It had been a while since he called her. There had been little need until now. After their night on the beach, he devoted every moment that he wasn't sleeping, at school, or on duty, to her. He hadn't been that happy or exhilarated in forever, and her graduation was growing closer everyday. So of course, now he would be forced to resort to voicemails and messengers for most of the week.

He feared a repeat of the last time he filled her in on the details. He hated seeing her like that, shrinking to the tiny ball that Sam found her in, but he didn't trust the leech not to try to take advantage of her vulnerability. He knew she wouldn't go running back to him after everything that happened with the Cullens, after everything she and Jacob shared. He hoped. She would never...Of course she wouldn't. Jealousy was a dark and dangerous path that he wanted to avoid at all costs.

He pulled into the driveway at the Swan house in one of the few shirts he still bothered to wear. Charlie would be home, no doubt. As much as he enjoyed her not-so-subtle glances at his physique, he didn't want to get on the police chief's bad side. As per his luck, it was Charlie that answered the door. He rubbed his eyes, shielding them from the sun. He must have been asleep.

"Hey, Jacob. I'm guessing you're here for Bella," he grumbled, ushering him into the house.

He was still understandably sore about Edward, so any suitor was going to be closely scrutinized, even one that he liked. Charlie had to have known before. The entire reservation probably knew before she did. Jacob had always worn his heart on his sleeve.

"Yessir. Is she ready?"

"Where are you all going?" he asked, ignoring his question; a clear power move.

"Emily's house. She hasn't seen Bella in forever so she wanted to make dinner and maybe do a movie or something. The whole pa-group is coming over and she always makes enough to feed the entire tribe. "

Charlie seemed to loosen up when he mentioned Emily. He knew her through Billy, and no one could could dislike Emily once they met her. Well, maybe one. Hopefully this would make it easier when they kept her there during the fight. That didn't mean he was done with his scary-overprotective-dad routine. He liked to keep his gun holster on a hook by the entryway as a warning.

"Don't you get cold?" he asked, gesturing towards Jacob's thin shirt.

"It's the Quileute genes. We've got thick blood."

"Right…"

Bella's father has never been one for lively conversation, and too many years spent hanging out with Billy had only made it worse. He figured he had another ten seconds before the awkwardness set in and he would have to say something. Much to his relief, she suddenly came tumbling down the stairs. Saved by the Bells.

"Sorry, Jake. I'm ready now."

Her long hair bounced with every step, and her jeans clung to her body in a way that made him wonder how he was going to be able to behave himself. The frosty air forced her into a sweater, a concept she was still somehow grappling with. It was green with a neckline that exposed her collarbones, but it was also easily two sizes too big. Everything was too big on her. Jake was probably to big on her...She needed to stop being so cute if he was going to keep up this gentlemanly charade with Charlie.

"It's ok. Fighting that sweater off must've taken forever, and it looks like you lost.

"Shut up."

"No, seriously. I think it ate you."

Charlie sighed and rolled his eyes before shuffling back to his chair.

"Bye, Dad!" she chirped, giving him a quick kiss on his scruffy cheek. She threw her coat on with record speed and took Jacob's hand.

"Have her home by eleven," he called, already deep into the newspaper. Is this what Charlie's good side looked like?

Emily's house was already full to the brim with the Quileute boys. As usual, these giant man-children were acting like bulls in a china shop, but Emily seemed unbothered by it. She was tending to several pots on the stove when they arrived, and she turned to greet them as soon as they made it to the kitchen.

"Bella!" she called, hugging her tightly and grinning from ear to ear. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm tired of dealing with boys all the time."

The sound of Bella's name made the rest of pack pause to greet her. Quil waved at her, winking at Jacob once she looked away. He better not keep that up all night.

A high pitched beeping carried over the din.

"Oh no! The rolls! I promise we'll catch up later Bella. Just let me get these animals settled." She scurried back to the oven to save dinner.

Quil was busy antagonizing Paul, who was trying to have a conversation with Sam and Jared. Embry was busy with his shift, and Jacob hoped Emily would save him something. Maybe he would miss the meeting and lose the chance to make a joke at his expense.

Emily began hauling huge bowls of food to her equally oversized kitchen table. Rice, vegetables, mashed potatoes, chicken, and fresh rolls, easily enough for an army. Quil began reaching over the table with both hands, only to get smacked with a wooden spoon.

"Bella gets served first. If I left it up to you all there wouldn't be anything for either of us."

Jacob could see her blush and laugh nervously. She hadn't spent as much time with Emily as the others, and being the center of her attention seemed to both flatter and embarrass her. But she looked happy, or at least content, with the pack. She smiled and laughed at their stupid antics and shot back when they got too snarky. She would fit well in the family.

The cacophony was quickly replaced by the sounds of chewing. It looked like they would demolish this spread in just a few minutes. Jake had already torn through three plates on his own, but Bella was still working on her first. He leaned over and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in to plant a kiss on her temple, and she blushed again. She wasn't so shy the night before.

They sat around the table, surely stuffed to the gills but not griping about it like she would have. Emily took the bowls back to the kitchen with Bella's help, but the lively atmosphere did not return. He supposed it was time to get down to business.

"So, is there really a movie or is this a wolf night?" she asked. He always knew she was smart, but she was never great at picking up signals. Either she was getting better or the guys were getting worse.

"No," said Sam hesitantly.. "It's wolf business. We have news."

He could see her heart drop into her stomach. He took her hand and rubbed it gently with his thumb. Sam cleared his throat.

"So, you know we lost track of Victoria over the last few weeks. Her scent disappeared and we thought she might have gone into Seattle or Vancouver to hunt under the radar. It turns out that wasn't the case."

He checked on her again. She was upright and not vomiting, so that was a step in the right direction, but he could hear her breathing becoming uneven.

"We've discovered that she has been laying low somewhere off the coast. She knew we couldn't pick up her scent over the water."

"I knew it," she said, her voice quiet but controlled. "I saw something in the water the day of the beach party. I thought it was a seal or something but it looked so...odd…How did you find out?"

The tribe exchanged looks, all waiting for Sam to give the official story.

"New bodies have turning up on the shoreline near Seattle. We started keeping an eye on our beaches, and dead seals were starting to wash up. She has to come up if she's going to feed, and it seems that she's figured out how to minimize her scent with heavy snowfall. That was how she made it to the water last time without us knowing."

She closed her eyes, and her hand was shaking in his. This was going to go downhill fast. They needed to start working on the good news before he had to explain to Charlie why his daughter was comatose.

"But, this means that she is moving in, and we have a very good idea of when she is planning to strike. Forecast says there's a snowstorm headed in our direction by the end of next week."

"The end of next week…" she repeated. The air was still.

"So what's the plan? What can I do?"

Her voice was suddenly firm and resolute. She was going to insist on being actively involved in this, wasn't she? He should have known. What he did know was that getting her to go with the plan and not divert from it would be a challenge. She was too stubborn for her own good.

"That's part of the reason you're here. The safest place for you will be on the reservation. You will stay the night at Emily's house, and we will arrange for Charlie to be at Billy's so we can keep an eye on him as well. Embry will patrol the houses and then join us once we catch up to her."

"So I get to sit in the house the whole night waiting to find out if you're all still alive?" And there it was.

Jacob snorted. "I told you she wouldn't go for it."

"Let me do something," she said. It was a command, not a request. There was the bossy woman who was pushing him over the night before.

"There's nothing to do. We're having a strategy meeting tonight to decide on the particulars and then we have a week to prepare."

"What if I could lure her somewhere?"

"No," Jacob growled, squeezing her hand tightly. "There's no way in hell you are going to be live bait."

"Maybe not live bait, though it wouldn't be the first time." She gave him a sardonic smile. "What if we could spread my scent around somewhere? I know she'll head for my house first but maybe smelling me closer by will throw her off. "

Sam looked at Jacob from across the table. He was seriously considering it, if not to help pacify her. It made Jacob uneasy, even if the plan had merit. They needed to minimize her involvement in any of this.

"Maybe. We will need to discuss the logistics amongst ourselves first. Jacob?"

"Right. C'mon, Bella. We should get going," tugging at her hand.

He anticipated a very uncomfortable night ahead. Either he was about to get an earful, a breakdown, or nothing at all, and he wasn't sure which he'd prefer.

Bella rose stiffly, not making eye contact with any members of the pack.

"Thank you for dinner, Emily. It was wonderful. I guess we'll have to catch up next time."

With that, she took back her hand and marched ahead of Jacob out the front door. No need to guess anymore. Within seconds of her departure, Embry burst in through the back door.

"Hey guys! What'd I miss? I'm starving. Emily, did you save me anything?"

The room was completely still, with no one looking up to acknowledge him. Poor kid. He had a gift for comedic timing, and it was never at the right time. It was a shame the Seinfeld bass riff didn't play every time he entered the room.

Jacob sighed heavily. "I'll be back. You guys can fill me in later."

He took a deep breath, preparing himself for Hurricane Bella, as he closed Emily's door behind him. She was sitting on the porch steps, completely still, staring off into the distance. He walked over to her slowly, almost afraid to make any sudden movements, and sat down beside her. Waiting.

"This is bullshit."

"Bells come on-"

"You come on. Did you agree to all this?"

"I don't exactly have a choice. You know that. I get input and then it's out of my hands."

She put her hands over her face, letting out a guttural scream in frustration.

"I am so sick to death of the wolf magic bullshit. This whole thing is so patronizing. What the hell am I supposed to do? Sit at home knitting? Maybe we can install a widow's walk so Emily and I can gaze wistfully into the distance while we listen to one of you getting killed."

Her fear had turned to anger, but everything else was still there. He couldn't tell her they would have backup, that there would be nothing for her to worry about. He admired her love and concern for the pack, but they couldn't afford to keep a babysitter posted at the house all night.

"Bella, do you really think that this is a good idea?" His own frustration was leaking out.

"I think it's better than doing nothing." That was it.

"No, being live bait is a terrible fucking idea. I can't protect you in the middle of a fight. It would take just a second for her to get her hands on you and snap your neck. I can't protect you or the pack if there's a distraction. I get that you don't want to be left alone but you're being kind of selfish right now."

He could see how much his words stung, and he didn't want to say it, but maybe that's what it would take to get her to play ball. No matter how mad she got at him, it was still better than seeing her throat torn out in front of him. He face morphed through several different emotions before landing on one.

Not anger. Tears.

He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her into his chest.

"I'm sorry, honey. I didn't mean to be so harsh but I really need to understand."

Her steely resolve had dissolved into pained weeping. She pressed her face into his shoulder, soaking the sleeve and smudging the mascara she'd worn for the occasion. He'd tried being gentle with her before, but she was too stubborn to handle with kid gloves, and she was stronger than that. He knew she was tired of feeling like their damsel in distress. She wanted to feel like a capable adult and be taken seriously again, especially by the pack, but she had a way of picking the weirdest hills to die on.

He squeezed her tightly, stroking her hair while she regained her composure.

"Jake, I'm sorry. You know I-"

"I know. Just please take my word for it when I tell you we can handle it, ok?."

She sniffed.

"Look, I'll talk to Sam about the scent thing. Maybe it can help us draw her out."

"It still feels like you're just humoring me."

He smiled and kissed her forehead. "Only a little bit."

"Bells?"

"Yeah?"

"It's ok, you know; You're allowed to be worried about yourself."

She grabbed him around his waist and laid her head on his shoulder.

"Ok."

He sighed, relieved that he'd managed to talk her down from a cliff. Maybe his powers of persuasion were better than he thought. Maybe he should have been alpha instead.

"Bella, do you trust me?"

She paused and looked into his eyes. "Yes."

"Do you love me?"

"Of course I do. Idiot."

"Ok, I'm very glad we got that settled," he laughed. She was still so cute when she was angry, even when it was at him.