Metamorphoses IV

It is time for an introduction to Bella and Jake's relationship. Sorry, Edward fans, he's not here. But he'll be back!

Previously, Edward enjoyed breakfast with Bella Swan while Jake slept off the reunion.

Bella POV

It had been a long time since I'd spent any time with Char… my dad. I'd been pretty happy in Phoenix, but my job was kinda' dead ending. I dreaded an intense search for something new in the current market. I was in sales for a large beauty supply company. My job was pretty secure because I was really good at what I did, but the aristocracy of talent didn't help much currently – there simply wasn't anything better available. I was surprised when an internal memo went around looking for people willing to relocate to the northwest.

My dad was a cop in the Seattle area and I hadn't seen him much since high school. He had gotten remarried last year to a nice enough woman named Sue. Sue had two kids, Leah, who was a year or two older than me and Seth, who was five or six year. I hadn't gotten to know them well while I was visiting for the wedding, but they had seemed open to a relationship.

It was with only a bit of hesitancy I called my dad to discuss the possibility of me coming up for an extended visit while I interviewed with the local office. He was thrilled. Sue was very encouraging as well. So, I spoke with my supervisor and made the arrangements.

It was probably the best interview I'd ever had. Of course, I was knowledgeable about the product lines, but they expected that. What put me over the top was my big city pace. Sure, Seattle was a city, but the tempo was considerably slower than Phoenix. I was striving to make a good impression, but my pace set me apart from other candidates. That and my Phoenix supervisor's glowing recommendation.

I wasn't surprised when they offered me the job, but was surprised when they offered to make me a regional manager. I gladly accepted and Charlie and Sue offered me Leah's old room. I promised them it would only be temporary, but they weren't worried.

I spent the next two years working hard. I was surprised by the amount of deadwood hanging around the Seattle office. I wasn't too popular at work, since I expected a lot from my employees. I spent some intense time with a few of the more promising salespeople and was rewarded with immediate improvements in our sales. A few people quit, but I didn't bother replacing them. I was actually surprised that the company had been looking for more people in this region. There had been too many, they just weren't working at their full potential.

As the group shrank in size it continued to increase in sales and it wasn't long before we were winning sales awards. I was rewarded with modest raises and sizable bonuses that allowed me to move out of Charlie and Sue's after just two years.

Charlie was sorry to see me go. However, I was almost 27 and I really felt it was time for me to move out on my own. I found a great condo in the heart of Seattle. I was loving life up here.

That summer Sue called to invite me to a 4th of July picnic my dad's friend, Billy, was hosting. It was supposed to be some huge bash. Truthfully, I was looking forward to a day of fun. The excitement I felt at work had been waning these last few months. Once the group was whipped into shape my employees didn't need me as much. Our sales plateaued, but I think we had the market all tied up – sales weren't increasing because there were no more customers to reach. Then the market dropped and it became obvious that we needed to focus on maintenance, not expansion. My salespeople were good. They swooped in when another supplier went belly up, but it wasn't the same as it had been two years ago.

I vaguely remembered Billy from my days of visitation when I had been a teen, but it had to be at least 10 years since I'd seen him last. I think he had daughters my age… maybe a son? A long weekend was definitely in order.

I pulled up to Billy's house about an hour later than I had planned. I'd gotten lost on the backwoods lanes that crisscrossed this rural area outside Seattle. I grabbed the cooler I had stashed the fruit salad in and hopped out of the car. A streak of unusually dry, warm weather had settled over us and I was getting a kick out of resurrecting bits and pieces of my Phoenix wardrobe.

Today I had dressed in a pair of artfully frayed denim cutoffs and a sleeveless, white cotton eyelet top that had a modest V-neck. Laceless red Keds finished off my patriotic ensemble. I walked towards the sound of music blasting from the back of the house. There were kids running around with water pistols and I could hear laughter and conversation nearby.

I walked on the gravel path along the side of the house. As I rounded the corner a huge guy barreled into me sending me onto my backside. I managed to keep my grip on the cooler, but that left me one less hand to break my fall.

"Holy smokes!" the big guy yelled. "Geez! I'm sorry!"

I looked up at the guy who had just knocked me down with an annoyed expression. Nothing seemed bruised, except my dignity, but still… The guy hovered over me like he wasn't sure if he should help me up or continue apologizing. I held my free hand out for a lift and saw his eyes widen. I looked at my hand and realized the heel was scraped pretty badly from where I had caught myself during my fall. Blood had welled out of the abrasion and covered my palm.

"Oh, man…" he moaned, "I'm so, so sorry!" Instead of grasping my bloody palm he scooped me up with one arm under my knees and carried me like I was a child into the backyard.

I felt silly with the cooler resting on my stomach." The big guy scanned the crowd and made a beeline for a heavy man sitting in a wheelchair.

"Dad, Dad…" he called as he carted me over to the wheelchair bound man's side.

"Jacob? What happened?" his dad answered. Something clicked faintly in my mind.

"I was fooling around with the kids and wasn't watching where I was going. I knocked her down as she walked around the corner. Her hand is bleeding. Do you have anything to take care of it?"

This must be Billy and his son, Jacob. I remembered that he had a son now. His sisters' names were Rachel and Rebecca.

"Well, don't just stand there, Jake, take her in the house. There's a first aid kit in the drawer next to the sink."

Jake spun on his heel, obviously ready to carry me into the house.

"Ummmm, I can walk," I said in a voice smaller than my usual one.

"Hmm? Oh!" Jacob stopped and gently set me on my feet. He took the cooler from my hand and placed it on the picnic table. He then reclaimed my hand and pulled me towards the back door of the house.

I glanced around quickly and saw Sue and Charlie across the lawn. Neither had noticed my spectacular entrance. That was a tribute to the chaos occurring all over the yard. It was some party.

We entered the backdoor and went right to the sink. Jake started rummaging through a drawer while I turned on the cold water. I ran my hand under the stream and carefully rinsed the blood off my hand. The scrape wasn't as bad as it had appeared. Jake came up with a tube of antibacterial ointment and some assorted Band-Aids. I squirted some dish detergent on my hands and washed them more thoroughly. When I turned off the water Jake handed me a paper towel. After drying my hand I held it out. Jake squeezed the ointment onto my abraded hand and I quickly spread it around, covering the scrape. He held out the Band Aids he had found and let me pick one. The rest got tossed back into the drawer. He applied the Band Aid to the worst of my scratches and then looked met my gaze for the first time.

"Hi," he said, a bit apprehensively.

"Hi."

"I'm really sorry, that was stupid of me. I didn't stop to think that someone might be on the side of the house."

He continued to babble for a few seconds while I looked at him blankly. He was handsome in a hulking sort of way. He had to be at least 6'5". He was big, but not fat. He wasn't too bulky either, he obviously took some pride in his appearance, but didn't overdo it.

He noticed me giving him the once over and quieted down.

"I'm Jacob Black, Billy's son."

"Hi Jacob, I'm Bella, Charlie's daughter."

"Bella? Isabella?" Recognition lit his features. "Sure, I remember you."

"You do?" I was surprised. I hadn't even been sure Billy had a son. How did he recognize me?

"Sure, sure…" he continued. "You probably don't remember me. You used to come by to play with my sisters, Rachel and Rebecca, when you were younger. They'd always shoo me away when they had friends over, but I saw you a few times."

I dredged my memory and thought I might remember him now, but still wasn't sure.

"I'll have to think about it for a little," I said. Jacob just nodded. The fact that I didn't remember him didn't seem to bother him.

"So, ready to go back outside?"

"Yeah, I should go say hi to my dad and Sue."

Jacob escorted me back outside and walked me over to my father.

"Hi, Dad."

"There you are, Bells. What took you so long?"

"I got lost on the way here and then fell down in the side yard. Jacob here just finished patching me up."

I showed him my bandaged palm and he just rolled his eyes. My clumsiness wasn't anything new, but I felt the need to defend my honor. I was about to, when Jacob spoke up.

"It wasn't her fault, Charlie. I wasn't watching where I was going and knocked her down. Doesn't seem to be any permanent damage, though."

Charlie laughed. "You don't know Bella very well. She doesn't need any help falling down."

Jake joined in the laughter. He seemed more self assured now. Calmer. "Maybe I should keep an eye on her, make sure no further harm comes to her today."

Charlie smiled again and looked over at me. Sue shot a look between the two of us and said, "That might be a good idea."

That was how I met Jacob Black. True to his word, Jake spent the afternoon with me. I found him really easy to talk to. He was a popular target for the children attending the party so we both spent the day damp as I got caught in the crossfire. He introduced me to all of Billy and Charlie's friends. A few times I caught Charlie looking over at us, but he just smiled when he noticed me looking at him. The party continued on.

Around 9 or so people started drifting towards the back of the yard. I saw Charlie grab Billy's wheelchair and push him after them.

"Where's everyone going?" I asked Jake.

"To the clearing. It's time for the fireworks."

"Where's the clearing?"

"It's about a mile walk from here. C'mon – let's go."

I hesitated. While my spill earlier had been the only disaster today, I was sure that walking an unfamiliar path in the dark was inviting all kinds of trouble.

"Ummmm…" I dithered. It was also getting cooler and I hadn't brought a jacket. "I'm not sure, Jake. I'm getting cold and Charlie wasn't kidding earlier. I probably shouldn't walk around the woods after dark. I'm guaranteed to fall."

"No problem," he said, "wait here."

He dashed towards the house and emerged a minute later wearing a light jacket and carrying a sweatshirt.

"Here." He offered me the sweatshirt and I pulled it over my head. It was huge and hung down to my knees. I laughed at that.

"I must look ridiculous," I giggled.

"No!" he insisted. "It looks good on you."

I eyed him dubiously. "We should get going," was all I said when I couldn't find a trace of insincerity on his face.

"This way," he said, indicating the path everyone else had taken. I walked tentatively next to him as we entered the woods. It was even darker under the trees and I paused to let my eyes adjust.

"Bella?" I could hear Jake a few steps ahead of me.

"Here, Jacob."

"Are you OK?"

"Yeah, I just can't see anything. I really don't want to fall in here."

Jacob took two quick steps back to my left side and said, "I'll help you."

His put his arm around me and settled his right hand on my waist. He took my left hand in his left and pulled me forward. I immediately felt more confident and we headed towards the clearing. We actually overtook a few of the stragglers as Jacob's confident steps moved us across the ground surely.

Arriving in the clearing I looked around. The sky was much brighter here – there had to be 1000 stars shining overhead. Jacob let go of my left hand, but didn't remove his right hand from my waist. I found that I didn't mind his casual embrace. It felt right, somehow. It had been a long time since I'd had a boyfriend. Mike had been a nice enough guy, but our relationship hadn't progressed far before I accepted the job in Seattle.

Jake led me over to a relatively flat area off to one side of the clearing. It seemed natural to lean against him when the fireworks started. Just as it seemed natural to kiss him when he tentatively took advantage of my upturned face a few minutes later. His hand returned to my waist when the show was over and everyone started walking back. We slowed down and let everyone pass us. Before stepping out of woods and into Billy's yard he kissed me again. He was less cautious this time, but the kiss was still sweet. He walked me to my truck and leaned against the door before I could open it.

"I had a nice day, Bella."

"Me, too, Jake."

"Would you mind if I called you sometime? Maybe we could go to dinner?"

"I'd like that."

"Great!"

He pulled out his cell phone and I recited my number for him.

"Goodnight," he said, stepping away from the door to my truck.

"Bye, Jake." I opened the door to my truck and stepped onto the running board. He took advantage of the change in our relative heights to brush his warm lips across mine briefly before I sat down. He closed the door and stepped away from the truck as I started it up. I waved goodbye and pulled away from the house driving into the darkness while enjoying the lingering feelings of warmth his lips had given me.

Ah, young love. Or mid-20s love, anyway. Don't worry, folks. I absolutely abhor Jacob so their bliss will be short lived. After all, we've already seen Bella and Jacob together circa four months from now, at the reunion. Review, please! Let me know if I made their initial meeting realistic enough.