A/N: Hello everyone! Miss me? I've missed this story, and my readers of course. If you haven't read the update on my other WIP, the delay is caused by a pregnancy/new baby, 2000 mile move, and no sleep since. My writing time is limited with 2 littles so I won't give definitive dates for updates but I work when I can. Thank you for being so loyal and sticking around, love hearing your thoughts! Enjoy!

Chapter 12

Jacob watched in amusement as Bella moved around the room, directing Quil and Embry what to pack in what boxes. She looked incredibly tiny next to their hulking frames, yet carried the air of a general dishing orders out to her troops. The two wolves obeyed without question, Jacob had given them a brief rundown of what Bella had told him and even Quil was serious for once. He knew their wolves could sense how important Bella was to their Alpha and they would protect her at all costs, although they took to her faster than he expected. His ears pricked to hear two sets of footsteps coming up the stairway, recognizing them as Sam and Seth. As he watched the two of them come in he caught the tension between them and frowned, jerking his head towards the balcony when Sam met his eyes. His beta followed him outside, Seth staying inside to help the other two with the few boxes of Bella's belongings.

The door slid shut behind them, giving the illusion of privacy although they knew three of the four beings inside could hear them without even trying, leaning against the rail as he waited patiently for Sam to speak. The older man leaned his arms against the railing, staring blankly at the bustling city below them.

"I think I've lost her Jake."

His voice was so quiet if it wasn't for their enhanced hearing Jacob never would have heard it. He said nothing, waiting as Sam rubbed a hand over his face, turning to him with a despairing look in his eyes as he haltingly explained what had happened at the club. "I never thought I'd see her again, I accepting that I screwed up and ready to move on but now..."

Jacob clasped his shoulder, unsure what to say to encourage him, Sam's phone silencing any further conversation. He watched him glance at the screen, sucking in a fortifying breath before answering it, his voice nearly normal. "Hey Emily."

Deciding to give him some privacy Jacob ducked back inside, pleased to see the packing pretty much complete as Bella instructed the three wolves the best way to stack the boxes so nothing was broken. He came up beside her, resisting the urge to wrap his arm around her no matter how much his wolf snapped at him. She turned to look up at him, her brown eyes brightening at she met his gaze.

"Looks like that's it."

Jacob looked around in slight confusion. She had packed most of the books that had overflowed on her shelves, a few worn novels left in a pile, the knick knacks that had decorated the space also missing. A glance in the bedroom showed that there were still clothes hanging in the closet, more spilling out of the dresser. He looked at the half a dozen boxes and single suitcase piled next to her, placing a gentle hand on her arm. "Bells, we can take more if you want. We already rented a U haul, there's plenty of room."

Bella looked around for a long moment, meeting his eyes again as she shook her head. "I'm fine Jake. The furniture and kitchen stuff was all from the thrift store and I don't wear half that stuff anyway. Besides, Charlie doesn't have any room for more furniture in that house, I'd rather save and get something else down the road instead of storing it. I've got all the important stuff; my books, my memories and a weeks worth of hoodies for the rain."

Jacob chuckled, jerking his head at the waiting wolves to load the last of the boxes, and gave a final look around. "We should be all set then."

"Almost." He turned back to Bella with a curious look. "I have to go to the club and tell them I'm leaving. Don't want to leave them in the dark."

Jacob looked above her head as Sam came in from the balcony, his Beta's eyes looking almost desperate as he met his gaze. With a sigh Jacob gave an almost impercievable nod of his head, watching Sam shoot him a thankful look and he looked back at Bella. "Alright, but Sam and I are coming with you."

Before she could say anything Seth walked in, obviously having caught the last of the conversation. "Oh good, I was going to ask if we could stop by, I need to explain to Amber that I'll be back soon."

Jacob opened his mouth to object when Quil and Embry tumbled in, looking at Seth curiously. "Stop where?"

"The club."

The pairs' eyes lit up in excitement and they turned and bolted back out the door, their voices overlapping as they rushed down the hall.

"Shotgun!"

"No way, you had it on the way here!"

"First one there gets it!"

Seth rushed after them, probably worried about his car, leaving Jacob glaring after the three of them in frustration. Sam shot him an apologetic look before following the others and he sucked in a deep breath as he ran a hand over his face. Bella's soft touch on his arm caught his attention and he looked down at her to see her shaking her head with humor in her eyes. "They are certainly a handful."

"You have no idea. Just when we get there let's try to make it quick, corralling those two goons is not on my list of favorite things."

She nodded at him, still laughing at the Pack's antics, and suddenly raised herself on her tiptoes to press a light kiss at the underside of his jaw. "Thank you Jacob."

Stunned he watched her grab her jacket and purse before exiting the apartment, leaving him standing there a moment before his wolf mentally kicked him into motion and he followed her out of the apartment.

The club was still closed when they arrived, although there were several employees setting up the tables, Jacob scanning the room automatically for threats. Sam's eyes darted around, his frown deepening when Leah was nowhere to be seen, and Jacob could feel his Beta's disappointment. He gripped Sam's shoulder for a moment, offering his comfort, then tilted his head back to the entrance. "Will you go keep an eye on those two until Seth is done? And see if you can get a hold of Paul, if he isn't here before we leave he can walk back himself."

Sam nodded, his eyes doing a final sweep before he conceded defeat and exited the club, leaving Jacob with Bella. "I'll just go grab my stuff and leave the note for my boss. Why don't you wait at the bar, don't scare anyone."

He rolled his eyes as she winked, watching as she made her way to the door backstage, heading over to the bar once she was out of sight. He checked his phone as he sat on a stool, an incoming text from Seth informing him he was with April and to let him know when they were ready.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

A hard voice made him look up, his eyes meeting a very angry Leah's as she stood behind the counter, her arms crossed as she waited for his answer. Jacob lowered his phone, his thumb sliding through his contacts as he gave her a smile. "Leah. Didn't think you'd recognize me."

"Don't play games with me Black. I know you're here with Sam. Why?" She leaned on the counter, glaring at him with a look that would have any normal man quaking at her feet. As Jacob was not he merely shifted in his chair, trying to ignore his wolf raising it's hackles at someone challenging them. "Look, Leah. Sam...he's a mess. Finding you was an accident but he just wants a chance to talk. He wants the chance to explain himself, the last three years have been hard on him."

He saw the conflicting emotions in her eyes before she shuttered them, crossing her arms as she shot a glare at him. "I don't want to talk. I want him gone. I want you gone. I don't want to see any of you here again."

She spun around and stalked off, leaving Jacob slightly stunned and he slowly raised his phone to his ear. "Sam...I'm sorry. I tried."

There was silence on the phone for a long moment and then a click as his Beta hung up. Sighing Jacob pocketed his phone, running his hands over his face and through his hair as he tried to push away the tension he could feel building. If it wasn't for Bella he would wish they'd never come on this stupid trip, with all the trouble it was causing. As he sat there with closed eyes he concentrated his hearing until he could pick out the familiar sound of Bella's heartbeat, the sound comforting and helping him relax slightly at the steady sound. He listened as she moved around what he guessed was her dressing room, he could faintly hear her putting things into a bag as she moved,

The bartender dropping a box of glasses onto the counter distracted him for a moment, the sound magnified by his hearing making him wince as he stood to move away from the headache inducing racket. Leaning against a pillar he crossed his arms as he concentrated again, stiffening when he heard Bella's heartbeat again. It was now racing, fear induced adrenaline making it thunderously loud and he heard her suck in a sharp breath as the door clicked shut and a voice drawled, "Hello love. Miss me?"

A/N: Yes, I'm evil. But I promise to try to update soon, lots of good stuff coming in the next chapter. Let me know your thoughts and thanks for reading! Have a Merry Christmas!