

Bella shook her head no. Leah was just trying to help and Bella didn't want her to feel bad for it. She admitted, "I have been trying to talk to Jacob about it for days, but he kept getting me so worked up with his bossiness that I couldn't talk. I just wanted him to leave me alone about it."

Leah was serious as she asked, "Want me to kick his ass? He is not my Alpha yet. I can still do it." She grinned as Bella laughed and shook her head no.

Bella said, "He is impatient with me because, after what happened, I'm afraid to tell Paul I care about him. It was the whole reason I called Paul that night - to tell him I thought I was falling for him. But I saw him with Shari earlier. He was in her shower when I called. Now I don't know if I want to tell him. I'm scared to death of getting hurt. Jacob keeps insisting I should tell Paul, and it confuses the shit out of me. At first, Jake was against my liking Paul, but now it is like he is pushing us together."

Leah shook her head and sighed in aggravation. She said, "It sounds like you have a strong friendship already. If it was me, I wouldn't want to fuck that up. And, after the Sam/Emily fiasco, let's just say I will never go after a man who is in love with someone else ... but I really believe he wants to be with you."

Bella forced a smile at her sister. "I'm glad you asked. I needed to talk about it to someone that does not get pushy and tell me how to solve my problems. Your answers are always 'I would' instead of 'you should.' And you don't hide things from me. I appreciate that about you."

Leah laughed bitterly and said, "I'm not sure you know this or not, sister, but I hate being bossed around or lied to."

"Yeah, I sort of figured that out."

Changing the subject, the two made clothing and spending plans for the next day. Bella ended up telling Leah about Alex and the incident with the fox. Leah was still laughing about Bella assaulting Danny when Bella dropped her off at home.


Thank God for small miracles, Bella thought as she stared out at the brightly lit yard. It was a clear, sunny day, and decent weather was forecast for the remainder of the week. Bella hoped it held out for her plans with Paul on Saturday. She had never watched a demo derby, and only one night of carnival rides was never enough.

Bella was giddy most of Thursday morning, excited to go out and have fun. Mike messaged the time his group planned to meet at the fairgrounds, and she told him she would find them there.

Leah showed up early holding a straightening iron, waving it at Bella like a threat from the door. Bella backed away from her and said, "Oh, no, you don't."

"Bella, you are the one who said you would look like a windblown rat by the end of the night with those curls," Leah said. "Your options are pin-straight hair you can tuck behind your back if needed, or I tie up those curls into pigtails like Ellie May Clampet. Take your pick."

Bella grumbled, "Can we just braid it?"

Leah said, "Nope. Tonight, your hair will be a trial run for Saturday. You don't want your hair whipping around and poking his eyeballs out, right?"

"Paul likes my curly hair," Bella said, blushing. "He plays with it in his sleep."

Leah gave her a mischievous grin and asked, "Nap together, do you?"

Bella rolled her eyes and sighed as she pulled the door open, allowing Leah inside. The older woman attacked her curls with a vengeance and soon had her hair pin-straight and as smooth as silk. In dire need of more new clothing, Bella searched through videos of altered t-shirts. Leah watched with amusement as Bella anxiously made the first cut to an old Metallica t-shirt and grew more nervous with every snip. Both were surprised with the result, peaking hints of flesh and leaving her back almost fully exposed. Bella paired a hot pink tube top underneath the black shirt and slid into her favorite pair of blue jean shorts.

"Damn, Swan," Leah teased once her makeup was finished. "If you and Paul don't get it together, I might have to hit on you myself."

"Are you sure this looks good straight?" Bella turned to check her reflection, running her fingers through her long, sleek hair.

"It's great, Bella. I want to borrow that shirt," Leah said, still disbelieving the results. "You know custom shirt makers would charge like sixty bucks for this thing."

"Bologna," Bella said and laughed.

"No, I'm serious," Leah said. "You should make some more of these. Come on. I just heard a car pull in."

Sure enough, Reagan had arrived and greeted Bella with a warm hug. She turned to look at Leah appreciatively. As Jacob walked into the living room, Reagan pointed at Leah and blurted out, "She's hot."

Jacob smirked and said, "Leah is my cousin."

"That explains it," Reagan teased. She gave Leah a wicked grin as Jacob blushed for once and held her hand out. "I'm Reagan."

"So I gathered," Leah said, grinning as she shook the woman's hand.

"Leelee!" Seth hollered urgently from outside, instantly gaining their attention. He nearly plowed into Reagan as he burst through the door, laughing. Jacob yanked Reagan out of the way as the front door grazed her bottom. She squealed and grinned in embarrassment as the others chuckled.

"Jesus, Seth. What is wrong with you?" Leah said, "You scared the shit out of us and then damn near whopped Reagan with the door."

"I am so sorry," Seth said and chuckled nervously. "I am in a hurry."

Leah asked, "What do you need? We are about to leave."

"Can I borrow twenty bucks?" Seth was suddenly a perfect, pitiful little beggar before them and pouted sadly at his sister." Leah, however, was unfazed.

"Get lost, dumbass," she growled. "You know how broke I am right now."

Incredulously Seth blurted out, "You're going out. You can't be that broke?"

Leah said, "Just because I have some cash doesn't mean you're entitled to it, you spoiled brat. Go fucking ask Mom or Charlie!"

Seth laughed and said, "Mom gets paid on Friday. She said to ask you if you could spare it, and she will pay it back."

"Yeah, I heard that before," Leah grumbled. "Besides, Friday doesn't help me tonight, so the answer is no."

"Hang on, Seth," Bella said and sighed as she walked to her bedroom. She took twenty dollars from her stash jar and carried it back to her brother. Tentatively, Bella said, "Just because I have it right now does not mean I will have it all the time, though."

"Thank you, Bella. You will get it back. I promise," Seth swore, and Leah rolled her eyes. He kissed Bella on the cheek in thanks and darted out the front door.

"Don't do that too often, Bells," Leah gently warned her. "He needs to get a fucking job like everyone else." The four watched him in amusement as Seth practically dove into the back of a truck, and they sped away.

Bella made sure she had everything she needed as they prepared to leave. Jacob gave her the stink eye as she put her vape in her pocket. She glared back at him, daring him to give her any grief about it. He stopped her at the door, letting Reagan and Leah leave the house first.

He glanced toward her pocket and asked, "Is that necessary?"

"Jake?" Bella said through clenched teeth. "Me and anxiety plus big crowds where I might run into people I don't like? And there is possibly a vampire looking for me. What do you propose I do to keep anxiety attacks away while we are there? It's my vape or Xanax. Take your fucking pick. I'll be much less high or at risk with my vape. I am under the care of a professional Doctor, you know? I don't plan to use it until we get there because it kicks in quickly. I'll give you the keys, and you can drive home, okay? But stop giving me shit about medication that helps me function like a normal goddamn person."

Jacob sighed, thoroughly chastised as he gestured toward the door. He said, "I just really don't like it."

She turned back and said, "You don't have to like it, Jacob. I don't like living with fucking panic and anxiety attacks, either. Just … When it comes to this issue, you need to mind your business. This is a better option than multiple daily medications or dangerously addictive opiates like Xanax. Do some fucking research on the benefits and understand that you don't get to make this decision for me, so stop trying to."

"Fine," he snapped back.

Bella stepped closer to him and whispered, "Wolf-boy, I swear if you ruin this night by putting me in a bad fucking mood, I won't touch or talk to you for a fucking month."

The wolf did not like that threat, and Jacob damn near whimpered. "Dirty fucking pool, Bells."

Bella grinned as she threatened, "Don't act like a controlling pig, and you won't have to wallow in mud, buddy."

Jacob's mouth flopped open and closed like a fish as he tried to think of a retort but had none. Instead, he pulled the front door shut and followed her to the vehicle.

Bella had won this round, at least. The outburst had been a long time coming. The proud smirk on her face indicated that Leah had heard their argument. Bella smiled back at her sister proudly, refusing to let her temper damper her mood. Tonight was about having fun. It was precisely what she planned to do.


Uh oh. Leah spilled the Beans - but will Bella believe it?