A/N: I am soooo sorry for the delay in updating this. Not to bore you with the details but I unexpectedly had to take on a new role at work a few weeks ago that I wasn't expecting to do until January, and it has swamped me! I am really struggling to find time to write at the moment but hopefully things will calm down soon and I'll be able to get back to it. However, updates will be slower for a while – I'll be aiming for every other weekend now, sorry!

This chapter continues on directly after the last one so it might be helpful to pop back and reread the end of chapter 4 since it's been a while! Back to Bella and finally some info about her relationship with Jake, which I know a lot of you have been… hesitant about haha. I hope you enjoy – and please leave me some love in the reviews!

Chapter 5 – An Invitation

Bella POV

The darkness was suddenly so empty but for the barest wind that followed him in his departure. I stood there on the sidewalk for a moment, stunned and beyond confused.

Having courage is a strange thing. Sometimes it's easy – when you step up for a friend, a student, someone in need, it's easy to be the brave one for them. Sometimes you have to steel yourself to face down your fears. Sometimes you surprise yourself and you find some supply of courage deep inside you that you never knew existed and yet suddenly it seems limitless. That was what it was like when I got my diagnosis. Nothing makes you brave like being forced into it. Nothing makes you brave like the word glioblastoma. Nothing makes you brave like knowing that if you chicken out now, you won't get a second chance to say what you need to say.

And so I'd found the courage, and the strength, to be honest with the only person who had the power to break me apart. And it seemed like he was going to do the same and be equally as honest with me when he was interrupted by this approaching car. He'd said he wouldn't ever lie to me again. So that meant that he had lied before? About what? And the intensity and sincerity of his words… Was there maybe the smallest possibility that what Alice had said was… true? Had his breaking my heart been buried in good intention? Was there even the tiniest part of him that might still want me back? He'd promised me answers and I was frustrated, pent-up with annoyance that I'd have to wait even longer to get them.

The headlights from the car blinded me as it neared, and I held up my arm to shield my eyes, recognising the family station wagon instantly. I groaned internally; I was so not ready for this conversation.

He pulled up alongside me, the driver's window winding down to reveal a stern frown and anxious eyes. "Bella? What are you doing out here? Why haven't you answered your phone? I was worried about you."

I gestured down the street to where my house sat unlit and empty waiting for my return. "Let's just go inside. I'll tell you everything."

"That sounds ominous," Jake said, his voice not losing its frustrated edge. "You want a ride?"

I laughed then, surprised at my own ability to find the lighter side of his question when I was still consumed by such darkness. "It's like two hundred feet, Jake, I'll be fine."

He saluted and I watched as he pulled his car into the driveway and hopped out, waiting for me by the driver's side as I walked over, playing over words in my mind that could even begin to explain the bizarre situation we now found ourselves in. When I reached his side, though, I noticed that his dark eyes were surveying our surroundings closely, his fists were clenched at his sides and his nostrils flared wildly.

"Jake?" I questioned quietly.

"Get in the house, Bell," he muttered darkly.

I bit my lip, an old habit that I'd never quite managed to kick. "Jake…"

"I mean it, Bella, get inside. Something's been here…"

I took a deep breath and then blew it out in one gust. "I know."

His eyes darted to me. "What do you mean you know?"

"Just… come inside and I'll explain…"

"Explain what? I'm not leaving your side until I know that you're safe." His eyes were back hunting through the trees for something he wouldn't find, and he was kicking off his shoes, preparing to phase.

"It's Edward," I blurted out, and it stopped him in his tracks.

Jacob stared at me.

"Um… well… it's all of them. The Cullens. They're here."

A growl escaped through his lips. "What? Why?" His shirt was pulled over his head.

"Jake, don't," I pleaded, "just let me explain."

"They're monsters, Bella. I'm at least going to check that we're safe." And, with that, he took off towards the tree line, leaping into the darkness and disappearing into a mound of russet fur. I sighed, and unlocked my front door, casting one look back over my shoulder down the street to where Edward had been standing not ten minutes before. My Edward. The Edward who maybe… possibly… still wanted me back after all.

By the time Jacob returned, I had left a spare pair of shorts out on the porch for him and a mug of steaming black coffee awaited him on the kitchen counter. I was sitting on the couch mindlessly watching the day's news on the TV and munching on a bag of chips while awaiting my pizza delivery; I really needed to go grocery shopping.

"All clear, cap?" I asked sarcastically as Jacob stomped into my living room with a scowl on his face. "You were gone ages."

"Yeah, well, I had to go over to the south side of town to make sure Vanessa and the kids are safe, too."

My frustrations eased at his obvious concern for his family. "Jake, honestly, they won't hurt anyone."

"Would you take that chance, Bella?" he snapped, flopping onto the armchair. "Leave your kids as bait for the enemy?"

He was being melodramatic, but I felt for him. An image of Jake's loving family flashed into my mind: his beautiful, kind-hearted, hilarious wife Vanessa laughing with me at a picnic we went on recently; their four-year old son, Rudy, running circles around Jake with a soccer ball; ten-month-old Luna squeezing too hard on a strawberry, her small, rosebud lips wide in shock as the juices spattered her face. I loved Jake's family as if they were my own and while I knew that the Cullens were dedicated in their cause to protect human life, Jacob had never truly met them and had no way to be as certain as I was. And I knew he was right to be careful. I would never forgive myself if anything happened to those gorgeous, tiny people. I nodded slowly. "You're right, Jake. Sorry. And is the south side clear?"

He nodded reluctantly, casting his gaze across the room. "Can't say the same for round here, though. The whole town's crawling with their stench; the trail leads out up north into the forest, but I didn't follow it out of town. They've been at your school, haven't they?" His gaze was accusatory.

I put another chip in my mouth to give me time to answer, allowing him a slow nod of acknowledgment in the meantime.

"Jesus, Bella, how long?"

I swallowed. "Not long, I promise, Jake. I was going to tell you…"

"When?! There's no good reason to delay telling me that your vampire ex-boyfriend is in town ready to massacre the good people of Minnesota."

"I just needed to get my head around it, that's all…"

"Get your head around it? Bella, the last time he was in your life he nearly killed you!"

My hand automatically cupped the glimmering, crescent-shaped scar on my wrist, hiding it. "What happened with James wasn't Edward's fault…"

"I wasn't talking about that," Jake cut me off quietly. He sent me a pointed look, and I, too, remembered my catatonic state for a full year after he left me. Remembered my drastic weight-loss, the numerous counsellors Charlie had sent me to, the suicide watch he wouldn't ever have mentioned aloud but that had been a heavy unspoken presence in our home.

I cringed at the memory. It had been impossible to explain how a simple break-up could have affected me so badly. I remembered overhearing my parents' phone calls describing my reaction to the Cullens' departure as drastic and unhealthy. I knew now, as an adult who spent a heck of a lot of time around teenagers, that how I had felt wasn't normal, but that relationship hadn't been normal. How on earth do you explain to a barely-qualified school guidance counsellor that yes, your puppy love was going to last forever because he was a hundred-odd-year-old vampire and he was resisting his very nature to be with me? How could you tell your father that, yes, you would have been with Edward for the exact definition of forever because I had been going to convince him to turn me into an immortal monster, too? How could you describe the depth and intensity of my and Edward's time together? It wasn't simply a relationship I had been grieving for; it had been a whole life that I had lost. The future I had imagined was all but a sure thing had vanished into thin air and no one – no one – could understand what the Cullens had taken with them when they'd left. They had taken the very essence of who I was supposed to be and left me with nothing but bare, rickety foundations on which to rebuild.

And to say that attempting to rebuild my life had been hard would be an understatement. Jacob was the only person in my life who knew the true extent of what Edward had taken from me and the pain he had put me through. So I couldn't exactly blame him for the venom that cut through his voice when he next spoke. "Please tell me that they are not planning on staying here."

I didn't reply.

"What do they want?" he demanded. "Have they spoken to you? Have you spoken to him? Did you tell him how much he hurt you?"

"Jake…" I began to protest weakly.

"No, Bella, don't sugar-coat this. I can already see it in your face. Don't forget that he left you in the woods for dead."

"That's a bit dramatic, I got lost…"

He ignored me. "That you were nearly hospitalised because there was nothing left of you. That Charlie had to take leave from work to make sure you didn't hang yourself from your bedsheets because you were so fucking miserable? That every boyfriend you've had through your whole life has been held at arms' length and pushed away because they weren't him? Myself included, might I add. That you have put off living your life, moving on, finding someone else, having a family, fulfilling your dreams… all because he isn't here? I haven't forgotten it, Bella. You sure as shit shouldn't either."

I sighed deeply. "I haven't forgotten it, Jake."

"Then why, Bella-" my name shot from his lips like a cuss word "-do I get the feeling that you're about to tell me he's moving in and it's gonna be all great and la-di-fucking-da?"

I glared at my best friend then. Much as he had a point, he was being a dick about it. "I'm not an idiot, Jake, I can take care of myself."

"Really?" he challenged, eyebrows raised.

"Look, I know what this is. I know what I'm getting myself into. I know he might hurt me, Jake, they all might. But, in case you've forgotten, I'm dying."

Jacob winced.

I ploughed on, undeterred. "There's not much he can do that my body hasn't already got an almighty head-start on. And I haven't forgiven him; he has a lot of explaining to do. But I deserve closure, I deserve an explanation and, goddammit, if he can give me just ten minutes of happiness – actual, genuine happiness – before my time here is up? Then Jacob, I deserve that, too. I can't be bothered to dwell on the past when he might be able to make what little future I have left worth living."

That made him go silent, and he stared at the carpet processing my words. A knock on the door made us both jump and Jake was immediately trembling and ready for action.

"Chill out," I muttered. "It's just my pizza."

When I returned to the living room, pizza boxes in hand, Jacob had slouched back in the chair looking utterly defeated. He glanced over and I knew that our battle had been put on the backburner for now when he eyed up the second box and asked sheepishly, "Is that for me?"

"Of course," I replied, throwing the box haphazardly at him. He caught it easily in one hand and lifted the lid to find his preferred, meaty toppings peeking out at him.

"Thanks."

"No problem." We ate in silence for a bit and then I unmuted the TV in an attempt to dissolve the tension that had settled about us.

Once the pizza had gone, Jake heaved a huge sigh, apparently ready for round two. "So why are they here?"

I shrugged; despite Alice's explanation, I didn't feel like I had a comprehensive answer to that myself yet. "Just… finding a new town to stay in."

Jake's dark eyes glared at me, seeing right through my airy tone. "Right. Bullshit. That's one heck of a coincidence, Bella." He hesitated, and when he spoke again, his voice was careful. "Does he know? Cullen? Do they all know?"

"About Trevor?"

Despite the seriousness of our conversation, Jacob reluctantly bit back a grin at our ridiculous nickname for my tumour. We'd realised early on with this thing that you have to take the humour where you can find it, because there really wasn't much to laugh about when it came to terminal cancer. "Yes. Do they know about Trev?"

I shook my head. "No. Well, Edward doesn't. And I don't want him to know. I don't want his sympathy. I can't stand the thought of him lying to me out of pity."

Jake's face was a picture of disbelief. "Are you for real, Bella? The guy's telepathic! How do you think you can keep something like that from someone that can read minds?"

"It's not impossible to keep a secret from him, Jake. He can only hear what you think while you think it so just… don't think about it?"

He barked out a laugh. "Right! Don't think about the pink elephant? That old chestnut? You're going to have to tell him, Bella, if you're expecting him to stick around. Unless you want to scare him off with your own set of lies. Hmm," he mused, "on second thoughts, go for it."

"Very funny."

"Seriously. Much as I hate the guy, I wouldn't want to hear that someone I cared about had cancer from anyone but them."

"That's assuming he still cares about me."

"Well, I can't tell you that." Jake rolled his eyes petulantly. "You're going to have to ask him that question."

Trust Jake to put it so simply that it made sense. He was right. Edward and I seemed to have come to some kind of agreement that we needed to be honest with each other, and so didn't it make sense not to pussyfoot around it but just to ask the question?

Jake crossed the room then, while I was musing, and knelt in front of me. He reached out and put one hand on my knee. "Just… Bella, promise me you'll be careful."

"I promise," I whispered. "So… we're okay? You don't mind?"

"Of course I mind!" He fell back on his haunches, scowled at the floor. "Of course I don't want bloodsuckers in my town, near my family… And I don't want him anywhere near you. I don't want you to get hurt again, because that was not normal, Bella." He shook his head at me and held up a finger when I opened my mouth to argue. "But I can see that you've made up your mind. And I do want you to be happy, Bel, I really, truly do. I hate that you think he's what can make you happy, but I can't stand in your way anymore than you did when I met Ness."

I smiled at him, pushed his shoulder lightly making him fall on his butt. "Thanks, Jake. And I'll kindly remind you that not only did I not stand in your way, but I actively facilitated your relationship when you were too chickenshit to ask for her number."

"Whatever. I didn't need it; I knew where to find her."

"Yeah, yeah, but all that imprinting shit is pretty creepy and a lot to take in. Wasn't it easier to pretend to be normal, get her number, buy her a drink and ease her into all your strange and magical ways once she actually liked you?"

Jake pointed his finger at me. "Like you can pretend to be the relationship expert. You scare guys off by crying not even after but actually during sex."

"Jesus, that was one time!" I exclaimed. "We are moving on from this topic. Do you want another coffee before you go home?"

"Nah, I'd better be going."

"Gotta patrol the perimeter."

Jake stood up. "That is not a laughing matter." He held a hand out for me and helped me to my feet. "Um… I am going to ask Leah and Seth to come and stay for a bit."

"You really don't have to-"

"I know, but it would make me more comfortable to know I have some back up."

I sighed, knowing that he wouldn't back down on this. "Fine. But… don't start something."

"I won't if they don't."

"They won't."

"If you say so."

"Goodbye, Jacob."

He smirked at me, then pulled me into a huge and heavy embrace. "Bye, Bells. I love you, you know that."

"I know."

As we walked to the front door, Jake and I arranged a time for him to pick me up and take me to a routine hospital appointment in the morning and then he finally headed out. I watched him retreat down the road back to his home and then closed and locked the door. That had gone as well as I could have hoped for.

Luckily, the day had worn me out so completely that I fell asleep as soon as I climbed into bed. Unfortunately, morning Bella hadn't got the message that we were sleeping as late as possible so as not to think about the recent drama that had thoroughly invaded my life, and so I was wide awake by six thirty when Jake wasn't going to be picking me up until nine.

I tossed and turned in bed for a while, a new headache forming and banging at my skull incessantly. Eventually, I dragged myself out of bed and loaded up on painkillers and then I sat at the kitchen island. I wasn't hungry – I rarely was these days; a side-effect of Trevor – but I wanted something to keep my hands busy and went for some cereal only to remember my completely, utterly bare cupboards. It didn't take me long to decide to distract myself with grocery shopping and that was how I found myself at the tiny grocery shop a few blocks away by 7.30 in the morning.

The great thing about early morning shopping was the distinct lack of other shoppers. I managed to navigate the shop easily and find most things I needed pretty quick when I remembered that I had promised Grace more breakfast bars. I did an about turn to the dry foods and cereal aisle but I moved too quickly and my cart knocked a display at the end of an aisle. The mountain of tinned goods wobbled in slow motion and then started to fall in my direction. I threw my arms up in front of my face to shield my head as the first tin glanced off of my shoulder and the others began to follow suit. But as I waited for the impact, I felt myself levitate a foot into the air. A loud crash sounded as tins hit the floor and rolled across the tiles.

Confused and disoriented, I slowly dropped my arms back to my sides and looked down at the mess of tins that littered the floor where I was certain I had been standing. Then, all of a sudden, I felt his presence. Already knowing what I would find there, I turned my gaze behind me, and my eyes met ochre, wide and apparently shocked by his own actions. We stared at each other for a long moment, and our intense gaze was broken by the assistant stomping up the aisle to see what the noise was. He huffed when he saw the mess and I turned to him.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "My cart knocked it."

The man harumphed again and stormed off to the back, presumably to get a mop or something to deal with the slowly leaking tins.

I sighed and looked back over at Edward with slightly narrowed eyes. "Did you follow me?"

"Um…" If his lack of answer didn't give him away, his look of guilt certainly did. But he masked it quickly with a tight smile and said: "No, of course not."

"Mmm hmm. And what is it you were looking for in a grocery store at seven thirty in the morning?" I asked sarcastically. "Need some milk for your cereal? Out of coffee?"

Edward's strained smile became more humoured then at my quips and he relaxed infinitesimally. "Well, it's a good thing I was here, or the leaning tower of tinned peas would have taken you out."

"I'm sure I'd have survived," I said dryly, reaching out to recover my cart. I reached in and pulled out the tins that had fallen in, placing them back on the empty display as though that would rectify the dreadful mess I'd left in my wake. Keen to get out of the shop assistant's way, I pushed the cart round to the next aisle. Naturally, Edward followed. I sent a sideways glance at him and sighed. "You know, Edward-" My body thrilled at the sensation of his name falling from my lips. "-this isn't the 1900s anymore, you don't have to lie in wait for a woman to drop her handkerchief to have an excuse to talk to her. And you certainly don't have to swoop in and try to save her all the time. She survived fifteen years on her own, thank you very much."

Edward winced at the reminder, but quickly smoothed out his face. "Well then," he murmured, and the sound filled me with sizzling electricity, "how do you suggest I try courting such a woman?"

I stopped pushing the cart for a moment, my breath catching in my throat. Shrugging, I snapped myself back to the present moment in an attempt to act casual. I remembered Jake's advice: just ask him. So simple… so juvenile. Do you, Edward Cullen, like me, Bella Swan? Tick for yes, cross for no. The grocery store was not the place for that conversation. I had to keep it light. So I mused over a response for a moment, and then replied: "You could always ask for her phone number."

He eyed me carefully, looking unsure. "Isn't that a bit… forward?"

Somehow, I found it in myself to laugh. "I would suggest that it's less forward than following someone in case they might meet their sticky end fighting with a stack of tins."

His lips quirked into another smile, and internally I patted myself on the back at my ability to have a somewhat normal, good-humoured conversation with this man (boy? person? vampire?) who had destroyed my world for fifteen years and yet managed to become the centre of it again in less than two days. "You may have a point," he acknowledged eventually.

We walked slowly down the aisle, stepping together in time, wandering aimlessly because neither of us was paying the smallest bit of attention to the products surrounding us. My heart thudded heavily in my chest, my skin tingling all over at his close proximity. Good God, I had no idea how he could still make my body react so extremely, so intensely without even the slightest touch. And then, without giving my thoughts permission to go there, my mind rested on a question that my inexperienced, clueless seventeen-year-old-self had barely scraped the surface of the last time I had been this close to Edward: if he could make me feel like this without even touching my skin, what would it feel like to really have him? If he could make my stomach tingle with anticipation just by existing in the same room as me, what could he do to me if he tried?

I shook those thoughts out of my head: not only were they wholly inappropriate, but they would not lead anywhere but disappointment. But I couldn't banish the fantasies quickly enough: my cheeks were already warm.

Edward groaned softly beside me. "I had forgotten how torturous this is," he muttered, probably more to himself.

I glanced over nonetheless. "What?"

"Not knowing what you're thinking."

I smirked. "Trust me, you don't want to know."

"Now I really do."

"I want to know if you're going to ask for my phone number."

"Do you want me to?"

"That's cheating, you have to ask to find out."

We'd stopped walking next to the racks of magazines near the cash registers. He stared at me for a long moment, that golden stare full of intensity, as always. "Isabella Swan, would you do me the incredible honour of sharing your phone number with me?"

I melted. And my heart thudded. And my insides somersaulted. And, mentally, I did a little jig. It wasn't quite the direct question I'd wanted to ask – it wasn't as deep as that – but it was a promising start. It was an invitation. "Yes," I whispered. "I will."