Thank you all for being so patient and not ripping my head off – it's been a while, I know! I don't really have a good excuse either… school, sicknesses, that stuff.

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, but it doesn't mean I can't dream…

PLEASE RR!! Reviews help so much!

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Jacob was leaning against the back of Billy's little black car that he had to drive until he finished his Rabbit project.

Jacob was always in the driveway when I got home now, waiting for me. Out of curiosity, I'd asked once if he even went to school. He had laughed, telling me that the high school in La Push started earlier than Forks High School, so it got out earlier. We did our homework together, and then Jacob would usually hang out in the kitchen while I cooked dinner for Charlie, under the guise of Official Taste-Tester. Sometimes he would stay for dinner, other times he would take something home for Billy. If Charlie was alarmed by the amount of time Jacob was over, he hid it very well. Charlie always had preferred Jacob over Edward.

"Hey Bells," Jacob said happily, his face lighting up as I slid out of the truck. He took my backpack from me and slung it easily over his shoulder along with his own, even though mine had three notebooks, one binder, and two text books crammed in it. He snaked his free arm around my waist and planted a kiss on my forehead as we walked up to the house.

"Hey Jake." I unlocked the door and led him in. He dropped our bags on the floor next to the kitchen table.

"I think you're taking more classes than allowed in one day," he teased, pretending to rub a sore shoulder. "We'll be doing homework all night!"

"Oh no," I smiled. "I guess that means I won't have time to make dinner." I heaved a theatrical sigh as I plopped down in a chair and began pulling out a notebook and a text book.

"Bella, that's not funny," Jacob said sternly as he dragged his chair closer to mine.

I reached over and poked the tip of his nose before kissing his cheek. "Yeah it was." I turned to my notebook, and opened a text book. Psychology was fun, but it was a lot of work. The tiny print didn't seem to end.

"That's the brain." Jacob pointed to a colored picture of the labeled parts of the brain.

"You're a genius," I congratulated. I placed his pencil in his misguided hand and guided it back to his math homework. "One hour," I said, "and then we'll make dinner. How's that sound?" Jacob immediately bent studiously over his homework. I smiled – anything for the promise of food.

Five minutes before our allotted time was up, the phone rang. "Saved by the bell!" Jacob threw down his pencil and went to answer it. "Wait, what?" He listened intently, glancing over at me. "You've got to be mistaken; why would they do that? This won't be a problem, Sam. I'll take care of it." He hung up and looked out of the little window above the sink.

"Jake?" I knew that look. "What's going on? Is someone coming?" In the couple months since Jacob had imprinted on me, two small groups of travelling vampires had gone through near Forks. I only knew about them because I had forced Jacob to tell me why he was always so tired. All the boys were tired since they had to run longer and more extensive patrols. I worried – unnecessarily, I was told – that someone was going to get hurt one of these times, running patrols all around La Push and also the area around my house and school and work.

"I'm… not sure. Sam says their trail leads all around without any clear heading, and that worries him. They've come closer than the other bloodsuckers have." He sighed heavily. I ignored the name calling and walked over to him, wrapping my arms around his torso. He half-smiled, brushing my hair off my face and tucking the stray strands behind my ear. "And I was beginning to get used to normal sleeping hours," he complained lightly.

"It'll be over soon," I reassured him. "In the mean time, how does lasagna sound?" Jacob's face brightened considerably. I took that as his approval and bustled around the kitchen, finding all the ingredients. Jacob obediently mixed together what I told him to combine while I tested the noodles. Cooking got both our minds temporarily off the phone call from earlier.

I stuck the layered pasta dish in the oven as Charlie strolled through the door. "Hey Bells!" he called, stepping into the kitchen.

"Hi Dad." I cleaned up the kitchen with Jacob's help.

"Hi Charlie," said Jacob.

"Hello Jake, staying for dinner?"

Jacob shook his head. "I've got some stuff to do for my dad around the house tonight." I glanced at him, already worried. He jerked his head slightly in the direction of my room, telling me he'd be there later. I nodded. "I should get going now." He picked up his backpack. "See you later," he whispered to me, kissing the top of my head. He waved to Charlie, and left.

"So," said Charlie, not noticing my preoccupied expression while he poured himself a glass of milk. "What's for dinner? Smells good."

"Lasagna," I answered, pulling the dish out. Charlie set the table and we sat down to eat.

Dinner was quiet, each of us lost in our own thoughts – though I'm sure his were not plagued with mythical creatures.

I washed my plate before heading upstairs to my room. I read a bit more out of my Psychology text book, forcing the functions of the amygdala and medulla in my head.

It was ten o'clock before long and I figured that I should go to bed, as much as I wanted to wait up for Jacob. I set the book on the nightstand and slipped into my ragged sweats. I crawled in between the sheets and slowly fell asleep.

I woke early; forty-five minutes before my alarm went off. Warm arms were wrapped securely around me; Jacob gently snored in my ear. I lay there, unwilling to move. I heard Charlie wake up, get ready, and leave for the station. Then my alarm went off. I groaned and stretched in the limited space I had. Jacob stirred at my movements.

"Wuzgoinon?" he asked groggily. He unwrapped one arm to knuckle the sleep out of his eyes.

"Time for school, sleepy," I said quietly. He stretched widely, an enormous yawn escaping. I rolled out of the bed and grabbed my things for a quick shower.

By the time I came downstairs, Jacob was dressed and had two bowls of cereal ready on the table. He finished his before I had even eaten my third spoonful.

"I have to run a shift after school today," Jacob informed me. I nodded resignedly and set my bowl in the sink. "I'll get here as fast as I can though." He stood and placed his hands on my waist. "I love you Bells."

"I love you too, Jake." I stood on my tip toes and kissed him. Jacob deepened the kiss for a moment, before reluctantly pulling away.

"Bye Bella." He walked quickly out the door.

I glanced at the clock, and then hurriedly grabbed my bag and keys, running out to the truck.

I barely made it to school before it started to pour. The only good thing the rain brought was the promise that we wouldn't have to run the mile in Gym today. Unfortunately, we had to play Ultimate Football instead. I ran back and forth down our court to get the participation points, but otherwise kept out of the way.

It was still raining when I entered the parking lot at a run, throwing myself in the dry cab of my truck. When I got home, I parked as close to the house as the driveway would allow. I dropped my key as I fumbled to open the simple lock quickly. I finally made it in, and dropped my wet things in the hall. I may have resigned myself to the fact that it rained a lot in Forks a long time ago, but it didn't mean I had to like getting wet.

I rounded the corner into the kitchen and nearly had a heart attack.

"Bella? You're alive!"