Need You Now

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!

Part Four

Jacob kissed Bella, his mouth pressed gently but firmly against hers, his tongue sliding past her lips. Bella nipped on his lower lip, making him groan as he intensified the kiss, in the end leaving her breathless. His head was still reeling from her revelations. Had they really been torturing each other for no reason at all? If she was right and they had been imprinted this whole time, why hadn't the pack seen it? Or maybe it just wasn't obvious to them because he thought about Bella all the time. She was constantly on his mind and his brothers must have gotten used to it, thinking it was just a natural thing for him to do because he was so in love with her. His feelings were different to Sam's, Jared's or Quil's. They had imprinted after they had phased, but Bella was suggesting that their connection had formed years ago. Maybe even as children. He was always destined to phase; the Alpha blood ran strong in his veins. The only reason he had deferred to Sam was because of his fear of losing Bella, or being so tied to the reservation that he couldn't leave to follow her.

"Do you remember when I first told you about imprinting?" He asked.

"Yes." Bella's hand was on his chest. She drew little circles over his heart with her forefinger. "You said it's not like love at first sight, really. It's more like… gravity moves. When you see her, suddenly it's not the earth holding you here anymore. She does. And nothing matters more than her. And you would do anything for her, be anything for her… You become whatever she needs you to be, whether that's a protector, or a lover, or a friend, or a brother."

"And I've been those things?" Jacob could feel the budding excitement building in his chest.

"First, you were my friend when I so desperately needed one. Second, you were my protector when my life was at risk, not just from Victoria, but myself, too. Lastly, you were my lover." Bella blushed crimson. She would always struggle talking about sex. "Well you know what I mean."

Jacob laughed at the burn on her skin. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, his big hands spanning her tiny waist as he lifted her up against him. "Gravity definitely moved when we first met." He teased when he pulled away, leaving Bella breathless once again. "You fell on my mud pies and squashed them flat."

Bella coughed as she tried to breathe and laugh at the same time. "So it wasn't because I'm clumsy. Gravity was playing tricks on me and it was all your fault."

"Uh huh." Jacob rubbed his nose on hers in a sweet Eskimo kiss. "Bella. Bells. My Bella. My girl." He pecked her lips again, enjoying the cute smile she was wearing. He hadn't seen her smile like that in a long time. Not since Edward had come back into their lives anyway.

Cullen intruding on his thoughts was like a bucket of ice cold water being thrown on him. Jacob clutched Bella closer as if Edward was suddenly going to jump out of the shadows and steal her away.

"I know what you're thinking." Bella whispered, all serious now.

"What am I thinking?"

"Edward."

"How did he get in the way?" Jacob said thickly. "You pushed me away so many times. You chose him, you put him first. You hurt me."

Bella rested her chin on his broad shoulder and closed her eyes. "We'd been separated for so long. You were still only fifteen when I moved back-"

"I was so excited when I found out you were coming to live with Charlie. I couldn't wait to see you. To talk to you again."

"I know." Bella pressed a kiss onto his shoulder to soothe him. "But the time wasn't right then. We had just renewed our acquaintance, even though I felt so comfortable around you, we weren't ready. Then I met Edward."

Jacob cradled her in his arms as he tried to stifle his hurt. This was the most candid conversation they'd had in months. She was trying to figure it out just like he was. Cullen was a gifted vampire, perhaps their imprint wasn't strong enough at that time to combat his supernatural influence. Even with Edward constantly in Bella's orbit they had still managed to form a connection of sorts, which had only grown stronger when Cullen had left. He pondered this for a long time as he held Bella against his solid chest. They had been pulled apart so often over the last few months but had always found their way back to each other.

"I was thinking about the time Sam tried to make you stay away from me." Bella said suddenly.

"If you hadn't been so stubborn and persistent about seeing me." Jacob grew thoughtful again. It had been a while since he had allowed himself to dwell on that painful episode in his life. But it was a perfect example of how desperately they had fought to be with each other again. Bella had ignored all warnings to stay away, even when he had been forced to tell her to keep her distance, she was determined to see him, and he her. He had managed to circumnavigate Sam's Alpha command. If that hadn't been an obvious sign that they shared a powerful connection he didn't know what was. How could he have missed it? Looking back on it with fresh eyes it was so obvious.

"It hurt so much knowing that you loved a monster, but you couldn't love me. Knowing that I was a monster. Sam told me I couldn't be around you because it was too risky, especially after what happened between him and Emily. I wasn't even sure you would want to be around me. I was scared."

"So was I." Bella admitted. I've been scared for so long. I panicked, Jake. When Alice came back and told me about Edward, I was a mess and didn't know what to do. I panicked because he was going to die and I felt responsible for him. I had to go to Italy. I had to at least try and save him. I couldn't have his death on my conscience. I thought he didn't love me anymore. I was convinced of it. I wasn't expecting him to come back to Forks with me. I wasn't-" Her voice drifted off as she fumbled for the right words.

"Hey." Jacob looped a lock of her hair behind her ear. She was crying again. "It's alright."

"No, it's not. I left you in the cold not because I wanted to but because I was confused. Edward was saved, he told me he had loved me all along. That all that stuff that broke me was just a lie. Leaving you behind was the worst feeling in the world. It was awful. I was an emotional mess. It was like riding a rollercoaster and not being able to get off. Edward was back. You wouldn't speak to me-"

"Those damn notes." Jacob interjected as he sighed in irritation at his past actions.

"None of that matters now." Bella shook herself out of her melancholy. "It's done and we can't change it. But we can change what happens now."

"And what happens now?" Jacob's mouth hovered over hers, his dark eyes smouldering with desire.

"This." Bella murmured as their lips crashed together.

Time ebbs and flows. No matter how they yearned to stop the sand trickling through the hourglass, it did. As the sun rose in the sky and kissed the mountain, bathing it in a hazy orange glow, Seth signalled a warning, letting them know that Edward had returned.

Bella emerged into the light, her hand resting securely in Jacob's. He towered above her, his expression stern and unreadable. He made sure to hide his thoughts about what had happened between him and Bella the night before. They had mutually agreed to keep silent about their revelations until after the battle. Everyone needed to be focused with no distractions. And that included Edward Cullen.

"My love." Edward ran to Bella as soon as he laid eyes on her. He scooped her up in his arms, burying his face in her hair as he breathed her in. He didn't notice Bella's lacklustre response to his embrace. Instead he raised his head and flashed Jacob a triumphant smirk before morphing his features into a neutral expression so Bella wouldn't see.

"What did Alice say?" Bella asked worriedly. She glanced at Jacob quickly, seeking his reassurance. He gave her a half smile which calmed her nerves.

Edward noticed their little exchange and he frowned. "It has been difficult for her to see. With the shifters being involved it meddles with her visions. She's had no bad feelings but we need to proceed with caution."

"I need to check in with my pack." Jacob said coolly. He hated having to walk away from Bella and leave her in Edward's hands but he had no choice. His heart ached as he looked at her intently. Bella gave him a secret signal. She put her hand over her heart, indicating she was thinking of him. Her simple gesture put him at ease as he walked away into the cover of the trees and phased.

"I hope last night wasn't too irksome for you."Edward ducked his head as he tried to read her facial expressions to work out what she was thinking.

"It was fine. Jake kept me safe." Bella flashed him an annoyed look.

"I'm sorry. I just wish I could have been in his place." Edward admitted with a guilty smile.

Bella shrugged, not really knowing what to say. She was finding the conversation awkward and was having trouble containing her worry about Jacob.

"You know all my best nights have happened since I met you." Edward said warmly as he took her hands in his.

Bella stiffened. "Oh."

"Oh? Is that all you can say?" Edward laughed quietly. "I'm trying to be romantic here."

"Sorry." Bella mumbled as she tried to avoid his eyes.

"But nothing beats the night I asked for your hand in marriage and you said yes." Edward smiled tenderly, his golden brown eyes sparkling with delight.

"YOU'RE MARRYING HIM."

Bella spun on her heel to find Jacob standing a few feet away. His face was full of hurt; his dark eyes filled with pain. She gasped, feeling like her heart was being ripped out of her chest. "Jake! Jake!" She began to run clumsily toward him.

Edward reached out and grabbed her arm, stopping her in her tracks."Let him go, Bella."

"You knew he was there. You did this on purpose." Bella spat angrily as she wrenched her arm away from him.

"He deserved to know." Edward implored.

Bella threw him a look of utter disgust as she turned her back on him and ran after Jacob.

A/N-thank you for reading!