Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Twilight Saga Series. Any recognizable content/characters belong to the great Stephanie Meyer.

CHAPTER SEVEN

(BPOV)

I was so caught up in the moment that I was completely oblivious to Charlie suddenly entering the kitchen. It wasn't until I heard his not so subtle throat clearing that I tore my eyes away from Jacob to see him there. A shade of crimson coming to settle on his cheeks when he spoke. "Bella honey, why don't you let me finish cleaning up. I'll wipe down the table and the counters. You go. Get outta here and enjoy the rest of your evening." He kindly offered to me. I couldn't help but steal a glance over at Jake to see a wide, mischievous grin on his face. The sight of it causing me to smile wide in return and accept Charlie's offer.

"Thanks dad." I replied, quickly hugging him before we headed out to my truck. I didn't know where we were going, but I wanted nothing more than to spend some alone time with Jacob. I was beyond thankful that Charlie had allowed us to slip out together for a while.

"I'll drive, beautiful?" Jake offered with a wink to me.

"Sure." I replied, feeling a blush form on my cheeks from his words, as we headed out of the driveway. "Where are we going?" I asked him, my curiousity getting the best of me after all.

"Where do you wanna go?" He asked me when I scooted over to the middle seat.

"Wherever you want to go. Doesn't matter to me." I replied softly. My head coming to rest on his shoulder while his hand reached for mine.

We drove in content silence for about a half hour. The simplicity of being with him was enough to make me feel at peace in a way I hadn't in days. The seemingly small gesture of his hand in mine, his thumb caressing my hand and the sound of the radio playing low in the background, was the kind of blissful contentment I had been missing so much these days.

The miles passed us casually by, as my mind began to ponder the many events of the past days. My mind seeming to linger on the memory of Jacob running to save me from Paul. I still marveled at how incredibly fast he had been and how terrified I was to see him fight Paul that way. We were soon pulling off onto a familiar road. Jacob parked and I realized we were at the La'Push hiking trails. A place Charlie had only taken me once before when I had been no more than ten years old. It was a long time ago and I hadn't been back here since.

The moon shined brightly over the tops of the tree's. We were the only people there. Majority of those who came here to hike, did so before night fall for obvious reasons. Jacob cut the engine and glanced over at me.

"Do you regret knowing everything now?" He asked me quietly.

"Do you regret me knowing?"

He looked out his window, falling silent for a bit as I nestled into him more. My fear of his answer peaking while waiting for him to say something.

"Sometimes... yea." He whispered. "I wish things were different. Sometimes I fear I'll lose myself in all this."

It pained me greatly to hear him sound this way. So uncertain of himself. I swallowed hard, knowing that his fear was not unfounded for him. I knew there was a chance of this happening, and hated to even think about him losing a part of himself. I took my hand out of his and placed it on his chest, before reaching up to touch his face and turning his head back to me. "Jake..." I whispered. "You won't. I won't let that happen."

He sighed and leaned in, resting his forehead against mine. His eyes closing when he spoke. "How? How do you know that?"

"Because..." I said, closing my own eyes. "I'll remind you how special you are. Everyday Jake... all the time... all the time."

"I was afraid I wouldn't get to you in time. Scared the hell out of me, honey." He breathed.

I nodded, pulling back and seeing his eyes meet mine as he brought his hand up to my face, caressing my cheek. I watched as his dark eyes left mine and wandered down to my lips.

The silence settled around us as Jake leaned in, his lips mere inches from mine. I couldn't bring myself to stop this. I couldn't continue to deny the strong pull there between us. It was magnetic, real, and undeniable. He kissed me tenderly. His full lips moving slowly with my own, causing warmth to spread through my body from his kiss. His lips felt like heaven against my own, leaving my head whirling and my heart hammering. He pulled back slightly, his eyes searching mine. I boldly leaned in and kissed him back, our lips meeting again. I felt his hand move into my hair as I drew myself closer to him, getting utterly lost in the moment with him. He was captivating, and warm and sincere. I soon found myself breathless and pulling away just to breathe.

"I was scared that I might lose you. It scared me." I admitted softly to him.

Jacob shook his head. "That won't happen. I promise."

I laid my head on his shoulder, feeling his hand reach for mine again. "Swear?"

"I swear, Bells."

My heart was still racing wildly from the kiss. My head still spinning a bit and my stomach full of butterflies. Jacob squeezed my hand in his, resting his head on mine. "You're nervous." He whispered to me.

"How do you know that?" I asked, a bit shocked.

"I can hear your heartbeat now."

I looked up at him in disbelief, unable to respond right away.

"Like... right now... it's racing, Bells and it's the sweetest sound I've ever heard." He whispered.

I shook my head, feeling like it couldn't be possible, but one look in his eyes told me it was true.

"What else has changed?"

"Well, I have to really be careful not to lose my cool or I'll be out of clothes in a few weeks." He said with a small chuckle.

"That's not so bad." I replied, returning his smile.

"There's other stuff to worry about. Like losing my cool in front of you. You know Emily? Sam's Fiance?"

I nodded, seeing his forehead crease with worry as he continued. "I know you haven't seen her, but they had an argument one night. Like every couple does and Sam lost it for a split second, and..." Jacob paused, seeming to hesitate. His hand tightening in mine as he glanced away from me and out the window before finishing. "Sam phased in the house when he was too close to Emily. He hurt her because of it. She has scars across her face from it to this day. They will always serve as a permanent reminder to Sam each day of what he did. It was an accident. Sam loves Emily more than he loves anyone or anything. He would never hurt her on purpose. He just lost control that one time."

I couldn't help the small gasp that left my mouth in response to hearing this. I hadn't met Emily yet, but I could only imagine what that would be like for Sam. I felt Jake's hand start to leave mine and turned my attention back to him, taking his hand back with my own.

"Hey..." I whispered to him. "You're not Sam. And that's not gonna happen to you."

"I would never forgive myself if I hurt you." He replied with a shake of his head. His eyes wandering down to glance at our hands together.

I gently pulled on his arm, drawing his attention back to me. "What happened with Sam was an accident. You said so yourself and I know you would never hurt me on purpose. I trust you."

I was certain of very little in my life these days. Everything seemed to be what it wasn't at one time. But the one thing I was absolutely certain of, was that Jacob would walk through fire before he'd ever hurt me.

My phone rang, effectively interrupting us. I took the phone out of my pocket to see it was Charlie calling. I sighed upon looking at the radio clock and seeing it was getting pretty late.

"We should head back, Charlie will worry." Jake sighed, starting the truck and heading back to my house. I fell asleep on his shoulder on the way back and awoke to hear his voice.

"Bells... honey? Wake up. You're home."

I forced my eyes open to see us now parked in my driveway behind Charlie's cruiser. "Are you leaving?" I asked him, still half asleep.

"Not if you don't want me to?"

"Please stay?" I whispered, selfishly not wanting him to leave just yet. The last few weeks had been hell without him.

Jacob nodded as I glanced up at him. "Come on. You're beat. You need your rest."

We walked hand in hand back into my house. Charlie was awake, watching a movie in the living room. He got up when he saw us come in. His eyes looking back and forth from Jake and I, observing as he hung up my coat for me.

"Thanks Jake for coming over for dinner, and uh... again I'm sorry about the misunderstanding, son." Charlie said, shaking Jake's hand again.

Son... He called Jake son, like nothing had ever even happened. I couldn't help the smile on my face. The feeling, similar to that of coming home for the first time after a long extended vacation.

"Um dad? Jake's gonna stay for a bit, okay?"

Charlie cleared his throat, briefly looking over at Jacob and seeming to think upon it for a fleeting moment or two. "Yea... That's fine. Just lock up when you leave okay, son?"

"Sure thing." Jacob replied with a smile.

Charlie hugged me goodnight and went upstairs, leaving Jake and I alone. I walked into the kitchen, leaning up against the counter for support and feeling dead on my feet. Jacob followed me in, seeing how tired I was. It was not lost on me that Victoria was still out there, hunting me. And now Jacob was what stood between the two of us. I couldn't help but shudder at the thought. My dream from before now plaguing my current thoughts.

Jacob took note of my silence as he approached me, gently pulling me into his arms. "What is it?"

"She's out there. Waiting and watching." I replied,

I felt his arms tighten around me. "She won't hurt you. We have this place surrounded. She can't touch you or Charlie."

I nodded to him, but felt no comfort knowing they all would be putting themselves in danger for me.

Jacob took my hand and lead me to the couch where he sat and motioned for me to join him. I didn't hesitate to curl up next to him. His warmth wrapping me up. I was so content in just being with him, that I was selfishly wishing he could stay all night. Thought I knew how unrealistic this wish was.

We were watching the late night news when I could no longer keep my eyes open. The weight of the days events wearing heavily on my body and making it hard not to succumb to my exhaustion. I was almost asleep when I heard Jake speak.

"Hey Bells?"

"Yea?" I whispered in reply.

"So all this doesn't change us? It doesn't bother you? Me being what I am now?"

I used my last bit of energy to move myself closer to him. Placing my head just under his chin and resting my hand on his chest. "I love you Jacob. In any form. No matter what you are."

I felt him sigh in relief and place a kiss on the top of my head. "I love you too, Bella."

I closed my eyes again, feeling my exhaustion win the battle I had been fighting.

I was surprised when I awoke in my bed the next morning, looking around and seeing I was by myself. Jacob must have carried me upstairs. I noticed I was still dressed in my outfit from the night before. I sat there in bed, thinking of the kiss we had shared, and feeling an immediate blush form on my cheeks. The way he had kissed me. Taking his time. It had all come very natural, just the way I thought it would.

I got up and glanced out my window, seeing Charlie had already left for his shift at the station. What time was it? I was stunned to see it was already ten in the morning. Even more shocking was when I realized I had slept through the whole night. No dreams. Not a single one.

I jumped when I heard my phone ring, running to get it. It was jacob. A smile spread to my face the moment I saw his name appear on the lit screen.

"Hello?" I answered quickly.

"Morning, Bells. How did you sleep?"

"Really good actually. Did you put me to bed last night?"

"Yea. I carried you up. You were so tired. I didn't have the heart to wake you."

"No...it's fine.. Thank you... for staying."

"No problem, honey. It was... really nice." Jacob replied, sincerity clear in his tone.

"Well... what are you up to today?" I asked him.

"I have to run patrol with Sam till tonight, but I was hoping you'd have dinner with me later? Just the two of us?"

I ran a nervous hand through my hair, thinking of our kiss again. "That sounds great. Yea... sure... what time?"

"Um... six okay?"

"Okay. I'll see you later then. Do you want me to meet you or?"

"No honey, I'll come pick you up. Talk to you, soon, Bells."

"Okay. Till then. See you later." I replied, before ending the call and feeling a bit nervous.

He had asked me to dinner. Just the two of us. This was a date. I was having a date with Jacob tonight. I shook my head, feeling absolutely ridiculous for the grin on my face and the abundance of nerves in my stomach from something that was hours away. Maybe I was over thinking this? After all, we had eaten together alone before here at the house and it had meant nothing. I dismissed my obsessive thoughts and inner doubts for now and decided to spend the rest of the day buried in one of my favorite novels. This was the easiest way for me to pass the time and to not obsess over what tonight's dinner meant or in fact did not mean with Jacob.

The hours passed by and before I knew it the clock on the wall read nearly five in the afternoon. I practically jumped up off the couch and ran upstairs to my room to find something to wear. I frantically searched through my closet, taking out every newer piece of clothing I owned and throwing them on the bed when I found something wrong with them. I was pacing back and forth in front of my bedroom window, my nerves trying to get the best of me. I took a deep breath and sat down on the edge of my bed, placing my head in my hands while trying to collect myself. I knew that my nerves only verified what I had deep down suspected all along, that this was real to me. That Jacob did indeed mean something to me. Something far more than just my best friend and something I had been suspecting now for weeks.

After many minutes of what seemed to be the never ending closet raid, I finally settled for a white button up blouse. Pairing it with a black cropped sweater and my favorite pair of black skinny jeans. I coated my lashes, put a few loose curls in my hair, and even added some blush to my cheeks. Not that I really needed it. Jake seemed to bring that out all on his own, without the need for makeup. I was sure by the end of the night, I wouldn't need it to color my cheeks.

There was a knock on the door downstairs and I felt my stomach flip, as I quickly checked my reflection once more before running down to answer it. Jacob stood there dressed in dark denim jeans and a grey button up shirt. Topped with his dark brown leather jacket. He looked so handsome, that I forgot how to formulate my own damn words for a few moments. His smile lit up his face when he spoke and it took my breath away.

"You look amazing, Bells." He said, while wrapping me up in one of his hugs I loved so much. His scent surrounded me, some of it was surely cologne, but majority of it was just his warm, woodsy natural pine scent. The kind that was intoxicating and you only wished you could bottle it somehow.

"Thank you. So do you." I replied, finally remembering how the hell to speak. I soon remembered he could tell just how nervous I was now. He could hear my heartbeat,

I took a shaky breath, trying to calm myself. The hug between us lingering on when Jacob tightened his arms around me."So..." He said, placing his face in the groove of my neck. His lips brushing there when he spoke and his warm breath sending chills down to my toes from the feel of it. "Can we call this a date, honey?"

"I hoped we would..." I softly admitted, feeling him release me and meet my gaze. His face mere inches from mine.

"Okay... Ready?" He asked, grabbing my jacket from the coat rack by the front door and holding it out for me to slip into. His fingertip brushing my neck when he moved my hair out of the way. The fact that Jacob was sweet, with one of the biggest hearts I knew, only added to his charm and appeal. He was just about as damn near perfect as they came.

"So where are you taking me?" I asked him, once we were on the road.

He took my hand in his, intertwining our fingers while his thumb absentmindedly caressed the top of my hand. The small, sweet gesture, stirring up something in me, each time he did it. Something I was sure had died when Edward left.

"Port Angeles. We have reservations." He said to me with a beaming smile. It warmed my heart to see him so happy and to think I had a part in that.

"Reservations?" I replied, unable to hide the shocked tone from my voice. "Jacob... you .. didn't have to -"

"I know, but I wanted to." He interjected, lifting my hand to his mouth where he placed a chaste kiss.

The smile he still wore on his face was captivating and equally infectious. His dimples showing evidently. I couldn't help but smile back at him.

We arrived a short time later at the restaurant. The Brio Tuscan Grille was the name. It was a place that had opened up about a year ago and somewhere I had never been until now. I had heard it was nice and a bit pricey according to some of the men Charlie worked with, who had ventured out to take their wives here. The place was packed. My stomach was in knots as we walked through the front door, seeing this was the classiest place I had ever been to. Especially for Forks. It certainly lived up to it's fancy name. An older, sophisticated woman with brown hair, greeted us at the door. She took our name and then led us to our table. Luckily we were seated in a room with less people, and no doubt a more expensive section to be placed in. I was in awe, as Jacob pulled out my chair for me, thanking the hostess when she left. The table was adorned by a red table cloth and in the center was a small lit candle, giving it a subtle romantic feel. I couldn't help the surprised expression I wore as I looked over at Jacob.

"What?" He asked with a warm grin.

I shook my head, glancing around the room and seeing the artwork that lined the walls. "Jake this... is really nice." I said, biting my lower lip. He reached across the table and took my hand.

"You're worth every bit of it. So order whatever you want, honey. "

I blushed and nodded, looking through the menu. Nothing on it was under $20.00. And that was for a small appettizer! The prices were high. Even a small salad was pricey.

Despite my protest in price, Jacob insisted I ordered what I wanted and that was the steak dinner. He ordered the same. The waitress kindly took our menu's from us when we had finished placing our order. She was a tall blonde, with big blue eyes. I couldn't help but notice her stare at Jacob as she poured us more water. I stifled a giggle when I saw Jake just roll his eyes as she left. I glanced over to see her watching him from a distance, and talking to her fellow employee's. They all scattered when they saw me watching them, giggling in the process. I looked back over to Jacob, who was entirely oblivious to the major distraction he was for them at work. He really had no clue what charm he possesed. Sure, he would make a crack every once in a while about his good looks in a light teasing manor. But he was never overly confident, or cocky. He was funny and genuine. Most of the time not giving himself enough credit where it was due.

I felt Jake caress my hand with his thumb, effectively steering me away from my previous thoughts and turned my attention back to him. "Thank you, Jake. This is realy nice."

"I wanted to take you out to somewhere special, and I heard a lot about this place. They were just finishing up the last few parts of the renovation when Rachel had gone to college last year. She told us about it, said it was really classy."

I smiled brightly at him, feeling a bit like I was on cloud nine for the time being. The waitress came over a few short minutes later with our food.

It was delicious and we really enjoyed our meals. We had great conversation as well. Jake filled me in on some of the packs legends and some of the responsibility he now faced with this new development in his life. I felt bad for him in some aspects. It seemed to be a lot on his shoulders.

When we were finished, Jacob asked if I wanted dessert. We settled on splitting a piece of cheesecake, cause truth be told. I was stuffed. The waitress kindly came over,and handed Jake the bill. I bit my bottom lip nervously when I saw him reach for his wallet. My mind already trying to calculate what we had ordered, in hope he would at least let me split the bill with him, or pay him back somehow. But Jacob wouldn't hear of it. So I smiled at him, said thank you, and dropped the issue, knowing I would get nowhere.

Jake paid for the bill and we headed out of the resturaunt. The vallet brought his car around, and Jake thanked him, opening my door for me.

The drive home was quiet, but nice. My hand was securely in Jacob's the whole way. The realization that this had been an official first date with him weighed heavily on my mind as we headed back home. I felt the unwanted pain come back at the thought of what Edward would think. But I shook it off. No... I was determined not to allow this to ruin the remainder of the evening. Tonight wasn't about him. It wasn't about the past and the pain that laid there with it. It was about Jake. About what was happening between us.

I glanced out the window at the road ahead, feeling his warm hand in mine and thinking back to our time in his garage, fixing up the bikes. We had come a long way in a short time. I glanced over at him, seeing his handsome face. Whether he knew it or not, he was beautiful. I was lucky to be in his company. Fortunate he had chosen to take me out when just about any other girl, or woman for that matter, would have given anything to have a date with him.

We were soon crossing the town line back into Forks. My eyes landing on the sign when we drove by. The night threatening to come to an end as we pulled into the driveway. Jacob released my hand and cut the engine. I felt the many butterflies return to my stomach when he glanced over at me.

"Thank you, for coming out with me tonight."

"Thank you for taking me. I had a really nice time." I replied, watching him get out and retreat to my side of the car to open the door for me.

Each step we took toward my front door brought a sense of dread with it. The truth was, I didn't want the night to end yet and was silently scrambling for ways to ask him to stay without sounding forward. We reached the steps, taking them slowly one at a time. I was genuinely nervous, feeling my heart begin to pound as we stood there.

Charlie wasn't home and He wouldn't be till the morning. I dreaded the night, fearing my nightmares may come back with a vengeance for giving me a few days without them lately.

Jacob took a step toward me, closing the distance between us. "So... I guess this is goodnight."

I nodded, briefly looking down at the ground before meeting his gaze. "Thank you for everything." I whispered in reply, as he moved in closer to me, softly kissing my cheek, and lingering there. I felt a small shudder run through me, as his lips touched my skin. Jacob pulled me closer to him, his eyes searching mine. I pushed past the nerves coursing through my system and brought my lips to his, marveling at the feel of him so close to me like this. It was as if time stood still in this moment and my heart was beating so fast I was sure it would burst. I pulled back, reluctantly breaking our kiss and immediately regretting it. I lingered there, our lips a breath away from each others.

"Thank you." I whispered again, breathing in his intoxicating scent.

"You're welcome, Bells. You gonna be okay here by yourself?"

"Yea... I should be." I replied, feeling the cloud of doubt loom over me even as the words left my mouth.

"Sam and Paul and I are on run tonight. So I'll be right outside... watching. Sleep well okay. You're safe. I promise you, Bells."

I nodded, finding comfort in his reassuring words and kissing him again before I moved away from him and slipped inside. "Goodnight Jake."

"Goodnight, Bells." He replied, with a smile to me.

I shut the door and locked it behind me. The smile on my face feeling permanent as I took a few steps to the couch, sitting down there. What Jacob had done for me tonight, I would never forget... ever