Chapter Summary: Jacob hates the new arrangements that allow his 'brother' to have unlimited access to his Bella and he struggles to understand the need for the adjustment, but his pack mate is not making it easy. Bella is busy fighting her own battles as she convinces Renee, her mother, to let her stay in Forks with Charlie and for herself.

Chapter V: 'Bridges,' by LifeHouse

JPOV (Jacob's Point of View)

I felt the soft dirt seep between my toes and gave a heavy sigh. Even the earth by Bella's house felt different now that Charlie was gone. Then again, Charlie had nothing to do with it. It was just that I was different. It had everything to do with me. I now saw that Bella could be hurt, could be vulnerable, and could be taken away from me if I wasn't careful. And I had to be careful. Losing Charlie had already hurt Bella so much, and I couldn't allow anything else to happen to her. First it was those leeches, and now one of them had taken Charlie? This was too much and those bloodsuckers had to be stopped. I felt small goose bumps on my skin, indicating that my arms and legs were much warmer than that of Fork's evening temperature. Relax, Jake, relax, I told myself.

"Quil is going to be phasing soon," I said outloud, trying to keep my mind off of what I would do when I finally got my hands-or paws-on one of those leeches. Any one of them. "His grandfather spoke to Sam; Quil's head can officially open up a bed and breakfast on the side of the road," I continued. "Best sunny-side eggs in the state of Washington," I tried to add with lightness.

"Fascinating, Black. You'll have all your friends to hold your hand," a nasty tone returned.

I shook my head at Paul. I had been trying to avoid him unsuccessfully for two days, but this was the second night in a row that Sam had put the two of us together. Sam had said that if Paul was going to be staying with Bella, I would have to get used to the idea of him being around the house more; it didn't mean I had to like it.

And trust me, I hated it.

"You have a real anger management problem," I said, trying to keep the agitation out of my voice.

"You should be so lucky," Paul retorted. "We don't have to talk just because we're watching your girlfriend's house together."

"Bella's not…never mind." I gave up and turned away, sick of being bothered with his attitude. Paul gets to spend his time with Bella, and he didn't even seem to like her. In fact, he seemed to be trying exceptionally hard to prove that he didn't want to even take the assignment. "Why don't you tell Sam that you don't want to watch Bella?" I suddenly asked.

"I did," he sneered, looking more and more like his silver wolf. "Alpha wouldn't go for it-said I had no choice if I wanted to keep our people safe."

"Did he say that?" I raised an eyebrow. "It's hard to imagine you wanting to do something for someone else."

"Don't I know it," Paul agreed. "But I don't mess with Sam. Not if I want to run Beta."

I bit back a scoff. "You want to run second in command? Why?"

"So I can tell your snot nose what to do," Paul snapped. "Why else? All that power; I'll be even more loved by the ladies. It'll be great."

"You're very self-absorbed," I said, content on making my latest statement the last observation I made of my pack mate.

"And yet I am so popular," Paul announced smugly. "No one else seems to mind."

"That's the only reason you want to be Beta? So you can boss me around? A Beta has to cover for when Sam is away or out on patrol," I explained. "They have to be responsible. They have to always think for what's good for the pack rather than how the pack can benefit them," I finished. Why didn't Paul know this? Sam had explained to every pack member already.

Now Paul arched his brow. "Sounds like envy to me. Do you have a dream of being Beta for this outfit, my little prince?" he teased.

"I sure don't want to be Alpha," I confessed.

"You shouldn't be." Paul's mood went sour again. "I don't care what's in your bloodlines; I'm not listening to you."

A tremor passed through my left shoulder. This was how Paul always talked. "I wouldn't let you in my pack anyway," I told him.

"Aww, how sad. I'll have to find a way to carry on with the rest of my life without you." Paul abruptly got up and stepped closer to the edge, watching Bella's house in the dark.

My anger fell to the waist side for the moment as I listened to voiced coming from Charlie's home, now Bella's. Even with our human ears, we could hear Bella calmly discussing why she shouldn't move back to Jacksonville with Renee and Phil. I was hoping that Bella could convince her mother to let her stay right here. She was of age and the mortgage on the house was completely paid for; besides, Charlie had left everything to Bella anyway. As far as the state of Washington was concerned, she was an independent.

I sighed, thinking about how extraordinary Bella was.

"Why is she like that?" Paul asked suddenly.

"Huh? Who?" I shook my head from my daydream. I was glad that the pack couldn't see what was in my mind just now. "Like what?"

"The Swan. Why is she like she is?" Paul clarified. "She has a lot of strength. Haven't seen anything like it in a chick before."

"A chick?" I asked in disbelief. Leave it to Paul to downplay everything, including any feelings other than his own. "Bella's not a chick; she's Bella."

"Any other girl I know would have lost her mind and would have been useless," Paul continued. "You know, kind of like how she was when those bloodsuckers left."

We both growled instinctively, each of us feeling annoyance for the vampires who had hurt my Bella and left her so broken that it was only I who had been able to fix it. At least until I began to fix her...but then I started to phase into a giant seven foot wolf; now all hell was loose.

"Why do you care?" I asked suspiciously, turning attention back to my pack mate. "You barely ask a girl's name, much less why she is the way she is."

"Hey, if I'm going to be living with her," Paul defended, "then I need to know what bullshit I am up against. You do see my dilemma, don't you?"

I narrowed my eyes. "Yeah, I do. You're moving in with my Bella."

"She doesn't seem to want to be yours, little prince."

"She will be," I declared.

"If you say so."

I stood up, looking him in the eye. He stared right back at me, unhinged.

"You better sit back down. I am not in the mood. I don't even stay with my mother half the time and now I have to move in with the leech lover. As if I couldn't do any better," Paul declared.

"No one is better than Bella."

"I don't think she'll ever give you the chance to find that out."

"Like she'd give you a chance."

"Can't hurt to ask." He laughed.

My body went hot and spasmed forward. Paul stepped back, still watching me but had his hand on his breakaway pants, ready to mimic me at a moment's notice.

"I've upset the pup, again," he continued to taunt.

My left side wretched and twisted, making me yowl. I could faintly hear, from Bella's house, inquisitive questions as to what was going on outside. I felt my jeans split; they were one of the few pairs that I had left. I hadn't counted on getting angry, but I should have known better. My eyes slit back, turning a bright yellow at first, but then they would fade to black as I stayed in my wolf longer so that I could blend in with my surroundings better. I didn't need the eye color change; I was a machine built for war and I was awaiting battle, ready to knock the small smirk off of my pack mate's face.

"And I had thought this would be boring-watching your friend's house. This just turned fun, Black," Paul sneered.

My russet paws hit the dirt. I didn't even remember phasing. It never burned for me anymore; I did it so much that I could do it "on the fly" and not feel a thing. I turned my anger off and on, channeling it where I saw fit, and right now, it only seemed fit to display my rage on the burly silver wolf known as Paul.

Paul grinned and fell forward onto his hands and knees, ready to fight even though he had yet to completely phase. I took a small step back for a second; I would allow him the additional moment to completely change. I wanted to fight fair.

You two, knock it off! You're supposed to be watching Bella! Sam barked from a distance.

I can see her fine, Paul replied as his wolf approached me. I'll be seeing a lot more of her once I'm inside the house. Want me to share any interesting habits with you, Black? I wonder if she sleeps in the nude.

I snarled, hearing the door to Bella's house creak open.

"Phil, get back in here!" a woman's voice shouted after the man's body.

"But—" the man started to say.

"If it's an animal, we don't want it in the house. Honestly, Bella, it's so wild and untamed out here in Forks. Thank goodness I left. Why on earth would you stay here?" she continued, presumably Renee.

"Someone has to be here for Charlie. You should appreciate that," Bella voiced.

"But, Bella…" Her voice trailed off, becoming a little bit harder to hear as the one called Phil closed the door.

You guys make a shit load of racket. Keep your heads in the game! Sam bellowed.

I sat near a rock, determined not to let Paul piss me off even further.

You know, I've seen her blush inside of your head, Black, Paul stated. I wonder what color she'll turn when she's thinking of me in her bed that first night.

Jacob—no! Sam cried as I leapt forward.

BPOV

"Bella, may I have with word with you?"

My mother had aged considerably since I left Phoenix more than half a year ago, but I knew Renee's wit and keen eye hadn't been affected. I would have to stay sharp if I wanted her not to worry; who was I kidding? My mother loved to worry. Even as I had been taking care of her, she worried non-stop about me. My dizzy mother, Renee, was hopeless and I knew that she had a sneaking suspicion as to why I was intent on staying. It wasn't just for Charlie; I knew almost exactly when she would bring it up. If it wasn't at the table while we were eating dinner, then it would be now, when I was alone.

I ushered her in although she had already walked through the kitchen door's archway. I stopped washing the dishes to give her my undivided attention.

"I didn't want to bring this up in front of Phil, but, Bella, sweetie, it is unhealthy to stay here all alone in this house. I know Charlie left it to you and you feel that it's your obligation to be here, but this is not the place for you. You belong with your mother. Is it me?"

"Of course not," I said, throwing down the small wash rag. "And it is Charlie; mostly. I have friends here. Friends that would miss me and I would miss them if I were to move to Jacksonville with you and Phil. You have your own thing going, and I don't want to mess that up."

"I'd be worried sick about you all the time."

I forced a laugh; it sounded louder than it should have. "You do anyway, Mom," I said, struggling to keep my voice even. This was harder than I thought; I was saying goodbye to my mother again. She'd be leaving in a few days and it might be the last time I would see her if Victoria got her way.

"You're not just staying because you think Edward will be back, do you?"

I shook my head, knowing that was exactly what she would say. "No, Edward has nothing to do with this at all." I could feel in my throat that the next sentence would falter in tone, making me lose a grip on the tears that I had saved behind my internal walls. "I didn't…I didn't spend enough time with Charlie the last few years and that was my fault. I hated it here. I mean, I did hate it here, but the last few months have been different. They feel different. I'm different and it's all because I came here to Forks and now she was asking me to leave it again, so soon? I can't do that and I hope you understand."

"I don't, sweetheart." Renee started to tear up, her hands shaking as they met her face. "I don't understand how Charlie could have died on a routine investigation call. I didn't understand what it was that made you so gun-ho over Edward, so soon after just meeting him. And I'll never understand why you feel the need to stay here, still."

I swallowed. "I just can't leave everything yet. Not now."

"And if something happens to you, alone, in this house?"

"In Forks?" I tried to scoff. "Nothing happens in Forks that the town people don't know about." Or the wolf pack on the reservation.

Renee sniveled. "I suppose. Oh, baby," she cried as she threw her arms around me. "I just hope that for whatever reason you are staying, it's worth it to have your mother crying."

"Mom, please," I groaned. "I don't want to go back to Florida. I want—I need to stay here. I'm sorry I can't leave Forks as easily as you did." Stay strong, Bella. Guilt will not work. Guilt will not work. And to catch Charlie's killer was worth everything as long as no one else died. Oh Lord, if someone else died, it would be my fault still. Everything was my fault nowadays. I patted my mother's back. "Mom, I really have to finish these dishes."

Renee pulled back, wiping her face. "Okay."

"And then I'll make up Char…Dad's room for you and Phil." Again, I struggled with the right words to say to Renee. She was beginning to drive me nuts.

"I can do that. Knowing your father, he probably never changed where I used to keep the linens."

I smiled. "Probably not."

"I love you, Bella, and you are never a burden to me. You come to Jacksonville anytime you want. I still have hopes of you attending college in Florida."

"I know, I know. Let me graduate first, okay?"

My mother dragged her feet back toward the living room, and I sighed again, thinking that I had come too close to losing my nerve. Don't burn your bridges, Bella. Do not burn your bridges. I sighed heavily. How was I going to get through the next two days with her watching me as she did? I could barely keep myself from crying over Charlie as it was. Now I was plagued with Victoria somehow taking another one of my loved ones. It could have been another person on the reservation, or a friend from school, or even Jacob. No, not Jacob. Never Jacob. I wouldn't even want it to be—

CRASH!

I winced. I heard my mother jump off the couch, the wooden leg bumping the short end table.

"Bella, was that you?"

"Uh, yeah. I must have dropped something. I'll take care of it."

"But that sounded like it was outside again —"

"Nope," I said, cutting Renee off. "All me; all Bella."

I grabbed my sneakers by the kitchen door and stepped outside, careful not to fling the door back lest Renee hear it and went out to investigate the offending noise again. I was pretty sure what it was.

"Humph, and Sam said I shouldn't be able to see you guys. What a laugh," I muttered. It wasn't too far into the forest that I saw two large, moving objects, one russet and the other almost a shade of sterling pearl. "Hey, you two," I called as Jacob yanked Paul by his ear. I whistled, their yellow eyes turning to my silhouette. "Aren't you two supposed to be watching me?"

The silver wolf grunted and Jacob walked slowly over to me, pushing his face into my inner left leg. I rubbed his head affectionately and continued to stare at Paul. He turned away, kicking at a small bush by a fir tree.

"Paul, thank you for being here," I said, not knowing how else to address him.

I felt Jacob's massive head turn a little, but I just grinded my knuckles into his collar, producing a small and enthusiastic grumble from his throat. Paul still didn't look at me and I felt a little uneasy.

"I'll have the house ready for you in a few days when my mom and Phil leave. Is there anything specific you would like during your stay?"

Paul shifted his head and Jacob growled ferociously. I yanked on his fur and Paul stood in a defensive stance in front of me and my wolf.

"Do I even want to know what you were thinking?" I asked Paul. Jacob let out a low yowl and Paul snarled back at him. "Behave. And if you think of anything, tell Jacob and he'll relay it back to me. If you can't keep your thoughts clean, I don't want to hear them." Paul snorted and walked a few feet behind another thick tree. I waited for a few seconds, but he didn't come back out. I gave up. "Come on, Jacob. I hope you bought some extra clothes. I still have some chicken pot pie left for dinner. It'd be a great snack for you before you get back to Bella-duty."

Jacob barked enthusiastically and ran a little ahead of me behind a tall bush, presumably to change back.

*A/N: Next up, Paul moves in! What fun! :-)