Disclaimer: I have Paul chained up in my closet. He's enjoying it a little too much. Believe me? I didn't think so.
Chapter Title: Trying and Succeeding Are Two Completely Different Things
I had to put the chapter title into this one. It fits the chapter perfectly. Also, this chapter skips a week. Just getting you up to speed. Let me know what you think.
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Bella was tired of being brushed off. She hadn't called Billy's in over a week. Not since she had first dreamed of the werewolves. They had been in her dreams every night since. It was a welcome change from Edward. She sat in her truck, debating on what she should say to Jacob when she saw him. She didn't want to be mad at him. She had to calm herself down several times, before she started the truck. She was going to play it by ear. Rain beat down on the truck, as she slowly navigated her way through the winding steep hills of La Push. She passed the store, and saw Quil outside on the porch. She waved at him, but he hadn't seen her.
She pulled to a stop in front of Jacob's, as the rain started to come down in sheets. She squinted through the rain as she opened her door. The wind wiped through her hair, making her pull up the hood on her jacket, and tighten the cords pulling it closer to her. Jacob was walking through the yard when she spotted him.
"Jake!" she yelled, over the thunder and rain.
He stopped, but didn't turn around. Bella ran across the bridge to meet him. She noticed his tense body language, wondering what was wrong.
"You can't turn around?" she asked, putting a hand on his arm.
He slowly turned around, with his head hung low.
"Look at me." she said, pleading with him.
"What do you want Bella?"
"You're feeling better? And you cut your hair? And you got a tattoo like Embry's?" she asked, running her fingers through his wet hair.
Her hand came to rest on his shoulder. He had wanted to be the one to touch her first. Just so he could prove himself wrong. Maybe he hadn't imprinted on her like Sam thought. Electric currents shot through his body, as she kept her hand in place. He gently pulled her hand from his shoulder, feeling a tingling sensation in his hands in the process. Damn it, he had imprinted on her. Someone had a sick sense of humor, they really did.
"What is going on? Did Sam get to you?"
"We're friends now." he said, giving her an even look..
"Good. I was hoping you would be able to work things out with him." she said, with a laugh.
"Go home Bella."
"I want to talk to you." she said, giving him a pleading look.
"I'm not good for you." he said, shaking his head.
"Let me make that decision."
"Jacob!"
Jacob's face was pained as he turned around. Bella stepped to the side seeing Sam, Embry, Paul, and Jared.
"I have to go. Don't come back."
"Jacob... I miss you. Please don't shut me out." Bella said pleading.
Jacob took a shallow breath, before taking off at a run. He was standing in front of Sam a few seconds later.
"What did she want?" Sam asked as they started off into the woods.
"Nothing. Don't worry about it." Jacob said shaking his head.
"Are you talking to her again?" Embry asked, joining the conversation
"Mind your own business." Jacob growled.
"That would be a no." Embry said, shaking his head.
Sam fell back, letting the two friends talk. He didn't want to get into Jacob's business. He knew how hard it was being in love with someone when you were in danger of hurting them. He thought Emily was worth it. He had to make Jacob see that Bella was worth it too. Everything about what he had just seen screamed it. He would just have to talk to Jacob again. He could see that it was hurting Jacob to be away from Bella. Hopefully, he wouldn't have to do much talking.
"You all go home. I need to talk to Jake."
"What did I do now? If it's about Bella, she isn't going to be a problem."
"Are you still going to see her at night?"
"I regret thinking about that." Jacob said, with a sigh.
"You need to work out the issues you have with her. Ignoring them isn't doing anything. And you pushing her away is making it worse."
"What do you think I should do?"
"Go back to way things were. Before you became a wolf."
"Nothing will ever be the same."
"You have more of a sense of duty than anyone I have ever seen. Almost as much as me. But I think Bella could have a positive effect on you."
"What do you mean?"
"You're too tense. You need to lighten up."
"You think Bella will help loosen me up?"
"Emily helps me." Sam said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Do you think maybe we could find Paul a girl?"
"It can't be just any girl." Sam said, with a laugh.
"It couldn't help." Jacob said, stopping back in front of his house.
"Think about what I said. I can ask Embry to run patrol with me tonight, so don't worry about it."
Jacob nodded, wondering if it would really be as easy as Sam had said. There was only one way to find out.
XXXXX
Bella was reading, when she heard something hit her window. She looked up from her book, wondering what it was. When it happened again, she got scared. What if it was Victoria? She froze, when something else hit her window.
"Bella!"
That sounded like Jacob. She made her way to the window, and saw Jacob on the ground outside her window. She opened it quickly, thankful that he was there.
"Back up, I'm coming up." he said, just loud enough for her to hear.
He climbed the tree in two strides, and was in her window less than five seconds later.
"Shh. My dad is still up." she said, shutting the window.
She turned around, only to find herself eye level with Jacob's chest. She looked up, giving him a surprised look. He wrapped his arms around her, not trusting himself to say anything. All of his fears, his worries, every bad thought he had had about coming over here, melted away as she folded herself into him. He buried his face in her hair, breathing deeply. It smelled just the way he remembered it. She pulled away a few inches to look up at him.
Her dad could be heard walking up the stairs, and Bella quickly stepped out of Jacob's embrace. She pointed behind her bed room door, and he was behind it just as Charlie came to the top of the stairs. Bella stuck her head out the door, as her dad was a few feet from her door.
"I thought you would have gone to bed already."
"I'm getting ready to." she said with a nod.
"I'll see you in the morning Bells. Don't forget to shut the window." he said, gesturing to it as he walked away.
"I won't."
Jacob waited until Charlie shut his bedroom door, before coming from behind Bella's. She sat at the foot of the bed, smiling at him. He quietly shut her door, before coming to stand in front of her.
"I can't stay long."
"Have you been coming here at night?" she asked, breaking his train of thought.
"Yes." he said with a tight lipped smile.
"Don't be ashamed. I just wish that you had woken me up."
"You were sleeping so peacefully. I didn't want to wake you." he said sitting next to her.
"Are we friends again?"
"We've always been friends. We weren't on speaking terms."
"Now we are?"
"Yes. I have to tell you something."
"Then say it."
"I don't know how to word it."
"Does it have to do with why you couldn't see me?"
"Yeah."
"Then be honest."
"Okay. Do you remember that day last year when you came to the beach?"
"Yeah." she said, with a nod.
"Do you remember the stories I told you?"
"About the cold ones." she said, nodding again.
"It figures that would be the part that you would remember." Jacob said with a sigh.
"I can remember other stuff too!" she said, playfully shoving him.
"Okay. Well, when you do, you know where to find me." he said with a laugh.
"Jacob." Someone called from outside.
"That's Sam. I should go." he said, standing.
"I'll come by tomorrow." Bella said, standing.
"I can't wait." he said pulling her to him.
"Now Jacob. We're running behind." Sam said from outside.
A look of panic flashed across Jacob's face, as he let go of Bella. He was out the window, and across the yard with Sam, before Bella could make it to the window. She shut it with a sigh. She was under her blankets, and asleep less than five minutes later.
XXXX
Jacob, Sam, and Embry had been chasing the female with red hair half the night. Jacob didn't even know where they were.
"She's over the border now." Sam said as they lost her scent.
"Canada?" Jacob asked in disbelief.
"Yes. Jake, Canada." Sam said with a laugh.
"I didn't think we had gone that far." Jacob said letting it sink in.
"The suns coming up. We should head home." Embry said being the voice of reason.
"Lets go." Sam said before phasing.
They would get home three times as fast if they were in wolf form. Jacob hadn't liked asking Jared to look after Bella while he helped Sam and Embry. But he wanted a piece of the vampire. He had staked a claim on her, since he couldn't get a hold of the Cullen's.
XXXX
Bella was riding through the forest on the back of the russet wolf. She leaned back letting the air whip through her hair. She smiled as they sped through the town that she had come to love. They stopped outside her house, and the wolf laid down on all fours. Bella held on, not wanting it to be over. She felt the wolf stand on it's hind legs so she clutched its middle in a vice grip. The body changed to a humans, and she jumped off in shock. The person turned around and she was face to face with Jacob.
She bolted upright in bed, as she heard a howl outside her window. She ran to the window, seeing nothing. She racked her brain, trying to figure out what her dream had meant. She thought back to the day at the beach over a year ago. The story of the cold ones she remembered. She gasped as it came to her. Jacob had told her that the Quilete Indians descended from wolves. He had said that as a joke, hadn't he? Then again, the story about the Cullen's was true. Were Jacob and his friends being werewolves that far of a stretch?
"You're up early. It's not even seven. On a Sunday." Her dad said taking her by surprise.
"I couldn't sleep. What are you doing up?" she said, turning to face him.
"I have to be at the station early. You have any plans today?"
"I'm going to see Jacob."
"That sounds like a good idea. Tell you what, I'll meet you out there later. We'll have dinner at the Black's tonight."
"Sounds good. See you later."
"Go back to bed for a while. It's a little early to be going over to Jake's."
"I'll hold off until eight. I'll get some housework done."
"Okay. Take care of yourself."
"I will. You too."
"I always do." he said with a smile, before walking away.
Bella raked a hand through her hair, as she gasped for breath. This was all part of the dream. She was going to wake up in her bed, and the past half an hour before she woke up would not have happened. Could she handle if it were true? She hadn't batted an eyelash when she found out about Edward. But Jacob? He was different. She didn't want to even think about him getting hurt.
