Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I not that lucky.

AN: :Comes out of hiding: Please don't hurt me! I had this written out Saturday but I was hella busy on Sunday and I've had a migraine that chooses to creep back just when I think it's gone for good since Monday, making it impossible to get anything done. So here it is, six days after I finished it. Sorry for the delay you guys.

AN2: I want to point out before someone sends me hatemail, I do not hate Emily; but for this chapter and this chapter alone she is the bad guy. Every story needs a little drama and I felt bad for leaving her out. As usual, let me know what you think...even if it is hatemail.

One very long year had passed and the counselors of Camp Black Hawk last day passed without muck fanfare. There was a dinner and bonfire that night but other than that there wasn't much to do. Each couple had their own methods of curing boredom. Emmett and Rosalie were having a picnic on the soccer field while Quil and Claire hiked up to the hot springs for a little skinny dipping. Jacob had talked Harry into letting him borrow the camp truck so that he could take Bella out on a date. His car was on its last legs after making it through the winter.

Angela, Riley, Beth, Seth and Bree had been roped into helping with dinner, since there were close to fifty extra people coming to dinner tonight. Riley had been reluctant to come back this summer since Victoria would be close to the end of her pregnancy and he hadn't wanted to leave her alone. She had threatened to divorce him if he didn't go so he left his wife of eight months in the care of her mom. He knew his daily calls to check up on her were a bit much but he worried about her none the less.

Angela and Edward had broken up halfway through their freshman year of college. They coudn't handle the distance and it would only be worse now that Edward would be studying abroad at Oxford for his sophomore year. Everyone had thought that they would have made another go of it if Edward weren't going to London. Alice and Jasper hadn't come back that summer but Bella and Alice talked frequently , the two had become almost like sisters despite the distance between them. Alice and Jasper had gotten engaged over Christmas and were planning to get married after college.

Quil had decided to put off going to college for a year so that he and Claire could go together. The two of them were so affectionate that it was nauseating at times. Jacob had nearly puked himself a few times but he was patient with them. Embry had come down for the weekend twice since he hadn't been able to come back as a counselor. His mom had found that she had lung cancer that spring and Embry's time was devoted to taking care of her and seeing that she was comfortable as possible.

Beth and Embry had talked as much as possible throughout the year but he felt that she was too young to handle a serious relationship and that she should focus on her daughter and finishing school. In three years she would be wiser and more mature and maybe he would be mature enough to start a relationship with someone who had a child in preschool. Seth and Bree had rekindled their relationship and were going to try to make it work. Both of them felt that they could handle the distance better now and Bella hoped that things worked out for them.

Bella had tried to go home at least one weekend a month and Jacob came up to Seattle when he was able to find time. He was working part time at the camp this year, he had spent the first half of the season with his friends before leaving in the second week of July. He finally had enough money saved for a studio apartment not far from campus so that Bella could commute to school everyday. He'd found a job at a bike shop where he could take an apprenticeship after he had been working their a year.

Sam had been patient while Leah finished her final year of college. She had spent the last six months in a whirlwind of writing her thesis and planning their wedding with her mom. Sam had only complained a handful of times when he had to go in her place to finalize things.

Bella and Claire's cabin was devoid of noise other than the sounds of her bed groaning whenever Jacob moved. He had her pinned beneath him, the wooden slats beneath the thin mattress were digging into her back but she didn't care. Her fingers were threaded into his hair as he sucked/nibbled at her neck. He knew that she didn't like it when he branded her but she would never stop him because it felt like heaven on earth.

He brushed his lips just above her collar bone one last time before pulling away. He inspected his marksmanship with pride. He had shown restraint, it was only the size of the tip of his thumb. Compared to the quarter size one that he had given her his last night at camp, this was nothing.

"How bad is it? Am I going to need cover up tomorrow?"

"It'll more than likely be gone by tomorrow."

The screen door was pulled open and it slammed a second later behind Leah, who had a hand over her eyes.

"Are you two decent?"

"Yes," Jacob said with a laugh.

"You're not sporting a tent, are you?"

"No Leah, whatever boner I had deflated when you came in," he said with disdain.

"I'm glad to know that my job is never done. I need Bella to come with me. She has a dress fitting."

"Fine," he grumbled.

Bella pushed at Jacob's arms gently until he finally rolled off of her with a scowl. She kissed his cheek lightly before climbing down the ladder. She and Leah walked up to her parents cabin silently, waving to Seth and Bree who were walking down the stairs hand in hand as they walked up.

The cabin's front room had been turned into wedding central. Leah's grandmother, aunt and cousin sat at the table making favors for the guest to take home. Leah had her reservations about letting Emily be a part of the wedding. Sam and Emily had hooked up a few years ago while he and Leah were on a break after a night of binge drinking on Sam's part. Sam had been honest about the situation and Leah had forgiven him, but Emily harbored feelings for Sam, even if she wouldn't admit it.

Leah had caved when her mom had pleaded with her to put Emily in the wedding. She had given her the job of usher 'and she had better not screw it up,' Leah thought to herself. She didn't blame Sam for a moment of drunken weakness, especially after he explained that Emily had bought every drink he had consumed that night. She had gotten him drunk on purpose.

Emily's eyes were trained on the table as Leah and Bella passed the trio to go into her bedroom. Bella's dress hung on the back of the door and she changed while Leah went to get Sue. The dress that Leah had chosen for her was simple and it was light enough that she wouldn't sweat off her makeup, even if it was black. The dress was a one shoulder shift dress that fell just above her knees. Rosalie had a pair of black spike heeled ankle boots that she was letting her borrow that would look great with the dress.

Sue thought that it should be shortened a couple of inches to show off Bella's legs and promised that she could have it done by tomorrow. Leah and Bella went down to the beach where the wedding would take place. Sam and Leah would be married on the dock which was at the moment being line with tea light candles for the rehearsal that would happen later. Seth and Sam were hanging lights in the pavilion where the reception would take place.

"Are you nervous?" Bella asked to break the silence.

"I'm more nervous about Emily trying to stop the wedding than I am anything."

"Hasn't she apologized for what happened?"

"Our mom's made us hug it out but I haven't been able to trust her since."

"I guess I can understand that."

The two of them set up the chairs for the wedding mostly in silence. Bella had a dilemma of her own. The shoes that Rosalie had lent to her were not made for wearing in sand. The heels would sink into the sand rendering her immobile. Rosalie was the only person who was her shoe size and according to Leah, going barefoot was not an option. She would give anything to wear a pair of flats but Rosalie didn't even own a pair of sandals without a wedge heel. What she wouldn't give to have Alice there with her sensible yet pretty ballet flats.

XXXX

After the wedding run through and rehearsal dinner Bella, Leah, Claire, Bree and Beth headed back to Bella and Claire's cabin.

"It's like last year all over again," Claire said with a sentimental smile.

Everyone agreed as they readied for bed that it was really like nothing had changed.

"Now lets see who comes up first, Jake or Quil since Sam isn't allowed," Bree teased Bella and Claire.

"Don't even play innocent. I shared a cabin with you this year. 'Bree, Babe? You awake?'" Beth said in her best Seth voice.

"What about you texting Embry at four in the morning?"

The other girls laughed and teased them, making Bree blush. Even if Embry had chosen not to date Beth they had become friends with the potential to become more when the time was right. Beth couldn't wait to see him tomorrow, she had missed seeing him everyday.

XXXX

At some point in the night Sam, Quil and Jacob had made it to the cabin. Leah and Sam had talked for almost an hour before Sue had found him on the porch and Leah inside out of eyesight but within hearing distance. Quil had been sent packing when Sue had sent Harry to make sure that Sam hadn't come back. Jacob had shown up just before dawn and had been able to talk Bella into an early morning swim.

They were drying on the dock when the sun finally crested over the mountains to shine on the lake. They lay side by side holding hands taking in the sounds of nature. The water had been way too cold to stay in for long so they had spent the better part of an hour talking about their future together.

Bella couldn't believe that they had made it. There had been a couple of times when she had been scared that things would end but that was when Jacob would appear at her door or call her for no reason at all, like he knew just how much she needed him right then without her having to say anything.

Jacob turned on his side to watch her and she looked at him out of the corner of her eye.

"What?"

"What would you say if I asked you to marry me?"

"You're not are you?" she asked, scared.

"No, we're too young," he said with a light laugh.

"Someday I will marry you. Just let me finish school first."

"What about kids?"

"That's going to be after we get married, not before. So you're bagging it until we get married buddy."

"I hate that Paul told you what that meant," he said with a sigh.

"Who says I didn't figure it out on my own?" she countered.

"I wouldn't put it past you," he said with a lazy smile.

"So you want to marry me and have kids with me, huh?" she asked with a small smile.

"Sure do."

"Most teenagers don't talk about this kind of stuff, ya know?"

"We're not like most teenagers," he reasoned.

He had a point. Most teenagers weren't dating their best friends who they had known since they were three years old. Most guys might uproot everything to be with their girlfriends but they tended to be older than seventeen. The two of them didn't have the carefree spirit that most people their age had.

Jacob leaned over her to brush his lips before resting his weight on his arms.

"Feel like getting in the water one more time before heading back?"

"Just a quick swim. It's almost time for everyone to get up."

He stood then helped her up and they took off at a run down the pier and leaping off the end into the frigid water. Bella came up first, laughing as she pushed her hair out of her face. She felt Jacob's arms around her waist before she saw him. He came up for air, puling her to him. She wrapped her legs around his waist and draped her arms over his shoulders, playing with the hair at the nape of his neck.

She kissed him, applying very little pressure, just enough for him to want more. The air horn sounded before either of them could go any farther. Bella felt Jacob's shoulders sag beneath her arms and she pulled away, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"That will be the last time for the next ten months," she said sympathetically.

"I'll be in the middle of working towards my apprenticeship then, I won't be coming back but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't."

She hadn't thought about that. Could she come back without him? It wasn't something that needed to be decided right then. Most counselors gave their answer at the end of the season but some of them took a few months to think it over, as long as they had decided by the end of the Sue and Harry didn't pressure them.

They were spotted walking up the stairs by Emmett and Paul, who had become best friends since being cabin mates that year.

"How did you manage to slip past Sue and Harry when Sam and Quil got busted?" Paul asked.

"Because I'm a ninja," Jacob said seriously, making Bella chortle.

"I'll see y'all later. If I'm not up at the mess hall in five minutes I'll never hear the end of it," Bella said before squeezing Jacob's hand and walking away.

Leah and Claire when Bella got to the mess hall with two minutes to spare. They both made tsking noises, shaking their heads in reprimand. Bella pointed at them, giving them each a stern look. Sue was bringing in breakfast and Bella headed to the kitchen to grab a bowl of scrambled eggs. A plate with a few pieces of fruit and a triangle slice of toast sat on the counter untouched. Leave it to Sue to banish her own daughter to the kitchen on her wedding day just so Sam wouldn't see her.

Laughter from the front room filtered back to the kitchen where Leah pushed her food around on her plate. It felt like she had a hundred butterflies fluttering around in her stomach, making it impossible to eat. Her phone buzzed and she reached for it, seeing Sam's face. She smiled before swiping her finger across the screen.

Three more hours

That long? she texted back.

I love you

I love you too

In four hours she would be a married woman. The next four hours would be her last to see her mom in a while since she and Sam were leaving for Niagra Falls in the morning for a week before she started her job as tour guide for Yosemite State Park. She was going to miss her parents and Seth but she wouldn't dwell on it because she would be starting a new chapter of her life with Sam.

As if she knew that her daughter was thinking of her Sue stepped into the kitchen holding a black velvet box. She sat it in front of Leah and Leah bore a hole through the box. She'd bet her last five dollars that her grandmothers pearl necklace was nestled inside, taking care of her something old.

She looked up, her eyes meeting her moms to see tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Leah rolled her eyes before handing her mom a napkin.

"Didn't you cry enough last night?" Leah asked.

"It is a mothers right to cry on her child's wedding day. Plus, I'm sad to see you go."

"I know," Leah said, a knot forming in her throat.

"I knew you're heart wasn't made of stone," Sue teased, pulling Leah to her.

Bella came in to find Leah wrapped in her mothers arms, Sue smoothing Leah's hair soothingly as Leah cried silently.

"Is it time to get ready already?" Sue asked over Leah's shoulder.

"Yes Ma'am. Angela, Rosalie and Beth are almost done clearing the tables. They want to know if they can come in."

"Girls, you can come in. You're coming with us," Sue said, holding out a hand for Bella to take.

The three of them were up at the Clearwater cabin when Sue realized that Bella's shoes for the wedding wouldn't do.

"Rosalie doesn't have any other shoes that I can borrow," Bella said regretfully.

"I have a solution," Sue said, opening her and Harry's door and Alice stepped out holding a sensible pair of black sandals.

"What are you doing here?" Bella asked, hugging her tightly.

"I've been planning on coming all summer. I just had to wait for Jasper's schedule to clear up. His dad has been working him into the ground on their ranch."

"Thank you," Bella said appreciatively.

Alice left so that they could get ready and soon Emily came in to do Bella's hair while Sue did Leah's. Bella was silent but would often catch Emily looking forlornly at her cousin. Was it because she was remorseful for what she had done or because she wished that she was in Leah's place? Bella was not about to open that can of worms.

XXXX

Bella stood just inside the forest fixing Leah's dress minutes before the wedding was supposed to start. Low chatter from the beach drifted back to them but Leah tuned it out. She fiddled with the pale blue bow that was fixed to her bouquet nervously. Her ivory lace summer dress ended at her ankles and her silver sandal clad feet poked out.

Harry came through the clearing to let them know that it was time and Leah stood behind Bella. Bella waited another minute for the noise on the beach to die down before stepping out of the tree line. One hundred pair of eyes were focused on her but she didn't let it bother her, she found Jacob sitting with his and her dad's near the front and she smiled shyly at him as she passed them to stand across from Paul.

Harry and Leah stepped onto the beach and everyone stood to see them walk down aisle. Leah's eyes were focused Sam and Bella knew if she turned to look at him his eyes would be watching Leah's every move. Harry announced that he and Sue were giving Leah away in marriage when asked before handing his only daughter over to the man he had seen as a son for nearly fifteen years.

Leah handed Bella her flowers when it was time to recite their vows and place their rings on each other's fingers. It seems like only seconds later that the minister told Sam that he could kiss his bride and they were announced as husband and wife. Sam guided Leah back up the aisle first with Paul walking Bella a few seconds later.

Angela spent half an hour taking pictures of Leah and Sam's family and the small wedding party which consisted of Bella, Paul, Claire's younger brother Cole and Sam's niece Breanna as ring bearer and flower girl. Sue had hired a catering company for the reception so that she could spend her last few hours with Leah and not serving everyone else. Dinner was served in the mess hall before the party moved to the pavilion which was lit with candles and twinkly lights.

Jacob found Bella almost immediately as she arrived with her dad. He pulled her off, holding her hand tightly so that they wouldn't get separated. Once he was sure that he had led her far enough away that they wouldn't be in anyone's way he turned to face her, taking hold of her other hand.

"Hi," he said with an easy smile.

"Hi," she said quietly.

"You look beautiful."

She looked up at him from underneath her lashes, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. She had never liked wearing dresses and for him to say that she looked beautiful had taken her by surprise.

"I mean it, you're beautiful Bells. I don't tell you that enough," he said honestly.

She released her grip on his hands, wrapping her arms around his neck before leaning up to meet his lips. He sighed, his hands coming to rest on her hips. The world seemed to fall away for the few minutes that they had alone together until Sue found them. She wanted a picture of all the counselors together since this would be the last summer for most of them.

Bella stood in between Riley and Alice and she wrapped an arm around Bella's waist. Bella looked over at Riley who had an arm around Victoria's waist and she was folded into him.

"Bella, drape an arm over Riley's shoulder," Sue directed.

She smiled feebly at him when he looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Come on, I've got another arm," he said, holding out his arm to invite her in.

She draped an arm over his shoulders, careful to not hit Victoria upside the head.

"Smile everyone," Sue said before taking the picture.

She took a few more, rearranging the grouping between each picture. In the final picture Bella stood in front of Jacob who had his arms around her waist. Quil and Sam stood on either side of him with Claire in front of Quil and Leah standing on Sam's other side, beaming up at him while he looked down at her proudly.

Another summer was coming to an end and this would be the last time most of them would see each other for a good long while. Their lives were changing and they were getting older. Throughout all of life's changes they could count on one another to only be a phone call away. Futures were sealed and were looking bright. All they had to do was claim what was rightfully theirs.

I'm a little sad that this is over. I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thanks for all of the feedback that you all have sent in and for sticking with this story. I appreciate each and every one of you.