Walking into Charlie's house wasn't anything new. Even though it had been at least a few weeks since being back home, I felt comfortable, but not comfortable enough to call it my house. It was, and will always be Charlie's house. Charlie was gone on a cruise to Cancun, courtesy of the police department. They can afford a cruise for their police chief, but can't fix the guardrails? I'll never understand this place.

The fridge was empty. Not that I was hungry for anything he would have, although I felt my face deepen with every second that went by. Poor Charlie. Well, it had been almost a week. He probably didn't want anything to spoil. Sue wouldn't let him go hungry.

Dear Charlie,

I used my key and got in. A little trouble on the home front. Nothing to worry about. Just a little marital strife. By the time you read this, it'll all be better. No worries. I didn't want you coming home and seeing some things moved a hair or two. No, no one broke in; it's just your daughter. I'll leave everything exactly as I found it and I won't go in your sock drawer.

Love,

Bella

It's amazing what's on television at five in the morning. More dating hotlines than you'll ever want to see. Struggling actors thinking this will be their big break. Poor things. I came here to do thinking. I have to think. I am wasting precious time. It's not like I am going to keel over and die anytime soon, but I didn't want him sitting on pins and needles for too long. Of course I didn't know how long Emmett could hold out. Alice obviously knew where I was, but I hoped she had enough respect to give me space.

I heard someone walking up the concrete walk outside. How great would it be if someone decided to break in now? When I was here? Of course. I didn't want to go up, rip open the door, and ask 'what do you want?' I could be the shotgun-wielding grandma. Give me a spit can and a rocking chair and I'm there. Tap. Tap. Tap. Not a burglar. Unless they have a new etiquette I haven't heard about? Knocking before breaking and entering? That's a new one.

Knock. Knock. Ooh, getting manlier?

"Charlie?" Wait, I know that voice. It's distant, but I know it. I didn't want to confront whoever it was and tell them why I was staying here when I had a perfectly good, exponentially large home in the hills. I didn't feel like having my dirty laundry aired out around Forks.

"Charlie!" The voice hissed.

My curiosity got the better of me. Guess vampires can't resist either? I yanked the door open, expecting to find the town hobo or a salesman.

The person was in mid knock. "Oh, Bella?"

Jacob.

That's the voice I recognized. My married conscience told me to shut the stink out, but Bella told me to let him in out of the cold.

"No, I don't have to come in, I just wanted to see Charlie." He wrung his large hands together and looked at the ground.

Let him go home. Let him go, Bella. "No, don't worry, come on in." I put my hand on his steaming back and led him into the front room.

"Where's Charlie?" His big brown eyes were as appetizing as ever. The smell didn't even affect me. What smell? A squirrel scampering in the treetops, deer walking through the woods, not a werewolf.

"He's in Cancun on a cruise." I couldn't bring myself to leave his gaze. Even though he couldn't face me I felt like his eyes were watching my every move.

He hadn't gotten any bigger. Or maybe I didn't remember him well enough to recall his size? I won't forget now. I subconsciously engrained the image of his frame and face in my mind and filed it away, never to be forgotten. "Oh, yeah, I forgot, I've been in the woods a while. Well, I'll go then." He hesitated, but I jumped between him and the door.

"No. Stay. I'm sure you have questions." I chuckled, trying to lighten the tense mood. This was the one time I needed Jasper.

"About what?" His eyes finally met mine and I regretted it. My vague memory of the chocolate colored windows to his soul was better than seeing the real thing. They were captivating.

"Anything. Everything. I know I have questions. I haven't seen you in—"

"Forever." He finished. His deep voice was such a drastic change from the shrill ringing voices I was used to.

The situation turned awkwardly tense again. "Yeah. So, sit down a while." I led him to the couch, in front of the still running T.V.

He followed, but hesitantly, he wanted to, but he didn't want to. "It's okay," I assured. "I came here to get away from Edward."

His eyes became daring spears. I liked them. I was used to the soft, gracious, perfection. I wanted a little spice. "You did?"

"Yeah. Why did you come here?"

"To talk to Charlie."

I missed the little mess-ups. More than anyone could ever know. The little things humans did when they didn't know your every move, your every emotion. I laughed. "I haven't laughed in a while."

Jake settled in closer to me. I didn't pull away. "No pun intended, but you look dead. What's wrong?"

I laughed more. He was funny. If it were possible for me to wrinkle I bet I would have looked ancient to him. Finally I composed myself. I didn't want to, I wanted to laugh the night away, but he asked me a question and I had to answer. "Thanks. I…uh…I've had a lot going on."

"You alright?" Genuine concern flooded his russet features.

Such a simple question with so many variations. Yes, physically I am fine. Mentally, I'm all here. Emotionally, I don't know. "Right as rain." I lied.

"No you're not. If you were, if everything was fine, you would be with the leech. Sorry." He crouched, expecting me to reflexively react harshly to my husband's name calling.

"No, it's okay. I'm over that." I smiled and laid my head back on the couch.

Jacob looked perplexed. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion and he rubbed his lips together. "It's okay? It's never been okay. Now I know something's really wrong. What is it? Why are you here, escaping Edward? Yeah, I knew he was overbearing and all, but I never thought you'd run. You should have called, my place is empty too."

His place seemed like more than a comfortable getaway. A vacation. Being with Jacob was a vacation. I loved it. I wanted it. I needed it. "Yeah, I guess, but we're here now and that's all that matters, right?" I took my eyes and ran over his features again. It would never get old.

After hearing my settling comment Jacob settled in snugly next to me and put his fiery arm over my shoulders. It burned, but I didn't care. I was in a fiery pit I couldn't get out of; his measly arm wouldn't affect me. The sun slowly came up as we silently watched T.V., intertwined in each other's web.

Occasionally we would laugh, or make a comment, but each other's company was enough. More than enough.

The first words were spoken in a long while. "It's never been like this, Bella."

His out of the blue comment rattled me some. I was in a daze and I didn't expect a questioning statement. "And…?"

"And nothing. I like it. You know, you still haven't told me what Edward did."

"Do I need to?" I asked, nuzzling farther into his embrace.

Jacob tightened his grip on me and I took that as a no.

I had a sudden urge to look at his face and smile. He made me happy. I hadn't genuinely smiled and laughed in so long, I wanted to do it again and never stop.

After a while he finally looked at my stone-faced smile. "What?" He laughed a bellowing laugh that resonated throughout the whole house.

"Nothing. I'm happy." I chimed in.

"Well I am happy to be of service to ya." His white teeth gleamed in contrast with his skin.

Normally I would have laughed and snuggled closer, but my eyes remained fixated on his face, smiling. My blinking became far and few in between. It was such a drastic variation from when I was first changed to now. In the beginning all we cold talk about was how much we smelled to the other. Now, that wasn't even mentioned. I don't know what my human eyes saw of him, but there was no way it looked as it did now. The signal of day crept into view ever so slowly, but we stayed, watching.

"Thank you." I finally said, after blinking, and realizing my surroundings.

"I miss you." He breathlessly said, and pulled me tighter.

My eyes became wide and I knew what was inevitably coming. I could pull away. I should pull away. I should run back to my husband, screaming to him. Begging to him. Loving him. Instead I was here, in my father's house, getting away from him.

The sheen on his forehead shimmered in the incandescent light and the light of the T.V. glimmered different colors off of the planes of his face. The smell intoxicated me. His breath sent shivers up my spine. The slight wetness to it made me come closer, to close the less than eighth of an inch gap between us.

The heat, the pulsating blood under the finite skin of his lips was more than I could handle. I could have easily overpowered him and pushed him off of me, never to be spoken of again, but I let it happen. His lips gave way, they weren't hard as stone. It was sickly sweet. My breathing accelerated as his eyes closed and we gave in to temptation.

After an immeasurable amount of time we gracefully, gradually, reluctantly came apart. His hands were still around my waist and my knees were still curled close to his chest. A kiss. A simple kiss, but so much more.

His eyes widened, possibly realizing what had happened. "I have to go. Now."

My eyes took a little longer to register. I was trying to clear the haze in my mind. "Go. Please."

He stormed out of the doorway and I heard a ripping noise followed by grass parting ways. I sat down on the first step at the foot of the stairs.

The same step I stormed over when I hated Jacob Black.

The same step I walked down to go to prom with Edward.