A/N: Yay it hasn't been a month! :P This is the second longest chapter yet, and I almost let it run longer; but I really wanted to get it posted, so I stopped myself.
As always, SM owns all things Twilight.

Prey For Protection

Chapter Nine:

Jacob I couldn't believe I'd let so much time slip past me. How many chances had I had to talk to Bella? How many times had I blown it and chickened out? I was pretty sure that she was interested in me too. Hell, even Embry said that out of all of us she seemed closest to Leah and I; that was a good sign right? So why did my nuts shrivel up and crawl inside me every time I tried to approach her?

I saw her almost every day, and almost every day I swore to myself that 'today would be the day'; before I lost my nerve or lost my chance… once I even lost my lunch. Yeah, that was disgusting; it didn't do much for my confidence either. As a matter of fact, me asking Bella out and her saying yes were the only things left to do to make this, without a doubt, the best summer ever.

I couldn't understand it; I mean this was Bella we're talkin' about. She was probably one of the most down-to-earth girls I'd ever known. She was so easy to talk to, unless I wanted to talk to her about 'us'. Then I became a nervous, sweating, blubbering baboon. I couldn't form full sentences. Hell, sometimes I couldn't so much as form words. Every time I tried my heart would pound, my sweat glands would go into overdrive, my tongue would get thick and stick to the top of my mouth and my brain would just shut down.

Somehow the whole summer had gone by and I still hadn't talked to her about 'us'. I knew I was running out of time. Bella's smart, funny and absolutely gorgeous; there's no way she'll be at Forks High long without getting snatched up. The idea of Bella with any of those cock-knocks was more than I could stand; and to think that I'd have to be there everyday to watch them together.

Yup, no matter what, I knew I had to talk to her at some point over the weekend. I couldn't wait too long and then spend forever wondering 'what if...'

Just then Embry interrupted my daydreams by slamming through the front door.

"S'up Jake?" he asked, plopping down beside me on the couch. "You all set?"

I nodded and gestured toward the backpack sitting next to the front door. It was our last hurrah for the summer, and we were trying to go out with a bang. Quil, Embry, Bella, Leah and I were going camping for the weekend. We had a tent and most of our gear loaded up in the back of Leah's dad's truck, although we were planning to sleep under the stars if the weather permitted. The tent mainly gave the girls a place to change clothes; but we'd all pile into it before we slept in the rain.

We were planning to camp out at Lake Crescent and hike along the Spruce Railroad Trail. It was absolutely beautiful out there and I knew its beauty wouldn't be wasted on Bella. She had a real appreciation of the simple things. Just one of a million things I loved about her. Yeah, yeah… Color me sappy right? Whatever. Saturday we were going to Marymere Falls. It's only about a mile or so south of the lake so it'd be a pretty easy hike and there was no way Bella was gonna miss that.

"Earth to Jake!" Embry yelled, again interrupting my thoughts of the upcoming weekend with Bells.

"What?" I yelled back, annoyed.

"Dude. Where were you? I asked like three times if you were ready to go. Quil's probably already at Leah's and the girls should be there soon."

"Sure, sure," I answered, feeling more than a little guilty for snapping at him.

I grabbed my pack from next to the door and we left. Embry had dropped his pack outside the door, and he lugged it up onto his shoulders as we set off for the Clearwater's.

"So," Embry chatted as we walked, "you ready for Forks High?"

I shrugged, "Yeah I guess. I mean it's just a school."

"It's not just a school Jake," he said with a big grin. "It's a whole school full of girls that have never turned me down before! And we'll be 'the new kids' instead of being with the same people that remember the shit we did in our elementary days," he said with a shudder; apparently remembering a particularly embarrassing moment from his past. "I for one am going to take full advantage of being the tall, dark and handsome new guy on campus.

I couldn't hold back the laugh. I lunged at him unexpectedly, put him in a headlock, and gave him a noogie. "Who the hell ever told you that you were handsome?" I teased. "If they were talking about the tall, dark, and handsome stranger, I think we both know they'd be talkin' about me. Besides, you need to focus Casanova. We're there to keep an eye on Bella, not corrupt the female population."

"Hey," he objected, pulling away from me and trying to straighten out his hair. "I have two eyes. I'll keep one on Bella. I'm not the one everybody's worried about. They're more worried that you'll be too busy trying to win Bella to protect her."

"Bullshit!" I argued. "Sam knows Bella's safety is my number one priority."

Embry snickered and muttered something under his breath; but we we're approaching Leah's house and Quil was waving from the back of Harry Clearwater's truck as he flopped his gear into the bed.

"Jake! Embry!" He called. "You guys ready for some fun?"

We all knuckle bumped and Embry and I added our packs to the rest of the gear. Embry unzipped his pack and showed Quil the fireworks he'd brought along. He was hoping for a Roman Candle fight; but I had a feeling the girls would freak out if we tried it. Quil chuckled and lifted the tent revealing five metal trash can lids. I shook my head and chuckled along with them, knowing he was being insanely optimistic to think that the girls might actually participate; but I figured the girls would help him realize that soon enough.

It wasn't long before we heard Bella and Leah approaching in Bella's old truck. My stomach knotted up before they even came into view. I took a deep breath, stood a little straighter, and made the silent vow to myself. Come hell or high water, I wasn't going to let this weekend pass me by without having a heart to heart with Bella Swan.

~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~**~

Bella

I sighed softly to myself as the lush green landscape rolled by. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel as I chanced a sideways glance at my best friend. Where did the time go? The entire summer seemed to have flashed by in a blur; and suddenly, it was the weekend before school started. Leah and I were on our way back from a day in Port Angeles, where we'd stocked up on pens, pencils and all the other mundane necessities for a successful year of high school. She'd spent the majority of the return trip to Forks wordlessly staring out the window, lost in her own thoughts.

In fact, all throughout the afternoon I'd noticed that she was unusually quiet. She seemed distracted, withdrawn; but when I asked her what was wrong she'd say "nothing," force a smile and make it a point to be more like her usual upbeat self until she thought I wasn't paying attention. Something was definitely up with Leah; but I knew better than to try to press her. She'd talk when she was ready; but I hated to see her upset.

I pulled into Charlie's driveway and we carried our purchases into the house. Leah was sleeping over Sunday night so we could get ready for the first day of school together. So we both dropped our bags on the floor in my bedroom.

I was so glad to have Leah and Jacob and even Embry going to school with me; but I was still incredibly nervous about the first day. Grateful barely touched the way I felt with Leah suggested that she sleep over and we ride together. I'd assumed the three of them would carpool in from La Push in Jake's rabbit.

I forced the first day of school jitters from my head and focused on the incredible weekend we had planned. I couldn't wait to get to Crescent Lake and set up camp. Charlie had been shocked to hear me sound the least bit interested in anything outdoorsy; but the gang had really opened my eyes to a lot of the natural beauty that this rather soggy part of the world had to offer.

The tide pools, the hot springs, a seemingly endless number of trails. Leah showed me some pictures she'd taken during the spring of some of the most beautiful flora I'd ever seen. We'd hiked parts of Olympic Discovery Trail; we even hiked out to Michael's Cabin. There was so much more to the area than I'd ever cared to notice on prior visits.

We were camping at Crescent Lake. We'd hiked passed it several times, and it was a beautiful location; we'd just never spent much time there. There were several small waterfalls nearby and one that Jacob had been especially adamant about us getting to, Marymere Falls I think he'd called it. We were going to have a bonfire and roast marshmallows; and if not for it being the end of the summer, I'd be willing to say it was going to be the perfect weekend.

My backpack was ready and waiting by the bedroom door. I grabbed it and made my way down to the kitchen to grab the cooler from the refrigerator. I'd filled it the night before so that it'd be ready for me to grab it and go. Leah joined me and I gestured for her to grab the extra case of water from the kitchen table.

Leah was considerably more animated during the drive to La Push. As much as I wanted to know what was wrong with her I wasn't willing to risk her improved mood by bringing it up again.

It was just after four when we pulled up in front of Leah's to find the boys ready and waiting for us. She hopped out and ran inside to get her pack and the cooler of sandwiches and bag full of snacks that she'd packed the night before.

Jacob was at my door before I could even climb out of the truck. He beamed me a warm smile as he helped me down. "Heya Bells," he said, his voice unusually husky, before grabbing both the cooler and my backpack out of my hands and tossing them into the back of the truck.

Leah was back out a moment later and she added her stuff to the back of my truck before climbing into her dad's. Jake grabbed his pack from Leah's truck and added it to mine. He exchanged words with Quil and Embry who ambled off toward Leah's truck as he swung himself into the front of mine. Leah backed away from her house and I fell in behind her as we set off for our weekend.

We stopped at a little mini mart on the reservation for a few last minute supplies; and moments later I was following Leah down the 110 toward Hwy 101. Jacob spent half the trip fiddling with the radio and cursing its inability to clearly pick up anything other than a country and western station. When he finally gave up he flopped back against the back of the seat with a huff, shooting death glares at the poor defenseless stereo. I chuckled and started chattering mindlessly about how much I was looking forward to the weekend in an effort to cheer him up.

It was a little before six when I parked next to Leah. We all piled out of the trucks and Jake grabbed both of our backpacks before heading over to the other truck to grab the bag that the tent was in. Leah grabbed her pack and her cooler and Quil and Embry finished unloading Leah's truck; leaving me with nothing but a cooler to carry. I glanced around guiltily at the sheer amount of stuff that the boy's were carrying and cringed. Embry had his pack strapped to his back and a large duffle bag in each hand. Quil had his pack, a large bundle of driftwood for our bonfire under one arm, and what looked like trash can lids under the other. Jacob had both of our packs, the tent and a large tarp. I glanced at Leah who just shrugged and set off after the boys to the trail that would lead us to the lake.

The hike to the lake wasn't bad at all; and I only fell down twice along the way, which is pretty good for me. We decided to forego any additional hiking for the day; since the sun was on its way down by the time we got everything set up. Leah got the bonfire lit while the guys hunted us down some sticks; and we roasted hotdogs for our dinner. We spent the rest of the evening laughing and joking and playing silly games like charades.

I was positively exhausted by the time we all spread out our sleeping bags and decided to call it a night.

I awoke Saturday morning before anyone else. The sun was barely lighting up the morning sky; when I fished out my cell phone to check the time, it was 6:20. I crawled out of my sleeping bag and proceeded to roll it back up before quietly sneaking off to take care of my morning business behind some nearby trees.

When I returned to our camp, I sent Charlie a quick text message letting him know that everything was ok and that I'd be home the following afternoon. He wasn't one to persistently press that I check in while I was away on the weekends; but I made it a point to make some sort of contact with him at least once a day. We never officially discussed it, but he seemed to appreciate the gesture.

I added a few sticks to the pile in the fire pit we'd dug for the previous night's campfire and started a new fire. I grabbed a couple bottles of water and emptied them into the silver, camping percolator, and started some coffee. As it brewed, I grabbed my pack and slipped into the tent and changed into my bathing suit and a fresh pair of jean shorts and a clean, yellow, cotton tank top.

I'd just sat down on an old fallen tree with my steaming hot cup of coffee, when Leah sat up sniffing deeply at the air. She looked around sleepily and hummed before asking, "Coffee?" Her voice rough with sleep yet filled with hope. I chuckled and took another sip from my cup, grinning at her mischievously. She gave a harrumph and the previously peaceful morning was suddenly filled with Leah's grumpy groans and incoherent grumbling as she struggled to crawl out of her sleeping bag. I hurried over to the fire pit and poured her a cup of coffee, offering it to her as soon as she managed to fully right herself.

Leah's less than melodious morning noises woke up Quil. Quil, in his preoccupation with hiding his morning 'problem' on his way into the woods, managed to trip over Jake's gigantic frame; gifting him with a rather rude awakening. Quil and Jake decided that since they were awake Embry should be also; and they took it upon themselves to ensure that he was, by dumping half of our ice supply into his sleeping bag. Suffice to say, he didn't exactly wake up happy.

Soon after everyone had their coffee, Leah and I set about cracking eggs, while the guys toasted some bread over the fire. We all sat down and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast and chatted about the upcoming school year. I noticed that Quil seemed somber as Embry talked excitedly about going to Forks High; and I felt guilty for taking his friends away from him.

We all enjoyed our simple, leisurely breakfast as we sipped our coffee and talked quietly amongst ourselves. I cleaned up the breakfast mess as the others changed and got ready for our day.

Everyone was in high spirits as we set off on what a signpost declared to be The Moments in Time Nature Trail. Embry pointed out the sheer size of the massive cedars and Douglas Firs, mentioning that some were over two hundred feet tall. We hiked past old homesteads and through the lowland forest; it was one of the most tranquil places I'd ever seen.

We took a connector trail to the Storm King Ranger Station; and then hopped onto yet another trail. This one leading us through a tunnel that actually went under Highway 101 for a ways before opening back up to the forest on the other side. We crossed a couple footbridges and climbed up some earthen steps before coming to a halt at a point where we were forced to decide between an easier route, and a steeper but more direct route.

Jake laughed and grabbed my wrist, tugging me after him as he started on the path marked as the easier of the two. "We've been lucky enough that Bells hasn't tripped and broken something so far, no point pushin' our luck," he teased.

I huffed in my best attempt at indignation and swatted him on his huge bicep. The others joined in his laughter and exchanged snarky remarks about my coordination. I felt my cheeks flush at their teasing. I pointedly refrained from comment, clutching Jacob's elbow and keeping my gaze locked on the ground directly in front of my feet, silently praying that I not trip in the midst of their torment; timing like that wouldn't be let go easily, and I knew it.

Jake squeezed my hand and smiled down at me. "This way has the best view too," he murmured softly as we started up the gentle slope to the observation area at the base of the falls.

It was breathtaking. The enormous trees on either side beautifully framed the ninety-foot cascade of water. A light, cool mist filled the air and dampened our clothes. Without thinking, I leaned against Jacob and sighed contentedly, mesmerized by the beauty that surrounded us. The water fell from above with a rush of sound and rainbows into what Quil identified as, Barnes Creek. Big beautiful sword fern dotted the creek banks at random.

Jake wrapped a strong arm around my shoulders. He leaned down and whispered into my ear, "It's pretty nice here huh?"

I shuddered at the contrast between his very warm breath on my neck and ear and the moist, almost chilly air. Still awestruck by the natural beauty all around me, my voice wasn't much more than a whisper when I responded. "Jake it's… so beautiful, so incredibly peaceful. I… I just can't seem to find words to do it justice!"

He chuckled softly and pulled me closer to him. "You don't always need the right words Bells. Sometimes, it's enough to see it, feel it and appreciate it."

I looked up into his dark eyes and was a little surprised at what I saw there. There was a fire in them that I'd never saw before. I looked away quickly, feeling more than a little self conscious under his smoldering gaze.

I looked around for the others, but they were nowhere to be seen. "Hey," I said suddenly, desperately needing to break the strange tension that surrounded Jake and I. "I think we got abandoned."

He looked away then and craned his neck in an attempt to locate his friends. "Quil really likes the upper observation deck. I think it has something to do with him being the shortest in the pack," he chuckled, "can't resist a rare shot at looking down at someone else."

I scrunched up my brow, "shortest in the pack?" I asked giggling. "What? Is that like, Quileute for clique or something?"

Jake's eyes widened and for a split second I swore I saw panic in them. The look was gone as quickly as it came; in its place was a tight smile as he laughed lightly and nodded. "Let's uh, let's go find the others," he mumbled. His arm left me shoulders and he took my hand in his, towing me along behind him as we headed up the steep earthen steps that connected the upper and lower observation decks.

We met up with the others on the upper deck and the view from above was gorgeous; but I had to agree with Jacob, I preferred the almost surrealistic view from below. We had lunch on the upper deck before starting our descent. After another hour or so we made our way back to Barnes Point where we spent the rest of the afternoon.

By the time we got back to camp I was exhausted. Leah stepped into the tent to change out of her sweaty clothes. I plopped down on my sleeping bag to wait my turn to change; and leaned back staring up at the quickly darkening sky.

The next thing I knew Jake was gently shaking me and asking if I was going to eat. I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes and trying to take in my surroundings. I could hear Quil was tearing into a bag of Doritos as Leah and Embry plated hamburgers.

I stretched and took Jake's extended hand, allowing him to pull me to my feet. When he released me I stumbled backwards a step or two. He chuckled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders again to steady me.

"You ok there?" He asked through his good-natured laughter.

I nodded and took a step away from him, testing my balance. "I didn't mean to go to sleep," I mumbled apologetically.

"No worries, you were obviously beat," he said, reaching out to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear. "I'm sure you'll feel better now that you've had a little nap."

"How long did I sleep?" I asked, still feeling groggy.

"Only about a half hour or so; just long enough for us to get the grub goin'."

We sat around the fire pit, laughing, eating and enjoying our final hours of freedom. When the food was gone, Embry and Quil appeared to be plotting and planning. I had no idea what they were up to, but knowing the two of them it was probably mischievous. It was with this thought in mind that I accepted Jake's hand and allowed myself to be towed along behind him toward the water's edge.

The moon was high in the sky by then; and its reflection was eerily beautiful as it was captured and distorted by the rippling surface of the glacial water. Jake and I walked in silence for several moments, staying near the water at first; but then he pulled me toward what appeared to be a faint path. After a minute, we came across an enormous toppled cedar; and Jake sat down, gently tugging on my hand to pull me down next to him.

I realized then that this wasn't just a casual evening walk. Jacob had something to say. I prepared myself for some speech about the importance of checking in with him or one of the other's during the day while we were at school. Or maybe he'd want us to all ride together and he wanted to see if that was ok with me.

He cleared his throat and looked everywhere but at me. He suddenly seemed nervous; and Jacob Black was anything but nervous. There was no way I could've prepared myself for what he did say…

"So uh Bells…" he started quietly. "I uh… I was thinkin'… Err I mean… Shit!"

"Jake?" I questioned curiously. Things had always been so easy between Jacob and I, from the very beginning. I didn't understand what had him so flustered.

"Please Bells," he pleaded, "just give me a second. I'm uh… I'm trying to find the words ya know?"

I nodded and offered him a small, but hopefully reassuring smile. I had no idea what he needed to say, but whatever it was, the least I could do was allow him a moment to compose his thoughts.

Several silent moments passed as we sat there. Finally, he took a deep breath and spun around to face me. His eyes blazed as the moonlight shone in them. He reached forward and took both of my hands in his. I studied his face, trying to figure out what was so obviously troubling him.

"Bells," he said, his deep voice almost quivering with his nerves. "I- I really like you Bells. Not like the rest of the guys either, I mean I really like you, like a… like a boyfriend. I know you haven't been here very long; but it feels like I've always known you, always cared about you. And I… Well, I kinda got the impression that maybe you… uh… maybe you like me to?"

Oh. My. God. I felt the blood rushing to my face as soon as he said he really liked me. My heart was pounding in my chest, and I was having a little trouble pulling in enough air. Leah was right. What had I done? Had I led him on? There was no doubt in my mind that I loved Jacob Black; and I also knew that he loved me too. I just didn't realize that we were dealing with two totally different types of love.

How do you break your best friend's heart? I felt tears stinging my eyes and I desperately wanted to just get up and run. Run away from the devotion I saw in Jake's eyes, away from the hurtful truth that he was going to force out of me.

"Bells?" Jake questioned after several minutes passed without a response from me.

"Jacob." I took a shaky breath. "Please listen to me ok? Don't speak, don't act, hell don't even think until you hear me out ok?"

He solemnly nodded his acquiescence as he stared at me expectantly.

"I love you Jake," I whispered, "but I'm afraid we got our wires crossed or something. Ever since I showed up here you've looked out for me; you've been there for me and made me feel safe when I didn't think I'd ever feel that way again. I've uh… I've kind of come to think of you as my big brother and my best friend."

I watched his face fall at my confession and I cursed myself for hurting him. "Jake you have to know how much you mean to me. I don't think I would've made it through the summer without you! I DO love you; just in a different way than you seem to care about me. Please don't be mad at me," I pleaded with him, "your friendship means the world to me Jacob. If I've ever done anything to lead you on or-"

"It's ok Bells," Jake cut in, his voice devoid of its usual life. "You've never done anything at all, other than be the perfect girl, and well… I can't really hold that against you can I?" He asked, chuckling humorlessly.

"Jake…"

"Really it's fine," he cut me off again, "we should probably get back to camp before the others start to worry."

I nodded and followed him back the way we came. When we arrived, Embry and Quil were each holding a garbage can lid and appeared to be trying to shoot each other with Roman Candles, much to Leah's disapproval.

"Bella!" She called out as she saw us approach. "Thank God! Maybe you can talk some sense into these morons! Imagine trying to hold on to lit fireworks and shoot them at your friend? What kind of ridiculous testosterone fueled game is that?"

I smiled weakly at Leah and shrugged my shoulders, unrolling my sleeping bag before turning to face the boys.

"Guys," I called out to Quil and Embry, "could we skip the fireworks please? I have a monster of a headache and I think I need to just give up, call it a day, and hope I can sleep it off."

They agreed, albeit reluctantly; and I slid into my sleeping bag. I tried to hold off the tears, but there was just too many of them. I slid further down into the bag and wept silently, until the tears stopped coming and I was able to fall into the warm embrace of sleep.

Sunday morning, we packed everything up as soon as we finished breakfast. I still felt terrible about Jake; but he wouldn't talk to me. Once the gear was all stowed in the back of the trucks, Leah handed her father's keys to Embry so he could return the truck for her. The three guys were all standing around Harry's truck. Jacob stood near the tailgate, securing their gear under a green tarp.

I cautiously approached him; feeling awkward around him for the first time since moving to Forks. "Jake?" I started nervously.

I heard him inhale sharply right before he spun around to face me. "Look, Bella, I get it ok. What do you want? You wanna hear it's not your fault? It's not your fault, I'm sure you weren't planning on shattering my fucking heart, right? Just worked out that way."

"But Jaco-"

"What I DON'T need is your pity over it ok?" he fumed, cutting me off. "It's fine. Just back off a little and give me some space, PLEASE," he pleaded, his voice softening; though hurt and anger were both still evident in his tone.

I fought back the tears I felt threatening to spill from my eyes and nodded at Jacob without another word.

He climbed into the truck with Embry and Quil; and I returned to my truck where Leah was waiting.

They followed us to Charlie's house where Jake climbed out of the truck just long enough to remind Leah and I to meet him and Embry at the front office of Forks High School the following morning. He directed his words to Leah, not looking at me at all. She nodded her agreement as I grabbed my stuff, from the back of my truck, and ran to the sanctity of the house.

I ran up the stairs, threw myself on the bed, and cried. I heard Leah come in and make her way up the stairs several minutes later.

"Bella? Hey… Bella! Oh honey, what's the matter?" she asked, soothingly stroking my hair.

I just shook my head and kept crying. She gathered me up in her arms, and pulled me into her lap, gently rocking me back and forth as she whispered reassurances in my ear.

Once I'd cried myself out, she lifted my chin, forcing me to meet her gaze. "Hey, you ok now?"

"I… I think so," I stammered.

"Ok, so now you need to tell me what the hell that was about."

And I did.


A/N2: OK, I have part of ten started already. See that little green button? Says REVIEW I'm willing to offer up a teaser for everybody that does. C'mon! Love it? Hate it? Lemme know!
Thanks. ~Sonia