I'm soooo sorry for the wait. I know I say that every time, but i am. Work has had me sooo tired that I just come home and sleep. Anyway, here's the next chapter.

p.s. reviews help me be motivated to update.

Ch. 9

I don't know that any of us were ready for this confrontation, nevertheless, it was happening. Bella tensed beside me and Jacob was trembling in his truck. The atmosphere was thick and heavy with their tension. One look at Bella's face told me she was in pain. I pressed my hand in hers, seemingly breaking her out of a trance when she glanced at me, a thankful expression on her face.

The engine cut in the truck and Jacob climbed out of the driver's seat, something I saw as a dumb idea. He was still suffering from small tremors. I let go of Bella's hand and moved towards Jake in attempt to comfort him, but she pulled me back.

"No Sophie, he's not stable," she whispered. Big mistake on her part. Jake's head whipped around to glare menacingly at her.

"I'm not stable?" he asked in disbelief. "I'm not the stable one? You're the bloodsucking vampire for Christ's sake! You're the one who's tempted by her blood every second. Not me!" he spat. Bella's face looked stung.

"That's not what I mean," she tried to say. "I didn't..."

"That's exactly what you meant!" Jake interrupted her. "You think I'm not safe for her to be around when I'm upset."

"Jake," she said softly. I really wanted to disappear.

"No"

"She's my sister," she almost begged, pain in her eyes.

"I've been what I am longer than you have," he responded, a little softer, but still with an edge. "It's much safer for her to be around me."

"You're right," Bella whispered, letting go of me.

"I know," he said curtly.

"I'm sorry Jake," Bella said sadly.

"No you're not," he said just as sad. "You chose this."

"I'm not sorry for what I chose," she corrected herself, "but I am sorry for hurting you. I never wanted to hurt you."

Jake nodded, his trembling coming to a stop. I walked towards him, and was pulled into his side.

"So you came back, I see," she commented after a minute of silence.

"Yeah, about 10 years ago," he said. "Dad was having some health troubles."

"Is he okay?"

"Yeah, he's a tough guy. Part of me thinks he got sick just so I'd come back," he chuckled dryly.

Bella smiled weakly, "Sounds like Billy."

She ran a nervous hand through her brown locks, the light bouncing off of her ring finger. Jake tensed. I could tell he was saddened by that. Instinctively, I wanted to comfort him.

"Nice ring," he scoffed. I took his warm hand in my own and glared at him to behave.

"Thank you," Bella responded, ignoring his sarcasm. "Have, have you found anyone? Not that it's any of my business, but..." she rambled.

Jake smiled, and put an arm around my shoulders, drawing me into his chest. "Actually, I have. Not too long ago really," he said, staring at me. I was afraid to look at Bella's face. She had moved on sure, and she was happy, but it wouldn't make it super easy to see someone you once loved, or maybe still do, move on.

She gasped quietly, realization hitting her. I looked at her cautiously, not wanting to be at fault for hurting my only sister. She was surprised, but didn't look seriously injured.

"You?" she asked, pointing back and fourth between us.

"Yep," Jake grinned, pulling me tighter, squishing me to his overly warm chest. "I can thank you for that really." Bella raised a perfect eye brow. "Well, I saw her at your grave. It freaked me out not knowing who she was at first, but then," he paused, "then she turned around and bam, that was it." I couldn't help but smile. The way he was talking was so filled with love, it wasn't malicious or meant as an attack. It was honest.

I chanced another look at my sister. A small smile played on her lips. She caught my eye and gave me a genuine one.

"I thought I'd be a lot more upset," she admitted. "I kind of hoped I would be- as a sort of self payback for causing you so much pain, Jake. Maybe, it's because of who you found, I don't know, but I'm pleased."

Jake smiled warmly, and loosened his hold on me, though not by much.

"I really didn't think there was anyone out there worthy of you Jacob Black," she smiled. Jake opened his mouth to speak but Bella stopped him. "Least of all me. But Sophia's perfect for you. The two of you are perfect. I'm really happy for you Jake," she grinned. "And you're a lucky girl, Sophie," she winked.

I managed to wiggle out of Jacob's arms to give her a big hug. "I was so afraid to tell you," I admitted.

"I guess I can understand that," she said, "but you deserve the best, and well as nonvampires go, he's the best." I smiled and she and Jake laughed a little. We let go of each other, and I went back to Jake's welcoming arms.

"Well, well, well," a soprano voice sang, "you haven't changed a big." Alice danced to stand by Bella. "You didn't come back, so I figured you might need moral support," she told Bella.

"We're all fine, but thanks Alice," Bella laughed.

"Yeah, we should be going now," Jake said. "Sophia promised Renee she'd leave by dark."

"Right," Bella smiled. "Well, I'm so glad to know you Sophia."

"Me too," I smiled.

"Yes, and we have to go shopping soon," Alice added. I laughed as Jacob towed me to his truck.

I waved to Alice and Bella as we drove away. When they were out of sight, I turned to Jake, "that went well."

"As well as can be expected," he grunted.

"Are you okay?" I asked, holing his hand. "I know that had to be hard for you. Seeing her."

Without saying anything, Jacob pulled over to the side of the road. He took my face in his hands so I couldn't look away from his face.

"Sophia, now that I have you, nothing seems to be hard. Seeing your sister wasn't easy, of course, but hmm, how can I explain this...

"When I knew Bella, I loved her yes, and it hurt like hell to lose her. But the second I saw you everything changed. Well changed isn't the right word, I guess it's be everything got put into perspective. In that moment you out-shined everything. The love I had for your sister, while still there, became completely insignificant. I loved your sister a lot, but I love you so much more. I know it's a lot to take," he chuckled. "Like I said, it hurt like hell to lose your sister, but if I ever lost you..." he shook his head. "I doubt I'd be able to live without you."

Woah! Wow!

"Wow," I whispered, still looking into his eyes.

"I know it's a lot, but it's true," he said. I swallowed.

"I think," I paused. "I think I could love you."

He grinned, and my heart soared. In time, probably a short time, I could definitely love him. I was already falling. My grin matched his, as he stared into my eyes. I knew what was coming. Agonizingly slow, his face inched toward my own. He was searching my eyes for approval, and I couldn't wait any longer. I was never one for suspense, so I closed the gap between us.

His hot lips seemed to ignite a fire in me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled him to me. He smiled against my lips, pleased with my reaction. His strong hands moved from my face, down my neck to my shoulders and around to my back, pulling me closer yet.

When we finally pulled back to breath, my lips were swollen and my face was hot, but I was grinning like an idiot. Jacob sported the same goofy grin, but his, I'm sure, looked much cuter. I had been kissed before, when I was 14 during truth or dare, but this, this was much, much better.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"About how much I like kissing you," I smiled. He chuckled and kissed me again. When he began to pull back, I wouldn't let him. He indulged me a little more then pulled away, leaving me gasping for breath.

"This could be problematic," he laughed, taking my hand.

"How so?" I cocked my head.

"Because apparently you don't have such great control, and I tent to use my control elsewhere, not leaving a lot for when it comes to you."

"And that's bad?" I asked, giving him my best impersonation of a flirtatious smile.

"It is if you ever want to go home," he laughed. I gulped at the implication. He just laughed and pulled back onto the road, my hand still in his.

We were silent until we got back to the beach. I noticed most people had migrated to the bonfire circle. Claire was sitting between Quil's legs, while Jared and Kim sat next to each other, their arms around one another. Emily was talking with a woman I hadn't seen earlier. There was also a group of young teenage boys around the fire that I hadn't seen either. Jake noticed my wandering eyes.

"The woman talking with Emily is Leah," he whispered as we made our way over. "She's not the most pleasant person."

"And the boys?"

"Their ages range from about 10 to 14. They were cliff diving earlier, that's why you don't recognize them. See that one," he pointed to a boy who was helping the girl I remembered to be Olivia, Kim's daughter, roast a marshmallow. "That's Sam and Emily's son Logan. He's almost 15. The one next to him, the young one," he pointed out a young looking boy, "that's their other son, Tyler. He just turned 10 last month."

Everyone seemed so close to each other, it was nice. Jake lead me over to some tables that had food set out. He grabbed two plates and handed one to me.

"Eat whatever you like," he said. "You much be hungry. I know I am." I laughed and nodded.

In the end, I roasted myself a hot dog and had some chips. Jacob had four dogs and a bunch of chips and stuff. We found a spot to sit, near Sam, Paul, and Embry. The talk was pretty conventional. My guess was, Jake didn't want to talk in front of everyone. It was still light out, but it was getting colder. I could safely assume the sun would go down soon, and I'd have to leave. The though made me sad. Jake seemed to notice too, because he got up, and motioned for me to follow him.

We walked a little ways up the beach, and sat down on a smooth gray boulder. Jake wrapped an arm around me to keep me warm.

"So," he said looking out to the sea, "tell me what happened."

"Well, they're here to watch over Charlie," I said.

"They didn't think we could do that?"

"Well, I think it's more because he may be a central target," I said. "Bella wants to be able to know he's safe personally."

"So tell me how he became a target," he pressed, still looking forward.

"They had a run-in with someone from Jasper's past. Somehow she got mad and wants revenge. Bella's the only one with living immediate family. The vampire did her homework and found Forks, subsequently finding Charlie," I explained watching his face carefully. "I think they feel responsible, and want to take care of it. You know, clean up the mess."

"So why'd they scare you?"

"They wanted to keep me away from Forks, in case the vampire found out about me, to keep me safe."

"And they thought it'd work?" he scoffed. "If you were anything like your sister, it'd only make your curious. As it turns out, you're a lot alike."

"How so?" I asked, curious.

He turned to look at me now. "You're both kind, stubborn, danger-prone, beautiful, and way too accepting," he said. "If you had any sense you'd high-tail it out of here and never look back."

"I wouldn't like that," I whispered.

"I wouldn't either, but you'd be safer. Not that I could ever hurt you," he added. "It's just crazy that you can just accept me, us, even though we aren't even human, not completely."

"You're a good person. A great one. What does it matter if you can turn into a wolf? I always thought it'd be fun to turn into an eagle or something," I said lightly. He laughed loudly, and pulled me to his chest.

"A bird? Really? Out of all of the animals out there, you'd want to be a bird?" He was thoroughly amused.

"Not just a bird," I corrected. "An eagle. They're really big, powerful birds. Yet still graceful and beautiful."

"Don't most girls want to be dolphins or unicorns?"

"Unicorns? Only when we're seven," I laughed. "But why swim when you could fly? Flying is much better than swimming."

"I guess," he laughed.

"But a wolf is cool too, I guess," I teased.

"You guess?" he asked with mock shock.

"Yeah, I mean, if you can't be an eagle a wolf will do. You get to be big and tough, and furry. I bet you're a cute wolf."

"Cute? Cute? You think I'd be a cute wolf?" He asked exasperated.

"A cute, furry wolf," I corrected.

"Sophia, you're wounding my ego,"

I laughed and kissed his nose. "Oh? And how do I fix your poor damaged ego?"

"Tell me I'm a mean, scary, ferocious wolf," he said. I laughed, I could tell he was trying hard not to also.

"You, Jacob Black, are one mean, scary, ferocious wolf," I said in a low voice.

Jake puffed out his chest, "Much better." I started laughing and he did too.

When I caught my breath, I looked out over the water, and noticed the sun was getting lower. I sighed. I really didn't want to go home.

"I guess you should be getting home then," Jake sighed.

"Yeah," I said sadly. "I promised Mom, I'd leave before it got dark."

"I wish you didn't have to go," he said.

"Me too," I responded, "and you're not helping."

Eventually, we got back to the fire. I said bye to everyone and spotted Charlie next to a guy in a wheel chair. I had forgotten all about him. I smiled and waved bye. He waved back, and Jake and I left.

We drove back to the station, slowly, neither one of us wanted ti say goodbye. When we pulled into the lot I frowned. Jake got out and opened my door for me.

"I'll miss you," I said, once I got out of the truck.

"I'll see you soon," he promised. He lead me to my car and pulled me into a hug. It felt so right and safe. I never wanted to let go. Jake put a finger under my chin, guiding it up to look at him, "I'll see you soon." I nodded, then reached up to kiss him goodbye.

My arms found their way around his neck and Jake's tightened around my waist. I didn't think it could get better than it had earlier, but I was wrong. The way his lips felt against mine, it was so right, so perfect, meant to be.

"Hey!" Someone shouted, causing us to break apart. "You keep that up, I'll have to arrest you for public indecency."

I turned and saw Charlie getting out of his cruiser. He didn't look too happy.

"I should go," I whispered.

"Yeah," Jake agreed. "Call me when you get home."

I nodded. "Bye Charlie," I called and waved.

"Night Sophia, drive safe," he called back.

I pulled out of the lot, and saw Charlie talking, with a raised and pointed finger, to Jake. I smiled to myself and drove home.

Thanks for reading! Also, should Bella have a power? If so, what should it be?Review!!