Eyes Wide Open

JacobxBella

Rated M

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or the franchise, as it belongs to Steph Meyers

Eyes Wide Open

Chapter 3

Edward pulled into the driveway of the Swan household after school, a notebook and folder chocked full of notes and such to go over with Bella in his book bag. He had been talking with her teachers and the principal, and got them to agree for Bella to be able to take her final exams at home to be turned in by the end of the school year, which was in just three weeks. It was decided that a proctor would come to the her home and test her, recording the answers Bella spoke on a tape recorder seeing as she couldn't read them. Also, he planned to spend the summer vacation with her in order to teach her Braille so that she could be able to read with her sense of touch. He was happy to relay this information to her, knowing she would be happy as well.

He hadn't been able to spend much time with his love ever since she returned home after becoming blind. It was like she didn't want to do anything or go out anymore. She had even declined prom, something he had wanted her to experience despite her protests. Edward was sure she would appreciate this gesture he did for her; she did love him after all and he was looking out for her wellbeing. But he still felt completely guilty that her being injured and blind was essentially his fault. Then again, she wouldn't be if she hadn't stupidly gone off to face James by herself. However he wouldn't say that to her, as Bella most likely already knew it.

Getting out of his silver Volvo he walked up to the front door and knocked, frowning when he could smell the scent of wet dog from inside the house. Raising his fist he lightly knocked on the door, waiting patiently to hear his love's voice or for someone to come to the front door. When no one did, he knocked again and was met with silence. He didn't even hear movement inside of the house. Was Bella not home? It would seem like she wasn't. He frowned and pulled out his cell phone to ring Bella, positive her phone was on her person when he heard the rumble of the police cruiser engine coming down the street. Squaring his shoulders he turned and patiently waited for Chief Swan to pull into his driveway, positive Bella was with her father.

Charlie scowled seeing that stupid Volvo that belonged to his daughter's boyfriend in his driveway and parked behind Bella's truck, irritated the silver piece of junk was in his spot. And of course the boy was standing on his front porch. Getting out of his car he walked towards his home, his glare intensifying as he approached Edward.

"Chief Swan, good afternoon," Edward greeted politely while trying to keep the tick of his eyebrow down at hearing the man's less than friendly thoughts about him.

"It was," Charlie replied before walking past him to stand in front of his door. Turning to face him he asked, "What the hell are you doing here?"

Edward gave a tight smile before answering, "I'm here to see Bella. I have come to help her study for finals and bring her some good news I know she'd like to hear."

"Oh really? And how would you know that the news you give to my daughter will make her happy? Was this something you decided without even asking her about it? Bella doesn't like decisions being made for her. So if you've decided something without letting her know before doing it, then I suggest you step back and think on it. I won't have you controlling Bella any more than you already have. Now get off my porch and off my property."

The vampire was taken aback at the police chief's words filled with such blatant hostility. Did he really think he was trying to control Bella? Of course not, he loved her. He would never do anything to try and control the girl he was in love with. And Bella didn't think he was controlling; she loved him and appreciated his actions that kept her safe, considering how accident prone and fragile she was. Deciding not to let that bother him he turned to leave, but stopped and turned back to the police chief. Giving Charlie a polite smile he said, "I meant no harm in my words, Chief Swan. Would you let Bella know that I stopped by?"

Charlie rolled his eyes and nodded before turning back to unlock his home and walk inside, having no intention of letting Bella know her creepy boyfriend had stopped by. Besides, she was out with Jacob at the moment and he wasn't going to ruin her time with him by mentioning her boyfriend. What he didn't know however, was that Edward had heard all of his thoughts and a deep frown settled on his face.

Walking back to his car Edward resolved himself to go and search for Bella, figuring she was in town with Billy Black's son. He wouldn't be stupid enough to take her but so far anyway. He was sure to find them and would delightfully interrupt their time together.

Bella frowned when her white stick bumped into another rock as she and Jacob slowly walked along one of the many trails on the Reservation. They had already gone through town and she had gotten used to feeling the concrete through her white stick, so Jacob had suggested she try some different ground. She agreed and was glad he was going slow with her and helping her along. Sure she still had her boot on her foot, so it made walking a bit weird and wobbly, but she was definitely getting the hang of it.

"So, how are you feeling?" Jacob asked her after a while from where he was walking partially behind her. He could tell she was getting more confident with her white stick, but would always seem to hesitate to take a step when it bumped into a rock or knocked against a branch. But other than that, she was doing just fine.

"I feel good," Bella answered honestly. And she did. She felt so much better than she had before and was glad Jacob was helping her out. He didn't treat her like she had lost her sight, even now when the one thing in her hand made it obvious she had. He had been walking and talking beside her like everything was normal. And if she thought about it, it was. She felt normal with Jacob and she was happy to have him as her best friend.

They had been spending a lot of time together over the past few days ever since his first visit to her upon her return from Arizona. Of course Edward still visited her at night and spent time with her, but it just wasn't the same. Not the same because she was dating Edward, but because his presence was just different. With Edward she felt…almost hollow and like whatever she always experienced with him near was waning. But with Jacob, she felt warm and protected, like nothing could hurt her. It was a strange feeling considering she had once felt like that with Edward, but the spark suddenly wasn't there with him anymore. Maybe it was because she had been rebuffing him a lot while adjusting to being blind. She would have to make it up to Edward when she could, though knowing him he'd just brush it off and act like she hadn't done so.

Bella cleared her throat a little before saying, "It was nice of Billy to let you borrow his truck to bring me here. But do you even have a license to drive?"

Jacob chuckled and replied, "I've been driving since I was thirteen, and no I don't have one. And before you ask, Charlie knows I don't have one, too."

"He gives you special treatment anyway, so I'm not surprised he's lenient with you."

"Maybe because I'm his favorite person."

The brunette turned her head towards Jacob and stuck her tongue out at him, smiling when he busted into laughter. He wrapped his arm around her and used his free hand to ruffle her hair. She shook her head and got away from him, laughing along with him. They continued walking and before long they reached the end of the trail, though Bella didn't know that. She stopped briefly to stretch out her leg with the boot on it, the heavy thing a bit uncomfortable.

Bella's ears perked a bit when she could hear the faint sounds of people talking and laughing, causing her to look towards where the sound was coming from. Turning her head she asked, "Are there people nearby?"

Jacob looked at her and smiled, almost surprised her ears could pick up the sounds of people talking almost a half a mile away. Ever since Bella had lost her sight, her sense of hearing had gotten stronger each and every day. She was hearing almost as well as he could, though his was because of his enhanced senses due to his spirit wolf. He frowned slightly, wanting to tell Bella about it but having been forbidden to by Sam. Shaking his head from these thoughts he answered her question.

"Yeah, about half a mile away. We're still in La Push, but the trail we just got off of is a bit a ways from town. What you hear are people outside of the library."

"Library?" Bella said in excitement, her brown eyes shining and a smile appearing on her face. However her smile disappeared as a feeling of melancholy washed over her. She wouldn't be able to read any of the books there, or even browse the shelves to see what books were there or see what they were about.

Jacob had seen her shift in mood and he frowned as well. Bella loved to read, she loved books, and it was obvious she was feeling as if that was taken away from her now. He wished he could do something to help her, but he wouldn't know where to begin. Getting comfortable walking around blind was one thing, but reading? That was something he couldn't even begin to understand how to do.

A sudden thought came to him and a huge grin appeared on his face. He may not be able to teach Bella how to read while blind, but he knew someone who could! Grabbing Bella's hand he looked at her and said, "Bells, come one. I want you to meet someone."

Bella frowned a bit and allowed Jacob to drag her as quickly as her feet would carry her along the road into town. She didn't know where he was taking her, but he sounded excited about it, so she'd trust him.

Bella heard Jacob knock on a door and silence followed, making her wonder exactly where they were. Looking up to where Jacob's head was she asked, "Jake, where are we?"

"You'll see," Jacob said cryptically, making her frown a bit.

The sound of the door that Jacob had knocked upon unlocking caught her attention, and before long the door opened, the sounds of its hinges creaking. There was a moment of silence before a female voice spoke saying, "Young Jacob, welcome! Please, come inside." Jacob helped Bella inside and the sound of the door closing behind them was heard. "It's been a while since you've visited. How is Billy?"

"He's fine, Ms. Opal. But I wanted to introduce you to my friend here," Jacob replied. "Ms. Opal, this is my friend Bella. Bella, this is Ms. Opal. She runs La Push's antique shop."

"Nice to meet you," Bella said with a smile somewhat shyly. She shortened her white stick before holding out her hand for Ms. Opal to shake. A warm hand grasped hers gently and shook it before letting go.

"I see why you wanted me to meet her, Jacob," Opal said with a kind smile. "Our young friend is blind as well."

Bella's eyes widened upon hearing those words. Ms. Opal was blind, too? But she seemed to be moving around and such so well. She even knew where to grab her hand to shake. As if she knew what Bella was thinking, Ms. Opal giggled and said, "It's alright, dear. It took me some time to move around without my sight easily, but I eventually learned. And you will too as well in time."

"The reason I brought her here is for two reasons," Jacob said. "One is because I figured Bella might feel comfortable talking with someone who has gone through what she is now. She only recently became blind a few weeks ago and is just now getting out. The other reason is because she wants to read and believes she won't be able to anymore without her sight."

"Jake!" Bella softly cried, her cheeks turning pink. She hadn't expected him to do this, nor be so blunt about it. But even so, she sensed Ms. Opal was being understanding of the situation.

Ms. Opal nodded and replied, "I'd be happy to help. You can come visit me any time you'd like, Bella. My husband and I would enjoy the company."

"Husband?" Bella asked.

"He's currently at work in Port Angeles at the moment, but he'll be home later. Though I'm not sure you two will be here that long."

Jacob shook his head and said, "Sadly, we won't. I'll have to get Bella back home eventually and I've got things to take care of for Billy."

Bella turned towards him and asked, "Do you have to go now?"

"Not right now, but soon. But you're in good hands here, I promise."

Ms. Opal gently took Bella's hand and gave her a reassuring smile she couldn't see saying, "Don't worry dear, you'll be fine. Come, let's sit and talk a bit."

She led them over to her couch and the three of them sat down, soon all talking about little things and enjoying each others' company. Before long Ms. Opal asked Bella about how she became blind, the brunette telling her it was due to an accident. Jacob smiled watching the two females bond, happy to see Bella looking and feeling comfortable. Pretty soon their conversation drifted towards books, to which Ms. Opal made Bella an offer.

"You know Bella, I can teach you how to read in Braille if you'd like. It is a bit hard to get used to, but you'll get the hang of it, I'm sure. And I can even lend you some books written in Braille. And when you've completely gotten the hang of it, I can teach you to read the written words of books through your sense of touch as well."

"Thank you, that'd be wonderful," Bella replied with a smile. "Can you really read regular words on paper without Braille?"

Ms. Opal giggled and nodded, Bella sensing her do so. "If you'd like, we can start today. We'll start with the Braille alphabet and go from there. Jacob, would you be a dear and get my things from the bookshelf?"

Jacob nodded and stood up from the couch, walking over to the bookshelf. One shelf was marked with orange tape on both sides, indicating Ms. Opal's books and files in Braille. He searched the folders for a bit before grabbing one and walking back over to the two women. Handing it to Ms. Opal he said, "Here you go. Well, I have to get going. I'm on duty right now."

"For what?" Bella asked.

"Uh, for the…part time job I have."

"I didn't know you had a job."

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it eventually. Anyway, I have to go now. I'll be back for you after while, Bella."

Bella smiled at him and waved saying, "See you later, Jake."

Ms. Opal smiled and said, "We'll see you soon, Jacob. And when you get back, Bella will see and know the alphabet in a whole different way."

Jacob nodded and walked out of Ms. Opal's house, closing the door behind him. He let out a sigh and shook his head, hitting himself with the palm of his hand. He had almost slipped up, but he was able to catch himself. He seriously wanted to tell Bella about him being a spirit wolf Shifter, but he just couldn't do that. Maybe he could get her to figure it out on her own, but that could wait. Jacob smiled as he looked back at the door before turning and walking away. Bella was going to be just fine with Ms. Opal. And he knew that she'd be able to do more than she thought she could. He had faith in her, but she needed to have faith in herself first. Hopefully soon she'd see that.