Jacob's endeavour on the island definitely had to rank as the most romantic date of Bella's life. But that just seemed to be Jacob's way; over the last three months, she'd been constantly touched and impressed by his devotion to her. Sometimes she worried that he was going overboard, wanting to ensure that she never regretted choosing him over Edward, but the truth was, she hadn't yet- not once.

Sure, she still felt something when she was with Edward, but wouldn't anyone for an old flame that had ended in an amicable breakup? Now that Edward had returned from his hunting trip, it would take a bit more finesse to keep the peace amongst the tree of them, but Bella was determined: she didn't want to lose either of them. They were both too important to her, and she wasn't willing to let either of them go. Even if she was with Jake now, she still loved Edward, and that wasn't just going to go away because she'd made a different choice. She hated the idea of hurting either of them; they were definitely the two most important people in her life.

She and Jacob had parted sweetly, with a kiss on her front stoop, at the end of their three-month anniversary date. Sometimes she snuck him up to her room, but since she'd told Charlie the afternoon before her big date that Embry was going to 'kidnap' her and was refusing to divulge their destination, he had emphasized her curfew more seriously than usual. She thought it was better not to push it, and Jacob hadn't seemed to mind. They were still in the early phases of love, where every opportunity for sex seemed a gift and a treat, not something to be expected or taken for granted.

Bella continued to be amazed by Jacob's skills at lovemaking. He managed to give her pleasure that she wouldn't have thought possible before, and he never held back. Unlike how she knew it would have been with Edward while she was still human- cold, possibly painful- with Jacob it was extremely intense, but he didn't have to worry about breaking her in two or deciding mid-session that he couldn't stop himself from draining the blood from her veins. There were some definite perks to that.

By the wolf pack's own estimation, Jacob and the others had at least three or four times the amount of testosterone than was normal for boys their age, which she secretly suspected gave Jacob an edge in the bedroom. Every time she felt his burning skin against hers, she knew she was in for nothing short of excitement and a deep satisfaction that would leave her gasping. In Jacob, she had learned much about her own body, and his, and she treasured those moments they shared together.

The next morning, she heard Edward's car pulling into her driveway at 8:00 sharp, as promised. Charlie was already long gone to work, and Bella was ready to go. She grabbed her bag and hurried outside and down the short flight of steps, but she missed the last one and tripped. Trying to recover her footing, she heaved herself sideways and landed hard on the cement walkway that led up to the front of her house.

Edward appeared at her side instantly. "Are you alright?" He took her arm in his hand and helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, thanks," she said, blushing. Edward kept his hand on her lower back and walked her to the passenger side of the car, holding the door open for her. Bella slid into her seat and by the time she'd clicked the seatbelt into place, Edward was already sitting next to her and sliding his key into the ignition. He pulled out of the driveway and started heading, at his usual fast speed, towards their school.

"So are you ready for our biology final?" she asked him after a long, not quite comfortable silence passed between them. There were only a couple of weeks of school left, and on the nights that she wasn't with Jacob, Bella usually had her nose in a book.

He smiled sideways at her. "Well, I've taken enough of them that I don't really have to study," he pointed out.

"Right," she said, shaking her head. "Of course." She bit her lip as the silence encroached on them once again. "So… any big plans for the weekend?"

"Not really."

"There's this… I don't know, not exactly a party, but like… a gathering or whatever that I'm going to tonight."

"On the reservation?" he asked, obviously struggling to try to keep his tone even.

"Yeah, at Emily's," she said. "It would be nice if you could come along."

"I can't," he answered flatly.

"Yeah… I know that. I just wish you guys could stop fighting for one night. Emily's cool. You might actually have fun."

"It's not about us having an argument or insulting each other, Bella," he said with a frown. "I'm not physically allowed to set foot in La Push."

"Yeah," she said, sighing softly. "Yeah… but you know, treaties change. People can, like… revise them. Or amend them or whatever."

Edward smiled bitterly. "Well I really doubt Sam Uley's going to like that idea," he answered. "Not to mention Jacob and the others."

She let out a long breath. "I know."

They pulled into the parking lot and Edward cut the engine, but he didn't seem to be in any hurry to get out of the car. "I thought it would be easier, once I got back," he said after a long silence.

"Easier?" she repeated.

"Yeah, to see you. I thought if I went away for a while, it would give me some space to adjust."

"That didn't really work the last time you tried it," she pointed out softly.

"I know," he said, smiling at her. "But that was different. This time I thought I could start fresh when I got back. As friends, like you want."

"But you can't?" she asked, anxiety rising in her chest.

He didn't answer her for a long moment. Finally he said, "I'm trying. But it's difficult."

"I know," she said gently, reaching over and touching his hand. "I really appreciate it."

"Well," he answered, getting out of the car and then crossing around to her side to open the door for her. "We should get to class. I'll see you in second period?"

"Sure," she answered. "Of course." She felt heavy-hearted as she walked to homeroom, but she didn't really know what else to say to him. She knew this thing with Jacob hurt him, and she didn't want that, but Jacob had had to deal with the same kind of hurt when she'd been with Edward. Bella felt like she couldn't win, and all she wanted was to minimize the pain for everyone she loved.

She knew it wasn't fair, but she wished Edward could just get over her choice and respect her decision to be with Jacob. Instead, every interaction with him was uncomfortable, since he wasn't treating her as a friend at all, but rather a girlfriend who had asked for a break but would, ultimately, be with him again. It was that vibe of silent waiting that underlined his mood every time they looked at each other or spoke. Because of it, something as simple as getting driven to school by a person she cared about could become strange and uncomfortable.

Yet at the same time, she couldn't blame him. She knew that if the situation was reversed and Edward had chosen someone else, she would feel just as uncomfortable about it. So she gave him the benefit of the doubt and tried, more than anything, to be neutral.

If she admitted it to herself, there was another reason she enjoyed spending time in La Push. There, she knew that there was no chance of Edward suddenly showing up at an inappropriate moment, and she could pass an evening without feeling like she was potentially being watched. Even though she never felt threatened by Edward's hovering, and knew he meant it as a way of taking care of her and that he had only the best intentions, it was still nice to be completely sure you were alone at a given time.

Not that the wolf pack let her be alone very often. Aside from the few times she had gone to Emily's house on her own, the time she spent with Jacob's friends was always characterized by boisterous, loud, energetic activities that she had to work hard to be left out of. Sometimes they wanted her to play sports with them, which she knew was just a disaster waiting to happen. She had so far managed to come up with a dozen different excuses as to why she couldn't engage in football, rugby, soccer, lacrosse, tag, capture the flag, and various other strange contact sports that she was certain they had made up. Still, she had to admit: they knew how to have fun.

When the bell rang at the end of the day, Bella couldn't help but smile as she gathered her things together. She was glad she and Edward didn't share last period, as she worked hard not to appear overly excited in front of him when it came to Jacob. But Angela and Jessica exchanged giggling, knowing glances as they watched her hurry form the classroom, causing a blush to rise in her cheeks.

At first her friends had been almost appalled that she had traded Edward Cullen for Jacob Black, and Jessica had even made some comment about how no one from Forks dated Rez boys, which had put their friendship on hold for several days. But overall they'd gotten used to it, and Bella thought they were secretly happy that they didn't have to battle Edward for her attention anymore.

Outside, Jacob waited near the front doors, leaning against his motorcycle. He'd once shown up on a warm day wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, and she had made him swear that he would always wear a shirt so as not to embarrass her at school. Since then he'd been as good as his word.

"Hey," Bella said, smiling at him as she hurried to his side. Jacob leaned in and gave her a quick kiss, handing her the helmet he kept especially for her. She slipped it onto her head and waited for him to get on the bike before climbing on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Even as the cool air whipped by her face as they rode out, she didn't get cold because his skin heated her easily through both their clothes.

It seemed like she always saw something new every time she visited Emily's house. Part of that was because Emily was an artist and was frequently adding more personal touches, be it paintings, sculpture, carvings, or even jewelry, to herself and to her home. But probably the main reason was that she rarely had time to actually look around before Jacob's friends accosted her. As soon as they heard his motorcycle cut out in front of the small one and a half storey wooden house, five shirtless boys came bounding down the steps and into the yard, skidding to a halt in front of Bella. Without exception, they all had food in their hands and mouths.

"Hey, Bella," Quil spoke first, only because he happened to be the first one to swallow his mouthful. "What did you bring for the potluck?"

"Potluck?" she repeated blankly.

"Yeah, you know," Paul continued for him. "Everyone brings a dish. I brought corn."

"I brought chili," Embry spoke up, not to be outdone.

Jared chimed in with, "Sweet potatoes."

"So what about you?" Jacob asked Seth, the only one who hadn't spoken yet.

"Beats me," he answered. "Leah's bringing something for both of us."

"You always try to get out of everything," Paul teased him.

"Do not!" he protested, before Paul got him in a headlock, dragging him sideways and trying to flip him over into the dirt. Bella couldn't help but laugh.

"So seriously," Quil continued as though nothing had happened, turning his attention back to Bella. "What'd you bring us?"

"Oh…" she trailed off. "Um, Jake picked me up right after school and I didn't know I was supposed to-"

"You don't have to bring anything," Emily's voice called out from the doorway. "You're a guest."

"I'm sorry," Bella said, instantly at ease as she entered the house and the other girl tossed her a friendly smile. All the other boys trotted inside after Bella, grabbing what was left of a plate of cookies on the counter. Despite the huge, garish scars that adorned Emily's face, Bella always felt comfortable with her. "I'll bring something next time.'

Emily waved her hand in dismissal. "No, no. We'll have enough. Don't worry about it." Bella heard Sam's footsteps on the stairs and a moment later he appeared, nodding a greeting to both her and Jacob before giving Emily a long kiss.

"I have to go," he explained to them. "I'll be back for dinner." Bella smiled at him, watching as he pressed a single kiss to each of Emily's scars as she giggled, then gave him a shove on his bare chest. Months ago, it had hurt her to see how in love Sam and Emily were, feeling like she would never again have that for herself, but now she liked watching them, and their devotion to each other.

"Sam," Jacob said, nodding an acknowledgement to his leader, and after a nod back Sam walked outside and into the woods and out of sight. Bella knew that a moment after he disappeared from her vision he would become a huge black wolf. Seeing them transform was still amazing every time she witnessed it, which was rare, since it involved them either being naked or destroying their clothes to avoid being naked. So, understandably, they did it in solitude whenever possible.

She knew Sam and Jacob had a complicated relationship. Really, Jacob had a complicated relationship with all his fellow shapeshifters, seeing as they could all hear each other's thoughts even when they didn't want to. But Jacob had explained to her that he, and not Sam, was technically meant to be the leader of their pack, but that he had given that responsibility over to Sam when he'd first changed. She was secretly relieved that he had, since Sam, though he was a nice guy, seemed so intense about everything. She wasn't sure that Jacob would have had time for her if he'd been the Alpha. Sometimes she felt badly for Emily, but the older girl seemed to shine in her role as den mother to this pack of rowdy teenagers, as well as in her role as Sam's fiancée. Still, Bella knew what she'd gone through to get both those roles, the evidence of which she had to wear on her face for the rest of her life, and she could only imagine how difficult Emily's journey had been.

"So, it'll be at least two hours until dinner," Emily said, to a chorus of groans, which she just laughed at. "Why don't you guys go run around and work up your appetites?"

"My appetite is fully worked up," Jared complained. "Why can't we eat at 4:00?"

"Because, that's ridiculous," she answered, swatting him in the back with the oven mitt she was holding. "I don't care what you guys do, just don't do it in my house." She waved them off, calling, "Out! Out!" Bella laughed as Emily chased them out the door and they scattered, only to reassemble a short distance from the house, as Emily shook her head in laughter and retreated back inside. Bella followed them out.

"Come on, Jake, let's go play," Seth yelled from across the yard.

"What do you say, Bella?" he asked her. "You up for reffing a game of touch football?"

"Touch!" Paul spat it out like it was a bad word. "My ass- we'll only play touch if she's playing." He pointed at Bella. "Otherwise you know we can all take it, Jacob. Touch is no fun."

Embry looked hopefully at Bella. "Want to play?" When she immediately started shaking her head he said, "Come on, you always put us off."

"None of you would want me on your team," she protested. "I suck."

"So does Quil," Paul spoke up helpfully. "Jared's pretty bad too."

"Am not," Jared protested, glaring at Paul and taking a run at him. He caught him by surprise and bowled him over so hard that Bella heard what she was sure was the crack of his head against a rock just under the surface of the mud- and from the sound of it, it was a sizable one.

"Oh, ouch! Are you okay, man?" Seth asked, laughing even as he high-fived Jared, who was receiving backslaps from Quil and Embry.

But Bella's eyes were on Paul, and she saw that he was pissed. He picked himself up, the whole back of him covered in mud, but Bella saw the warning signs of the same imminent rage she had elicited in him when she'd punched him earlier in the year.

"Jacob-" she started, but Jake just shook his head.

It was too late. With a deep growl in the back of his throat, Paul's wolf form exploded from his skin and turned on Jared, who now had his back to him. Bella watched as Seth nudged Jared in the ribs, alerting him to his imminent destruction, and then all the other boys backed away.

"Come on," Jared said, holding his hands open as Paul snapped and snarled at him. "It was an accident." Paul glared and then lunged, and Bella watched in horror as Jared narrowly rolled away from Paul's outstretched claws. A moment later Jared also transformed, his clothes bursting away from his massive wolf body, as he and Paul stood off face-to-face, baring their teeth and growling at each other.

"Hey!" Emily's irritated voice rang out from the porch, and Bella turned to watch her run down the steps and toward the two huge wolves, stopping short a safe distance away, but much closer than Bella herself would have felt comfortable standing. She waved a spatula in the air at them as they turned their heads and regarded her with soft snorts. "Not in my house, and not in my yard- come on, you wrecked my garden last time you did this," she complained. "I had to replant everything."

"Hey, I helped," Embry protested, then fell silent as she tossed him a glare. She put her hands on her hips and stared hard at the two wolves, which made Bella giggle softly. The wolf that was Jared let out a huff of air and then jerked his head at Paul before wheeling and running off into the underbrush, Paul following close on his heels. Everyone visibly relaxed.

"Emily," Bella said appreciatively. "You've got nerves of steel."

The glare faded from her face and was replaced instantly with a playful smirk. "We can't let them think they can do whatever they want just because they have big teeth, Bella," she said. "Besides… it turns out the big bad wolves aren't so bad after all." Her eyes flickered up the road for a moment and her smile faded before she turned back to the house, disappearing inside once more. Bella followed her gaze and saw a small car coming up the drive.

"Bella," Embry called over to her. "Now we're down two players, so you have to play."

Jacob laughed. "He's got a point," he said, and Bella punched his arm playfully. The last thing she wanted was to get involved in a sport, any sport, let alone one in which she was the only human player.

"Hey wait, we only lost one player," Seth spoke up as the car came to a stop near the side of the house.

"Your sister doesn't count," Quil said, making a face. "She's a girl."

"Hey," Bella protested. "And what am I, exactly?"

"Oh, Bella… that's different," Embry said with a small smile. Bella decided she didn't actually want to know what he meant by that.

"Okay, guys, give it a rest," Jacob said, putting his arm around Bella to show that he'd had enough of them teasing her. They backed off, as Seth left Quil and Embry's side and went to the car, accepting a large platter from his sister's hands before she got out of the car. Bella couldn't miss the look of distaste that passed through Leah's dark eyes as she caught sight of her.

"What'd you make?" Seth asked, already pulling up the side of the aluminum foil that covered the platter.

Leah took her eyes from Bella's face and focused on her brother, swatting his hand away. "Don't touch," she said. "It's a casserole."

"Mm, your noodle and beef casserole?" he asked with a big grin.

"Of course," she answered, a tender smile crossing her lips. The only time that Bella saw Leah being anything less that severely irritated was when she was looking at Seth. Otherwise, she had a foul mood and Bella preferred to avoid her. Luckily, they had yet to be caught in a situation where they had to actually have a conversation, but from Leah's few barked comments to Bella, she knew how the girl felt about her dating Jacob: she strongly disapproved. Still, Bella couldn't help but be curious about how Leah had taken the news that there were other female werewolves out there, after she and Jacob had returned from the clan where men and women seemed equally capable of making the change. She knew that Leah would have read that in Jacob's thoughts, even he didn't actually tell her.

Jacob almost never told Bella anything that he'd picked up from the minds of his pack members. He had a strict etiquette about that, which she admired in him. The more time she spent with Jacob, the more she respected him as a man, outside of her feelings for him as a friend and boyfriend. He was so honest, so confident and caring, not just for her, but also for all the other people in his life, even those like Paul and Leah who he seemed not to get along with. Despite the fact that his code of honour meant her curiosity went frequently unsatisfied, she couldn't help but love him even more for it.

Author's Note: So glad to be receiving nice reviews- I know it's mostly setup at this point, but I hope you're enjoying it so far!