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 22

Bella lay on her bed later that evening staring at the ceiling—or would be if she could see it—a silly grin on her face. Today had been such a wonderful day! She had not only confessed her feelings for Jacob but had them returned and had had the most amazing kiss in her life. That kiss! It was everything she ever dreamed of! Not even her first kiss or any following with Edward could compare. Jacob's lips and kisses were in a class all their own. But that wasn't the only thing that was on her mind about Jacob, though.

After they had had the most passionate kiss ever, she had been able to catch a glimpse of Jacob, of what he really looked like. He was exactly like how she remembered him before she went blind, only more gorgeous. He was so beautiful, and it was hard for her to believe that such a beautiful creature would only have eyes for her, someone who was so plain and not special in the slightest. Not only that, but she had somehow had a vision of the future, their future. It portrayed them older with two little children of their own, a boy and a girl; she couldn't tell if they had been twins or not. But she had seen it so clearly! It was so real, it made her believe that it could and would happen.

The thought of that made her giggle giddily. However, the giggling soon subsided when the thought that she'd never actually be able to see any child of her own flitted into her mind. Was that vision the only chance she had to see any kids of her own? Taking away the prospect of kids, would she ever be able to see again? Bella had briefly and it felt good to be able to do so, but would it happen again? Or was she destined to spend the rest of her life blind? She didn't like to think so, but there was no indication for her otherwise. And yet, she couldn't help but hope that would change.

From his little puppy bed, Shadow watched his mistress sleepily, having the feeling she was thinking about her mate. She and her mate were now officially together, and the pheromones they had emitted while at the beach were very strong. He was surprised her mate hadn't claimed her right then and there. Maybe it was a human thing, but didn't all species claim their mates immediately? What was his mistress' mate's deal? Oh well, he supposed it didn't matter. They were together and his mistress was happy, and that was all he cared about. No longer able to fight off sleep, Shadow closed his little eyes and soon drifted off to puppy sleepy town.

Finding herself becoming rather tired, Bella got up from her bed and walked to where her rocking chair was, picking up the t-shirt and cotton shorts she was using for pajamas and changed out of her clothes, putting those on before putting her day clothes in her hamper. She walked back to her bed and climbed back onto it, pulling back the sheets and snuggling in under them. She grabbed her cell-phone that was by her pillow and moved to plug it in to charge for the night when it started buzzing in her hand, alerting her to an incoming call.

Pressing the 'Answer' button, Bella held it to her ear and said, "Hello?"

"Bella, hi," spoke Angela's voice in her ear.

Smiling Bella replied, "Hi Angela. How are you?"

"I'm doing well, can't complain. What about you?"

"I'm actually doing alright. I guess you can say that after a bit of down days, today was the day that everything seemed to brighten for me,"

Angela giggled into the phone for a moment before saying, "Jacob."

Bella giggled as well. "Yes, Jacob."

"Tell me what happened."

"If it's alright, I'd rather tell it to you in person. Maybe we can meet tomorrow?"

"Yeah sure, that sounds good. I'd also like to tell you something as well. How about you come over to my place around one o' clock? My parents are taking my brothers to see a movie and I'll be at the house by myself. I'd also really like the company and some girl time that doesn't involve Jessica."

The brunette nodded in understanding. "Gotcha. Sure, I'll be over tomorrow. I'll just get dad to drop me off; he's going into work later tomorrow because he has a dental appointment in the morning."

"Alright, sounds good. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good deal. Goodnight Ang."

"Goodnight Bella."

Bella hung up her phone and plugged it in, setting it on her nightstand before settling down to sleep. She soon fell into a contented, happy deep sleep, completely oblivious to the outside world. She didn't wake up when Charlie peeked in half an hour later to check on her, she didn't wake up when Shadow woke up briefly to leave his puppy bed and hop onto hers, burrowing under her sheets and snuggling against her before settling back into sleep, and she didn't wake up when her phone began buzzing again from another call. This call went unanswered of course, but the caller didn't mind and the message left to her voicemail was as sweet as any good home baked pie.

The next morning, Bella smiled giddily at the kitchen table while listening to the message that was left on her phone the night before. She would play it over and over, giggling to herself as she listened to it. Charlie, who was sipping his coffee and reading the paper, knew the message was from Jacob and it warmed his heart to see his daughter so happy, especially because of Jacob. He had always hoped that they would end up together and now it had finally happened. He believed he could rest easy now knowing his daughter was in a stable and healthy relationship (never mind the fact that it just started) and that she was truly happy. Charlie knew Jacob would take care of and be good to his daughter, no matter what.

After listening to Jacob's message for the fifteenth time, Bella set her phone down and turned back to her bowl of cereal. Taking a bite and chewing, she remembered her phone call from Angela the night before. Swallowing her mouthful, she said, "Hey dad?"

"Hm?" Charlie responded taking a sip of his coffee.

"Angela asked me to go over to her house at about one, and I was wondering if you'd drop me off."

"Sure, no problem kiddo. I'll do that on my way to work later today." Charlie checked the clock on the wall, cursing at the time. "And I've also got to get to my dental appointment now, or I'm going to be late. Will you be alright until I get back?"

Bella nodded in response. "Yeah, I'll be okay."

Charlie nodded and ruffled Bella's hair before grabbing the keys to his cruiser and heading out the door, calling back that he'd be back soon. Bella listened to her father exit the house and get into the cruiser, hearing it start up and back out of the driveway before driving off down the road. She went back to eating her breakfast until she had her fill, then set the bowl of cereal milk on the floor for Shadow to lap up.

To pass the time until Charlie returned home, Bella went back up to her room to change into some day clothes and read the book she had borrowed from the library a week ago. It of course was in Braille and it was so good so far. She had a feeling she would end up loving it by the end. But before changing, she decided to take a shower. Stopping at the hall closet upstairs, Bella reached in and grabbed a towel before heading into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. Shadow, who had followed her up the stairs after finishing the bowl of milk, sat outside of the closed bathroom door, patiently waiting for his mistress.

Bella stepped into the shower and cleaned herself, lathering herself with suds and letting the spray of the shower-head rinse them off her body and down the drain. When she was finished, she got out and toweled herself dry before wrapping the towel around herself and heading back to her room. There she put on clean undergarments before putting on a pair of blue jeans and a purple V-neck t-shirt, not that she could tell the color of it. Once those were on, she took the towel and again and towel dried her hair before grabbing her brush and brushing it out. When she thought it presentable, she grabbed a hair tie from her nightstand and pulled it back into a low ponytail. Afterwards she put on a clean pair of socks and shoes before grabbing her white stick and book from her desk and heading back downstairs, Shadow closely following behind her.

The brunette settled on the couch and red her book quietly, passing the time pleasantly as she waited for Charlie. Just as she read the last word of her book, she heard the front door open and Charlie call out, "I'm home, kiddo."

Charlie walked into the living room, smiling as Shadow barked happily and ran around his feet, jumping up on his legs while demanding his attention. Chuckling, Charlie bent down and gave Shadow the love he demanded before looking up at Bella, his daughter looking at him from her place on the couch. Standing back up he asked, "Are you ready to go to the Webers'?"

"Yeah, I'm ready. Also, can you return this book for me? The library is a bit past Angela's house and you can just drop it in the drop-box," Bella said.

"No problem. Come on, let's go."

Charlie, Bella, and Shadow soon all left the Swan house and climbed into the police cruiser, on their way to Angela's house. Ten minutes later they arrived and Bella got out of the car, smiling as she saw Angela's pink aura coming into view. Thanking her dad, Bella told him she'd call Jacob when she was ready to leave before bidding her father 'goodbye' and hearing him leave. Turning back to Angela she said, "It's so good to see you, Angela. I'm sorry we haven't had much time to hang out this summer before the new school year."

Angela smiled and replied, "It's no problem. Besides, I've been dealing with some things that I had to work out myself anyway."

The two girls entered Angela's house and Angela held Bella's hand as they climbed the stairs of the Weber home and she led her into her room. Settling onto her bed, Angela giggled as she watched the black Labrador puppy sniff around her room before saying, "I didn't know you got a dog."

Bella laughed softly and said, "Yeah, I got him from the La Push pet shop. That same day I was hired and I worked their for the summer. I still work there and my boss is pretty chill. He actually gave him to me and told me I could keep him, even pay him back in hard work."

"Wow, that was kind of him."

"I'll say. But I'm grateful though, because having that job has helped my independence more with my blindness." Bella turned to look at Shadow's aura before whistling, instantly getting his attention. She patted her lap and watched as his aura got closer to her before she felt him jump into her lap. Petting him she said, "His name is Shadow, and he lives up to his name pretty well. He follows me everywhere and even protects me from potential danger."

Angela cooed at him and began to pet him, Shadow basking in the attention. As she did she asked, "What kind of danger?"

"Well, I think it's mostly because he knows I can't see, so he's kind of like my eyes whenever I'm alone. So he sees things that I can't see. And as far as dangers, he sees Edward as one."

Upon mentioning him, Angela frowned and said softly, "I can't believe that he's stalking you. The whole town was talking about it when the news broke about your restraining order against him. Has he tried anything since then?"

Knowing she couldn't tell her about the truck incident, she decided to tell her about him being at her home unexpectedly. Making sure to keep it simple and not talk about the supernatural element of it, she said, "He showed up to my house while Jacob and I were there, and Shadow immediately began barking and snapping at him because he picked up on the tension rolling off me and Jacob. He then began to chase Edward around until he finally left."

Angela couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Edward Cullen being ran around and chased off by such a small puppy. Petting the black pup she praised, "Good boy."

Shadow barked happily and licked Angela's cheek before settling himself into her lap. He liked this bespectacled human, and knew she could be trusted, especially if she was a friend of his mistress'.

Looking back up at the brunette Angela said, "So tell me about yesterday. What happened with Jacob to lift your spirits the way it did?"

A bright blush appeared on Bella's face before she answered, "I told Jacob that I loved him."

Angela's eyes widened behind her glasses. "Really?"

"Yes, and he returned my feelings. Not that I doubted he would, but it was nice to hear all the same. And then we kissed and made out in our spot on First Beach before he took me home."

"So are you guys official now?"

Bella giggled and nodded, causing Angela to squeal in excitement and hug her. Pulling away Angela said, "Congratulations! I'm so happy for you, Bella. I hope you don't mind me saying this, but he is such a better fit for you than Edward ever was. I've noticed how attentive he is of you and watching out for you, not in that creepy way Edward would be. Jacob also seems to make you stronger and believe more in yourself, and I love that about him and I'm glad that he's with you."

Hearing her friend tell her that warmed her heart, knowing she had her approval of her new relationship with Jacob. Smiling Bella said, "Thanks Ang. I think I'm going to be really happy with Jacob."

"I know you will."

"Yeah. So, what about you? You said you had something to tell me last night."

Angela's smile fell from her face and she looked down in her lap, locking her eyes on Shadow who kept pawing at the flower design on her pant leg. Taking a deep breath, she replied, "Ben and I broke up last week."

Bella's eyes widened in shock. "What? Oh Ang, I'm so sorry."

Shaking her head Angela responded, "No, it's alright, really. It was mutual, to be honest. We found ourselves slowly but surely not being as into each other as we once were and just thought it better to call it quits."

"But are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. We're still friends, so that's good for us. Besides…"

Angela trailed off and her face began to heat up a bit. When nothing followed Angela's sudden silence, Bella frowned and said, "Angela?"

Taking another deep breath Angela continued, "Besides, I've been talking to someone else now and I think I'm beginning to like him a lot."

Bella's eyes widened yet again at the admission. "Really?"

"Yes, but we're only friends. I promise I wasn't cheating on Ben, I swear."

"No, I don't believe you would do that to Ben. Were you emotionally involved with this guy before breaking up with Ben?"

"I was heading in that direction, and when I realized I was, I knew I had to break things off with Ben before getting too deep. Luckily Ben was thinking the same thing about that time, so it made the breakup easier, though he didn't know about him. But somehow, I think he figured I was developing feelings for someone else, even before I realized I was."

Bella nodded in understanding, knowing that was probably the most likely case. People did sometimes develop feelings for another while with someone else and don't even know it. It would make sense if that was what happened with Angela. Wanting to hear about the guy that was on his way to stealing her friend's heart she asked, "So what's he like?"

"Who?"

"This guy you're talking to. What's he like?"

Angela's blush got deeper before saying almost shyly, "You know what he's like already. It's…it's Embry Call, Jacob's friend."

Bella stared at Angela's pink aura for a moment before letting out a squeal and hugging the bespectacled girl, disturbing Shadow and causing him to move from Angela's lap to sitting on her bed beside of her. Laughing Angela said, "I figured you'd be a bit excited upon hearing this."

"Oh my gosh, Angela! Do you know how big this is?" Feeling Angela shake her head, she pulled back from her and began speaking. "Embry has the biggest crush on you ever, has ever since you first visited Ms. Opal with me. He would always ask about you to me and when I mentioned you were dating Ben, he said he was fine with just being your friend, even though it was obvious he wanted more. But to know you like him too, it makes me so happy. He's such a sweet guy and I think you two will be great together."

"Embry really is such a sweet guy, but we haven't gotten that far just yet. We're still just friends and we're only talking. We haven't had any dates or anything. I haven't even mentioned by breakup from Ben to him yet."

"Don't worry. The moment he finds out you're available, he'll probably wait a week before asking you out."

"I don't know about that."

"He will, trust me. And I totally support you guys when you finally get together."

Angela laughed and playfully shoved Bella before the two of them began talking about this and that, simply enjoying each others' company. It had been a long time since Bella had gotten any girl time with Angela and was glad to have this time again and not worry about Edward or Victoria. During this moment, she was a simple teenage girl with no worries.

That night, a little after midnight, Emmett, Jasper, and Edward all walked into the Cullen mansion, having returned from their hunting trip. Emmett immediately went to the room he shared with Rosalie, intent on spending time with his mate and reacquainting himself with her body thoroughly. Jasper stood still for a moment before looking at Edward, silently asking him was Alice in the house. Shaking his head Edward replied, "She's not here, Jasper. She must be out for the time being."

Esme, having been coming down the stairs, smiled at the two male vampires and greeted them with hugs before saying, "Welcome home. Jasper, Alice is in Seattle right now; you will find her there."

"Thank you," Jasper replied, his Southern twang coming through before turning to leave the house again and taking off running into the woods.

Edward frowned at Esme, finding her thoughts playing The Golden Girls theme song repeatedly in her head. Looking at his adoptive mother he asked, "What is it?"

Giving her son a small smile, she answered, "I think it's better coming from Carlisle than me. He's waiting for you in his study."

Nodding, Edward headed upstairs to Carlisle's study, wondering what his sire could want and why it had Esme shielding her thoughts from him. Reaching the door, he raised his hand to politely knock, but stopped when Carlisle's voice said, "Come in, Edward."

Opening the study door, Edward stepped inside and closed it behind him before saying, "Esme says you have something to say to me."

Carlisle looked up from his computer and took off his unnecessary reading glasses, a stern expression on his face. Gesturing to the chair in front of his desk he said, "Have a seat, Edward. It's about time that you and I had a talk."