Disclaimer: See chapter one.
A/N: Thanks everyone who reviewed. It made me really happy to know you like what you read. Well, demands must be met. I know there is at least interest in filling this under-served category of shippers. Hopefully I don't disappoint.
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When I got home that night and shut the front door behind me, I rested against it for a moment, trying to collect my thoughts. "Hey, Bells," Charlie called from the living room. No such luck, I thought. "How'd the doctor's go?" He asked. Not exactly concern, but polite small talk.
"Fine, Dad," I answered. I dropped my bag on the kitchen table before rummaging through the fridge, trying to find something to make for dinner. I wasn't ready to go into the living room. I couldn't fake it enough for Charlie right now. Not just yet.
"Uh, Bells, I didn't know what time you'd be back, so..." He paused. "I ordered pizza." I groaned aloud and I was almost certain I her Charlie fidget in the other room.
"Dammit, Dad. You know what the doctor said. You have for to watch your cholesterol! You practically have grease running through your veins instead of blood," I admonished. He appeared in the doorway, looking like a kicked kitten. "Oh no you don't. Don't you make me feel guilty. I'm trying to keep you alive, old man."
Charlie grinned, knowing he'd broken me down. "It's just one night, Bells. I'm not going to croak on you yet," He promised.
"Wouldn't bring you to the hospital if you did," I grumbled. "Where is it?" I asked. "I'm hungry."
"Left the rest in the oven for you," He said. "Game's on in a half hour, so if you need me after that... Well, try not to need me, k?"
I could hear my phone vibrating from the depths of my bag, and I chose to ignore it, leaving the bag where it was. Instead I took the box upstairs to my room, where I could safely wallow in my shame with Charlie properly distracted by the game.
Edward would ask me about that night later, and I would make some lame excuse for not wanting to talk or see him. In truth, I spent the whole night alternating between crying, eating, and trying to figure out what I was going to do. If Alice had seen this, I would have known by now. Carlisle and I had gotten away with our betrayal. But what now?
The next day I went to the Cullen's house as usual, and it seemed rather anticlimactic to me after all my panicking the night before. Esme was away with Rosalie, some girly bonding activity that I was sure involved excruciating amounts of shopping and makeup and that stuff. Carlisle was fortunately working a late shift in the ER.
Jasper however, was home. And that presented a problem with me. The moment his eyes met mine, I knew that he most certainly felt my hurricane of emotions. He kept quite, but his face showed intrigue, and I was grateful when Edward shut the door to his bedroom behind him, effectively shutting out the world.
"Penny for your thoughts, love?" He asked me as I lay in his arms, blanket wrapped around him. It was a thing for Edward, he was always curious about my thoughts. Usually it was a silly sweet thing between us, but today it annoyed me a little. I guess it was because for the first time in almost three years, I had to lie.
"Just school stress. And Jacob stress. All sorts of stress, really," I said, with a grimace. They say the best lies hold the most truth. If that was the case, my lie was magnificent because not a big of that was untrue. School was crazy, with still trying to recover from all that I'd missed. Jacob was always mad at me lately. On the surface it was stupid nothing-fights, but what it really boiled down to was the fact that I'd forgiven Edward.
"You could have at least made him sweat, Bells," Jake shouted. "But no, the bloodsucker strolls back into your life like nothing happened and you just go along with it!"
"It's not your problem, Jacob," I hissed, furiously.
"Oh, the hell it isn't. Like I wasn't the asshole that picked up the pieces for you? Or did you forget that you were a damn zombie for months after? Christ, Bell, you could barely breath without him holding your hand. Then you were getting better. You were finally getting better, and you're just gonna take him back and let him do this to you some more!" He shouted, his face turning a rather unhealthy shade of dark red.
"He won't hurt me again, Jacob. You should have seen... You don't understand. He was broken hearted!" I begged my friend to see my side.
"Like he even has one!" Jake seethed, breathing heavily, before he slammed his hand across the table, sending all of the things on it, books, ashtray, napkins, flying into the wall of his tiny kitchen. I jumped. "Oh come of it, Bell. You're perfectly damn fine."
I knelt, trying to gather the things, when he stopped me. "Just leave it. This place is a damn dump anyhow."
"None of this is helping," I said.
"I know. Nothing will while you're with that leech."
Jake and I constantly went back and forth. Sometimes there would be fights like that. Sometimes he would plead, and that was worse. Sometimes he would apologize. But then we would just fight again. I was losing my only friend. And somewhere in the back of my mind, something was trying to get my attention, but I wasn't quite sure what it was.
Edward pressed a kiss to the top of my head, and shifted gently so he could look at me. "Would you like any music?" He asked. "It's quiet."
I smiled at him, a small smile. "No. I like sitting in the quiet with you. It's peaceful," I told him, not entirely honest. We sat there like that, and shortly the peace I told him I'd felt actually did settle over us. For the time I had no worries, and things were normal. Thing were right. I don't know how long passed before I stretched and yawned, and the sudden intake of air made me cough, hard. Edwards rubbed small circles on my back until I calmed.
"Are you okay?" He asked, concern pooling in his golden eyes.
"Fine," I said. "I just need some water." I started to get up, and he stopped me. He was barely gone from the room for a second, before he came back with a glass of ice water.
I took a sip and smiled at him, after. "That was awfully fast. Keep it up and I might think there's something strange about you," I joked.
That crooked smile of his that I fell in love with stretched across his face and he chuckled. "I guess now would be a bad time to tell you about my lack of pulse then, huh?" I smacked his shoulder, and we laughed together harder.
"I need to go to the bathroom," I said, setting the glass down on his bedside table. He nodded, his eyes closed in a deceptively human habit.
I closed the door gently behind me and was headed for the bathroom when halfway between it and me, Carlisle appeared at the top of the staircase. Our eyes met, and I was frozen, but he flashed me his brilliant smile like normal, and said, "Hello, Isabella," before disappearing into his office.
I breathed in deeply before shutting myself in the bathroom. I gathered myself, trying not to make any sound, should I alert the sensitive ears in the house. I splashed water on face, before checking my watch. I needed to be home soon, or Charlie would use it as an excuse to order takeout again. Nuh-uh. Not happening.
When I met Edward back in the room, I told him that I needed to be going. Quick as a flash, he had my things gathered together, and insisted on carrying my school bag out to the truck for me.
"Nice seeing ya, Bells," Jasper drawled from his perch on the living chair, exactly where we'd left him hours earlier. When I was here, the lack of human habits seemed normal to me. After so long, they never felt the need to act in front of me anymore. No one here bothered breathing. No one coughed, or got the hiccups. No one ever had to brush a stray hair from there face. No one sneezed, no one had to pee. No one blinked. There was never a spot to scratch, no one ever shifted their weight from one foot to the other, or had to move to get comfortable. None of this seemed odd until I went home at night, and the difference still shocked me.
Edward held the door to my truck open for me, and I slid into the driver's seat before he shut it gently behind. He leaned against the open window for a moment. "I love you," He said, simply.
"I love you, too," I whispered, and he leaned in for a kiss, chaste. They always were lately. This time it didn't bother me. It didn't register as the reason, but for now I was satisfied. Sated. Thanks to a certain blond doctor.
When I pulled into the driveway at my father's house, I noticed Billy Black's truck, and smiled. I still did, even thought the good nights with Jake were fewer and fewer these days. I still always held out hope that I could just spend time with my good friend with no fighting and no crying. I might have been kidding myself, but if I was, so be it. Better a fool than jaded.
As soon as I opened the door, I was assaulted with the sound of some sort of sports coming from the living room, and the smell of something suspicious. "I am going to walk into that living room in exactly three seconds, and I know there won't be fast food in there," I said threatening.
Jake poked his head around the corner, and grinned, picking me up and swinging me around like a rag doll in a big hug. I squealed, and he set me down, ruffling up my hair. I ducked out from under him, glaring. "Chill out, Bells. Sue Clearwater sent over lasagna. Not a chicken wing in sight, I swear to you," He said. He made a crossing motion over his heart.
I sank down into one of the chairs at the kitchen, dropping my bag down beside me, and Jake sat in the chair opposite mine. We were both quiet for a moment.
"Bells, I'm really sorry about last time at my house," he blurted. "I can't believe I acted that way, and I didn't mean to scare you. I would never hurt you, you don't ever have to worry about that." The remorse in his eyes was overwhelming, and I sighed.
"It's fine, Jake. I'm over it," I said.
"Is everything okay?" He asked. "You seem like... I don't know," he finished, lamely.
"I'm just tired," I said, feeling like I was saying that a lot lately.
"If that bloodsucker has done something, I swear," Jake started up.
"Would you stop calling him that?" I hissed. "Jesus. No, he hasn't done anything? What did I tell you, Jake? He is not going to. The faster you get that into your head, the faster we can stop fighting you know!" He looked stunned, and I felt a pang of guilt. "Jeeze, Jake, I didn't mean..."
His eyes hardened a little bit. "Yeah, you did. And you're not wrong. Okay. Just promise to tell me if everything's not okay?" He asked. "I uh... I'll try to let up a little bit. The only promise I'm making is to try, though."
"It's better than nothing, I suppose," I said, looking away innocently. He chucked a crumpled up napkin at me and I laughed. "I missed you, Jake-y pie," I said sweetly.
"Aw, hell, Bella. Don't. Anything but cutesie names," He begged me, horrified.
My eyes took on a wicked gleam. "Sugar pumpkin, you wound me!" I cried, clutching my heart.
"Hell no, Bells. Cut it out," he warned.
I dropped to my knees, and hobbled over to him, big eyes pleading. "Jakesie? My puddy popsickle? My ickle fickle Jakesiekins?" I pleaded. I launched myself at him, and we hit the floor of the kitchen with a crash, the both of us laughing so hard tears streamed down our faces.
Jake got serious first, turning to look at me. "I'm sorry I've been such an ass. I just... You know. But I've missed you," he said.
"I've missed you too, Jake." We lay like that on the floor of the kitchen for a while, before Charlie and Billy entered. The stopped for a moment, staring at us oddly, before Charlie just stepped right over us and grabbed two beers, as though we weren't even there. They then left the kitchen without saying a word. This of course was the funniest thing in the world, so Jake and I laughed again. It took a while before the fits of giggles subsided, but when they finally did, I felt a peace so much more complete than the one I'd found in Edward's room earlier.
Even if it was strained. Even if it wasn't lasting. I had my best friend.
All right. Maybe it's a bit of filler, but this is my way of saying that it's going to be a full fledged story. What do you think of this small insight to the way Bella related to the other characters so far? And remember what they say about reviews. They're like naked, willing Cullen boys. Everyone wants one.