Damage Control

Bella's POV

Work the next day was an awkward affair. The only time Laura talked to me the entire day was when she gave out the new work hours. She had hired a few new people and therefore everyone had assigned hours instead of having to work entire days or half days. Everyone's shift was a good five to six hours but it was better than the 8:00-10:00 fourteen hour shift.

The few new people she hired were students that went to the new community college. Well, "new" I suppose is an exaggeration. The construction for the college started before I'd left, but it had been finished about a year after I'd fled, making it new to me. Ben, Sarah, Jeff, Brittany, Monica, Brianna and Cindy were now apart of our staff. I was grateful that I now got a full weekend off, but it hurt me somewhat not being able to talk to Laura. She was not angry with me as far as I could tell. She just needed her space. She'll talk to me soon enough. I told myself.

For the entire day I immersed myself in my work. I did my best to concentrate on where books were supposed to be, re-shelving items, and helping customers. I didn't want to think about the conversation I was to be having with Charlie once I got off of work. I was ordering a full case of the book Hush, Hush when Jacob called me. He had dropped me off at work but we had agreed last night that he shouldn't come inside the store until Laura had cooled down and I could talk to her. I made sure someone was there to replace me and left.

Jacob was outside leaning against the Rabbit. He had on dark jeans and an Oasis shirt on. His hair was growing out again, though it was still pretty short. He was looking away, but I could see he was wearing a pair of black Aviator sunglasses, most likely because of the unusually nice weather. I stood and admired him for minute; it only seemed fair, as I never really got the chance to before. I had given him a quick once over when we bumped into each other in the parking lot and again once I had confessed to him my whereabouts for the past four years, but never like this. There was no fear of his anger or revelation in his maturity while I was in distress. This was my chance to "check him out" properly. My eyes had just begun to wander to his broad shoulders and expansive chest when he turned around and smiled.

"What are you doing Bells?"

"Watching you." I should have used a different word, admire maybe. To say I was "watching" him sounds weird.

"Are you stalking people now Bells?" He asked with his eyebrows raised in amusement.

"No. Just you. I have a secret shrine of pictures of you in my room."

"Should I be worried?" He asked and I stepped off of the sidewalk and walked over to the Rabbit.

"Not until I get my new camera." I winked and got in the car.

~Redeem~

When we arrived at Charlie's my palms grew sweaty. The television could be heard from the car and I knew he was home. There was so much I hadn't said to him about my life in the month and a half I had been here. Had I wasted too much time worrying about myself? Would he be hurt that I hadn't told him right away? I looked out the window down the road we had just come from. It would be easy to just turn around and wait until another day to tell him. He didn't know I was home yet, he didn't know what I had planned on telling him. It could wait until another day, until I was ready. A warm hand clasped mine and took me away from my thoughts. Jacob was looking at me with that all knowing expression on his face and squeezed my hand.

"You don't have to do this if you don't want to Bella. If you don't think you're ready we can leave."

"You don't think I should tell him yet?" I asked quietly.

"I think you should tell him. I think it's important Charlie knows what happened because he's your father and he loves you, but my first concern will always be you. If you really can't do this I'll put the car in gear and we can go to my house and hang out. You don't have to do this until you feel that you're ready."

Once again I looked down the road we had come from. It was my escape way, it had been far to many times the road away from my problems and I was determined to stand strong today. I looked back at the house and pictured Charlie when he first opened that door a month and a half ago. I remembered how I was scared to go into the house, just like I was now because I thought he would be angry. I remember how instead of yelling at me he embraced me because he was just happy I had come home. I remembered the countless times before that he had done everything in his power to see me when I was a little girl and how broken he was to see me depressed when Edward left me. I knew that he was my dad, and I knew that he loved me. He didn't keep secrets from me, and I wanted to give him that same respect.

"No, no I'm going in." I got out of the car and used opened the door. I knew Jacob was behind me because I heard the door being closed and relaxed just a little. At least I didn't have to go through all of this completely alone.

"Hey Bells." Charlie said. He was sitting down in his chair in front of the television watching baseball.

"Oh hey Jacob, sorry I didn't see you there."

"Hey Charlie."

"Umm dad I'm going to go make dinner." I said.

"Do you want me to help?" I knew right away he didn't want to. There was a game on he probably didn't want to miss.

"No, it's okay. I think you deserve a day off." I made my way into the kitchen and pulled out the ingredients to make chili-cheese hot dogs. Jacob silently followed me and helped me prepare the chili. I was grateful for the silence. Talking would only make the nerves worse. Standing next to Jacob and concentrating on making dinner relaxed me more than any conversation ever would. Once dinner was done I called Charlie and we all sat down to eat.

"These are really good Bells, maybe you can show me how to make these sometime." Charlie said after we began eating.

"Sure dad, the chili is really the only challenging part. The hot dogs you only have to boil." I said, trying not to let on how uneasy I was. Jacob chuckled a little.

"Billy told me you were cooking Charlie, it must be going well considering the house is still in tact." He looked at me and I smiled thankfully. Leave it to Jacob to lighten the mood.

"You tell your old man to stop talking about me like I'm a senile grandpa. I can make quite a few things now. Besides, I thought you would be happy about Bella not having to come home and cook for me anymore. Gives you more time to try and take my daughter's innocence, or whatever it is you two do when you're… alone." Charlie's eyebrows raised and I almost choked on my food. Jacob busted out laughing and I put my head in my hands to hide my embarrassment. I could have told him that my innocence had already been taken, but frankly I was far to embarrass and that wasn't a conversation I wanted to get into yet.

"I promise Charlie I would never try to "steal Bella's innocence". We just hang out, but you're right, I do like spending extra time with her." I could tell Jacob was trying not to laugh as he quoted Charlie and my cheeks grew even redder.

"Oh it's okay kiddo. You're an adult now; I understand that sex is a part of a young person's life. How do you think you were made?" Charlie sounded like he was reading straight from a parental magazine.

"Oh my god! Dad can we not talk about this right now?" I said, horrified. He shrugged and went right back to his food. I was beginning to think Charlie and I were getting too close. Talking about sex used to be an uncomfortable situation for both of us, now it seemed like Charlie was completely okay with the topic while I was not. In spite of myself I couldn't help but smile. Charlie and I had come a long way as far as our relationship goes. When I came here during high school we never really talked or hung out, now we talked at least twice a day and we were much more comfortable with each other. That effortless relationship we have gained since my return is what I was scared would go away once I told him everything, but seeing how easy it was to talk to him and how comfortable he was with me, I knew that everything would be okay. While the next few days may be awkward, I was confident that we would be able to work through them and get back to this happy state we are in now.

For the rest of dinner Dad and Jacob talked about some Mariners game that was on yesterday. I would have to thank Jacob later for keeping Charlie busy while I gathered my thoughts. I knew what I had to tell him, that wasn't the problem. The problem was figuring out how much of my story I was going to tell him and what I could leave out without feeling like I wasn't telling him everything he needed to know. It's not like I could just say: Hey dad I was raped for two years, fixed myself up for the last two, and then came back. Now lets watch some baseball and talk about your day.

This conversation had to be planned so I could tell him everything he needed to know quickly and accurately before I broke down. I wasn't going to tell him everything I told Jacob simply because there are some things a father doesn't need, or want to know about his daughter. I'm sure he wouldn't be opposed to me weeding out some of the more vulgar and grotesque details. I quickly got my thoughts in order and put my plate in the dishwasher. When everyone had adjourned to the living room, Charlie and Jacob on the couch and me on the loveseat, I looked over at Charlie. That was my mistake.

My chest tightened automatically and my heart pounded in my chest. The nerves that I had kept in check up until then had burst through the many barriers I put up and were going crazy inside my body. All of the unwanted thoughts from earlier poured into my mind, and in my moment of weakness I sank back into the loveseat.

"Hey Bells, do we have any ice cream?" Jacob asked, his eyes tentative. He knew, of course he knew. I nodded.

"Cool, I'm going to go get some if that's alright. Do you want some Charlie?"

"Sure, that sounds pretty good." I panicked for a moment as I saw Jacob get up from his seat on the couch and make his way toward the kitchen. For a moment I thought he was leaving me alone with Charlie to talk things over and the nerves got worse. Before Jacob got to the kitchen he looked back at me and raised his eyebrows, only then did I understand.

"I think I'm going to go help Jacob." I said. I heard Charlie mumble something, but based off of our conversation during dinner I was pretty sure I didn't want to know what he'd said. When I entered the kitchen I ran over to the sink and leaned over it, thinking I was going to throw up. When nothing happened I turned around and saw Jacob standing a few feet away. He slowly came over and encompassed my face with his hands, looked directly into my eyes.

"Bella, I know that you're freaking out right now, but you don't have anything to worry about." His thumb was rubbing my cheek and his tone was gentle.

"I have a hundred things to worry about Jacob. There's so many ways that this conversation could go wrong." My voice shook and I could feel my eyes water.

"You're right. Charlie could take what you're about to tell him badly, but deep down you know that he won't. He does this for a living Bella. He's seen some pretty bad things in his line of work and he knows how to handle what you have to tell him. On top of that he loves you. You should see the look he gets on his face when he's talking about you. You have his unconditional love and respect, don't ever doubt that." I nodded and Jacob pulled me into a tight hug. I closed my eyes and let Jacob's words sink in for a moment. I can do this. I thought. And in that moment I knew that I could.

"Thank you Jake." I said into his chest. I felt Jacob kiss my hair.

"Go get 'em tiger," he whispered. He let me go and I walked back into the living room while he "got the ice cream".

The baseball game and gone off and now Charlie was fully engrossed in some nature show. I think it was Planet Earth. When Charlie saw me he looked up at me and smiled.

"Back already?"

"Yeah, Jake made me sit back down, but there was actually something I wanted to talk to you about." I sat down next to him on the couch.

"What is it Bells?" He asked, his eyebrows now furrowed with worry. I took a deep breath to calm myself before I started.

"I haven't been honest about what happened while I was gone. What I told you is what I tell most people, but it isn't the truth. I know I should have told you this a long time ago, and I'm sorry. But I think it's time I come clean." He didn't say anything, but I knew I had his full attention.

"After I left here I went to Phoenix, that part is true. I was staying in a small motel and spent about a month and a half there before I was ready to come home. The night before I planned to drive back I was walking home at night and came across a woman struggling against a man in an alleyway. I hit the man over the head with a bat but once she got away he went for me and I just wasn't fast enough. I blacked out and woke up in a house. He kept me there for two years. He, and on occasion another man, raped me. I made my escape sometime after the two-year mark, but my captor shot me in the back just as I made it to safety. Apparently he went to jail, I haven't heard any word on the friend though. I woke up in the hospital a few days later and once I was released in signed up for therapy. Trudy, my therapist, helped me for two years until I decided I could come back to face you all. I did go to college, but it was online college and I'm still not done yet." The silence that followed my story was deafening. When I looked over at him I found him staring at the ground. He had paled and sat completely still as he took in what I had told him. After a few minutes he opened his mouth to speak, but he promptly closed it again.

"Bella…I… are you okay?" He said once he had gathered his thoughts. His response brought tears to my eyes. He wasn't yelling at me because I had lied to him or chastising me for not telling him right away. His first response was asking about me, and that warmed my heart.

"I'm getting better every day, soon I'm sure I'll be able to fully move past it." He nodded and then looked at me for a long moment before he spoke again.

"Thank you… for telling me. While I wish you had told me as soon as it happened, I understand that you may not have been ready to tell me everything. That being said, next time something happens to you that holds the potential to change you or your life, whether it is good or bad, I would really appreciate it if you would tell me. I don't care if you can only give me a general description of what is happening or has happened to you; I need to know what you're going through. Not necessarily right away, but sometime before two years have passed." I let out a breath of relief.

"I think that sounds pretty reasonable." I said with a small smile.

"Good… good. Now give your old man a hug." We both smiled and I gave him a tight hug. And just like that we were back to normal. Sure there was an awkward silence for a moment or two, but there was no drastic change. Jacob came back in with three bowls of vanilla ice cream right cue.

The night passed much more quickly without worry over my talk with Charlie looming over my head. I was able to completely relax and laugh with Charlie and Jacob about some old pictures of the Blacks and the Swans. I was disheartened when ten o'clock rolled around and was tempted to push my luck and try to stay up until eleven, but I knew that if I didn't go to sleep soon I would be much to tired to get up and go to work the next day, as did Charlie.

"Alright, I think it's time for all of us to turn in," he said. We were getting up and I was about to walk Jacob to the door when Charlie called him back.

"Jacob, can I talk to you for a minute?" My eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Jacob walked over. I stood by the door for a few moments (very stupidly I might add) before I decided to sit down and wait for them to stop talking. A few minutes later when they walked out of the kitchen, which I guess was serving as the official secret conversation spot for today, they were both smiling.

"Well goodnight son, and uhh thanks." Charlie said as he patted Jacob on the back.

"No problem Chief. See you later." Jacob made his way to the door with me closely behind. Once we were safely outside he turned to me and I shot him a questioning look.

"What?" he asked, feigning innocence.

"Don't 'what' me, you know what."

"Sorry, I don't know what you're talking about," he said with a smirk.

"Jacob, come on." I was putting on my best "I'm serious" face, but all it did was make him laugh.

"No Bells. He asked me not to tell you." I raised one eyebrow at his response.

"No," he said again.

"Come on Jake don't make me beg," I said.

"Actually I wouldn't mind seeing that," He laughed.

"It doesn't even have to be detailed, just give me the gist of your conversation." I was secretly crossing my fingers, hopping he would say yes. I don't like secrets, which when you think about it, goes hand in hand with my dislike of surprises.

"You." Was all he said and I gave a sigh of frustration.

"What," he asked, "I gave you what you asked for."

"Yes, but you knew I would want to know more. Who wouldn't want to know what people were saying about them, especially when the two individuals talking were so secretive about what they were saying." I glared at him.

"It's your own fault really, if you hadn't asked you wouldn't know it was about you and you wouldn't feel this burning desire to know what we were talking about." I was about to counter that with a fairly good argument of "That's not true," when he stopped me.

"Now, lets talk about you. How are you?" I sighed in defeat, silently promising to bring up the topic again.

"I'm alright I guess." The wind picked up and blew a few strands of hair into my face, which Jacob smoothed back behind my ear. I shuddered internally, not wanting to give away how much his gentle touch really affected me.

"How'd it go?"

"It went well enough. I didn't tell him everything I told you, but I told him enough. I didn't completely break down this time, which I guess is a good thing. After I told him he was… surprised, but he didn't yell at me or anything." I stopped and looked at Jacob, his silence encouraging me to continue.

"The first thing he asked me was if I was okay. It really took me off guard. I mean of course after that he asked me not to keep any secrets that big from him but the fact that his initial response was to ask about me made me realize how stupid I've been in thinking anything different would happen."

"I knew you could do it, and now he knows. That's one less person you have to keep a secret from."

"Yeah, yeah you were right," I said and he smiled.

"What can I say, I have my moments."

"If only you had more of them," I sighed and then laughed when he poked me in the side as a sign of protest. I saw the porch light turn off above my head and we both laughed at Charlie's subtlety.

"Alright, I think your dad is getting a bit antsy. For all he knows I could be out here stealing your virtue." My cheeks grew red as he referred to my dad's previous outburst and I gave him a slight push.

"Shut up Black," I said, and we both started laughing. He smoothed my hair behind my ear again and kissed me on the forehead. I wrapped my arms around his midsection and he hugged me tightly.

"See you tomorrow?" I asked tentatively.

"Definitely." He answered. I stood on the porch and watched the Rabbit drive away with a smile on my face. This day had taken a drastic turn for the better. I only hoped the same would happen tomorrow.

~Redeem~

I sighed as I walked into work at 7:45 the next day. After I put my things in the lounge I went and got my book to meet Laura at our spot. Yesterday I didn't have a morning shift so we didn't get to sit and read, which may have been a good thing. I think she needed some space. I sat down and read for a few minutes, but I couldn't pay attention to the words on the page when there was tension between Laura and I. She had become a rather close friend of mine, and I didn't want us to have any problems. So I put my book down and looked at her until she brought her head up from her own book and looked at me.

"Laura, we should talk." She looked down for a minute and placed her book on the small table next to mine.

"Yes, I suppose we should."

"I know what happened, between Jacob and Sally. He told me what he had been doing the day before he came in here. I know that it looks really bad but—" I didn't even have time to finish before she cut me off.

"You believe him?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do." Her mouth was pressed into a tight line as if to hold back words she so desperately wanted to say.

"I know he is telling the truth. He went through the same thing with me before I left. It's a tribal secret, that's why he can't tell anybody. His father even vouched for him as well as the Elders, who are the council in La Push. It really wasn't his fault." I couldn't tell if she believed me or not, which is why I added in the council and his father. I didn't want there to be bad blood between Jacob and Laura, because they were both important to me. Laura was a good friend me, and Jacob; well there is no description that can accurately describe our relationship. Laura seemed to think about what I said and then asked, "If this is some tribal thing why was he getting naked?"

"Was he completely naked or was his shirt just taken off?" If his shirt was taken off I could easily say that they painted his chest during the tribal ceremony he was going to, or something like that. If he had gotten completely naked… I didn't know what I could say but it would most likely be pretty stupid.

"His shirt was just taken off." Thank you God.

"The men have their chests painted during the tribal ceremony." I said with ease. I could see in her eyes that she believed me and for a moment I felt bad for lying. But this wasn't my secret to tell.

"Alright, if you trust him, I suppose I'll leave you two be. But be careful Bella, I don't want to see you get hurt. You're a very bright young girl. It would be a shame if it all of your talent and potential went to waste over some boy, so use your head." I smiled, touched that she was thinking about me and we shared a small hug.

The rest of the day went much better than the last one had. I got to talking with some of the new employees and the twins, Hope, and I welcomed them into our "work family". David stopped by near the end of my shift, but something about him was different.

"Hey Bella," he said.

"I see you've finally agreed to retire that horrid nick name." I said as I re-shelved some books.

"For today Swan. Hey umm what was up with that guy?" he asked me.

"What guy? Jacob?"

"Yeah." I turned around and looked at him.

"Nothing was up with him." I said in a tone that could only be described as defensive. David put his hands up and said, "Whoa, I was just asking if he was your boyfriend."

"Not exactly." I said, hating that I couldn't call Jacob my boyfriend… yet.

"But you want him to be." I guess Jacob wasn't the only one that could see right through me. Was I really that easy to read?

"Umm… well…yeah." I looked down and blushed at the admission. I wasn't embarrassed about liking Jacob or anything— I mean what girl in their right mind wouldn't want Jacob as their boyfriend— I just didn't like sharing such personal information. It made me feel like I was in middle school and every one found out I had a crush on some guy.

"I see," Only after David turned on his heel and walked out of the store did I register his disappointed expression.

~Redeem~

I got off of work at four and started to drive to Jacob's house when I realized he would probably be at work. While I still really wanted to see Jacob, I didn't think showing up at his job would be such a great idea. Most of the pack would probably be there and I was pretty sure not all of them were as forgiving as Embry, Seth, Quil, and Jacob were. I didn't want to cause any problems for Jacob, and going to the Pack Mechanics would do just that. I sighed and turned the truck around to head home.

Once I got home I decided to take a shower and then take a short nap. Nobody was home and work had tired me out. I had expected the shower to be relaxing. You know, hot water running down your back and relaxing your muscles and all that jazz, but five minutes in I got this strange feeling that someone else was in the house. I stepped out of the shower, leaving the water running, and wrapped a towel around me. A few moments later I heard the creak of a board. The intruder either didn't know, or forgot about the creak in the last step before the landing. I quickly locked the bathroom door and reached for my phone. I didn't want to call 911 just yet. I wasn't entirely sure someone was in the house. I waited a few more minutes and relaxed when I didn't hear any more noises. I shut off the water and listened for a moment just to make sure the water wasn't masking any sounds and let out a breath.

BANG!

I jumped at the loud noise. Someone was banging on the door! There was someone inside the house! I could hear my heart beat noisily in my chest as the intruder banged on the door again and again. My eyes widened in horror as I realized the hinges were loosening. I hurriedly dialed 911 but that did no good. The intruder had cut the phone lines. I tried to get my cell out of the pocket in my jeans but when I finally got it out I realized I had no signal. I started to panic as the door started to come off of its hinges. I scrambled into the tub in a spot hidden by the shower curtain and curled into a ball. As the door came closer to coming off the banging got louder and more forceful. I closed my eyes in fear but quickly opened them when I realized that would make me even more vulnerable. I tried to breath deeply and quietly so I wouldn't give myself away.

The splintering of wood and the clink of the metal hinges on the bathroom floor made my heart beat even faster. I heard large, heavy footsteps coming toward the shower curtain. I closed my eyes again and the footsteps stopped right by the shower. It was silent for a long moment as I tried to conceal my breathing. Then the curtains where whipped back and I looked up into the face of my intruder. I looked up only to find myself face to face with Ryan.

I woke with a start, breathing heavily and looking around franticly to take in my surroundings. I was at home, but I was in my room already dressed in the clothes I had set out as makeshift pajamas.

"Bad dream?" A velvety voice came from the side of the room. I jumped at the sound. I looked over into the dark corner to find Edward. The fact that he was in here watching me made my skin crawl just as it had in my dream. There had in fact been someone else in the house.

"Edward, what are you doing here?" I asked, still on edge from my dream.

"Oh I was just popping in to see how you were." He started to walk forward into the dim light in my room.

"Edward, you can't just "pop in", you nearly scared me to death." I didn't fully understand why he was here in the first place. He didn't seem like he was going to come back after I officially ended things between us.

"Why can't I? Jacob just shows up and it never seems to bother you." He didn't even try to mask the jealousy in his voice.

"How did you know that?"

"Well for one his smell is all over the room, all over the bed, and all over you." I blushed a bit when I realized what he was implying, but noticed that he didn't answer my question.

"No, that's not an answer. You wouldn't know that he comes in through my window just from his scent, I could have invited him over. Have you been watching me Edward?" He didn't even have to answer me, I knew I was right.

"Just because we aren't together anymore doesn't meet I'm not going to protect you." I would have believed him, but his tone was off.

"No, that's not a real answer either, stop lying to me Edward." I looked him in the eye and then it dawned on me.

"You've been watching me to see what I do with Jacob." Edward's expression grew hard.

"What were you going to do Edward! If we started to get to close were you just going to hop in and stop us? Chastise me for being too intimate with a werewolf? Or were you just going to have a fight with Jacob and think that if you won I would come back to you. Because if any of those things were going through your mind I can tell you right now that none of them would work in your favor. Either way I would still be mad at you and either way I would still want you to leave." I couldn't believe that even after our break-up he still thought it was okay to invade my personal space. What was even more frustrating was that after I said all of that his only response was, "So you've been intimate with him?" I looked at him in disbelief.

"Get out, get out of my house right now." I pulled up the window and turned around to yell at him some more, but when I turned all I saw was his chest. He was literally an inch away from me, and it made me nervous. I had never seen Edward as a threat before, but standing in front of an open window with him an inch away from me was intimidating.

"Bella I…" He stopped for a moment and looked around. Was someone else outside the house?

"Bella you should come back to me. We were so good together. You know that I would do anything for you. If intimacy is what you want I can do that. If you need me to give you some space, I can do that too. I can't live without you."

"Edward, we talked about this. It's not intimacy or space I want from you. While those two things would have been great when we were together, promising them to me now is not going to make me come back to you." I tried to move away from the window but he trapped me with his arms on either side of my head.

"Bella, love, please come back. Anything you want I can give it to you. When are you going to see that we belong together."

"When are you going to see that we don't?" The dark gold in his eyes glinted and I grew still.

"Edward, what are you doing?" I asked as his hands wound around my waist. He pulled me to the side so we were both in front of the window. He began to move in closer and I realized what was about to happen.

"No, no Edward stop!" But it was too late. His lips overtook mine. I tried to wiggle from his grasp, but I couldn't move. I tried to push his face off of mine, but he wouldn't budge. I felt his tongue on my lower lip and then felt it push through my closed ones and invade my mouth. I yelled in displeasure as his tongue swept my own. I tried to push his face off of me once more, this time with more force, and he flew toward the other end of the room. At first I was freaked out. I thought I had gotten some sort of super strength, but after realizing that I wasn't living in a comic book despite all the mythical creatures, I looked around and found Jacob. Then it all made sense. Edward knew Jacob was outside and thought that I might actually come back to him. That's why he was looking around and that's why he kissed me in one last desperate attempt to show Jake that I would always be bound to him. He was wrong of course, but I was still angry with him.

"What the hell Edward!" I yelled, but he was already face to face with Jacob.

"Hey, hey, hold on now." I said as I got between them. I didn't want a fight to break out, especially not in my tiny room.

"What the fuck was that Cullen." Jacob growled next to me. I took his hand to calm him down.

"That was me trying to prove that she still loves me, you should know, I got the move from you." Jacob growled again and took a step toward Edward, but I held him back.

"I could kill you right now Cullen, and if we were alone I probably would. The only thing stopping me right now is the fact that Bella would probably hate me for it." I could tell that Jacob was angry and was trying to calm himself down, unfortunately so could Edward.

"I don't see why you're so angry. I overheard Bella at work—"

"You followed me to work!" Had he watched everything that happened to me. Was he there when I was explaining my situation to Charlie? Did he know what happened? He looked at me for a moment and then went back to what he was saying.

" I overheard Bella at work talking to a young fellow named David. I heard her tell him that you two weren't together, so I can't understand where you get the nerve to act like you are." My blood ran cold as Jacob looked at me and let go of my hand. His face was hard, but I could see the hurt in his eyes. He turned away from me and I opened my mouth to speak but he beat me to it.

"You have no right to take advantage of her like that, just like I had no right when I kissed her." Jacob gave Edward a sharp look and the jumped out the window.

"Jacob!" I yelled, but he didn't turn around. He thought that I wanted to be with David. He thought that I was telling David I wasn't with him so David would ask me out, which couldn't be further from the truth. I turned to glare at Edward for messing everything up.

"Leave Edward," I didn't even look back to make sure he had as I grabbed a jacket and my car keys.

~Redeem~

I drove to Jake's house first, but Billy said he wasn't there. I went to First Beach but he wasn't at our spot either. I didn't know where else he could be. Those were the two places I knew I could find him when we were younger. We're not teenagers anymore. I reminded myself. I opened the glove compartment and looked up the directions to the Pack Mechanics on my phone. A few minutes later I parked along the street and walked into the shop. The lights were on so I knew someone was here. I wandered through the building until I came to the garage. It looked empty, but once again a light was on so I took a chance and went inside. I found Jacob under a blue Toyota.

"Jake." My voice echoed in the large room. I heard the click of his tools stop and he rolled out from under the car.

"What Bella." I flinched at his hard tone. Though it wasn't as harsh as the tone he'd used with me at Betsy's, I knew he was mad.

"Jake I know you're mad, but Edward got it wrong. I didn't just go up to David and tell him that we weren't together. He asked me if we were together while I was working and I said no."

"I understand Bella," he said, but it was clear that he didn't.

"No you don't! I don't want to be with David, that wasn't why I told him we weren't together. I told him that because it's the truth!" I realized I'd raised my voice and walked forward and kneeled down so I was a few inches from him.

"But he asked me if I wanted to be with you, and I said yes, and that's also the truth." I saw his expression soften. He stood up and dusted his hands off.

"I'm sorry I ran off, I know I kind of overreacted but I'm not used to you wanting me yet. I still feel like even though I have you, someone will come along and you'll slip through my fingers." He looked me in the eye as he spoke and I knew that the years of me rejecting him had taken its toll on him.

"It's not your fault you feel that way. I shouldn't have acted like I didn't want you when we were younger. Instead of admitting my feelings for you I tried to smother them and that wasn't fair to you. I know I haven't said it since I've been back yet, I mean we've only been talking to each other for a few days but, I love you Jacob. I never stopped loving you. When I was away you were always on my mind, and when I was with him thinking about you always made me feel better. You're the only man I want Jake, and I am more than willing to wait until you're ready to let me be yours." I had never felt the same way about Edward, the same burning desire I felt with Jacob. With Edward it was curiosity, with Jacob it was passion, and I wasn't about to give that up.

"I know we aren't technically a couple, and I know I'm the one that wants us to wait, but I'm scared that you'll get tired of waiting and David, or Edward or some other guy will come along and take you away from me. I want you so badly Bella, I want to be the man who gets to kiss you, and hold you, and make you laugh, but at the same time I don't want to rush into things with you. I'm worried that if we rush things everything will fall apart and I'm not going to risk that with you. I have to stop myself from moving to fast, because I know that if I get to close to you or if I kiss you I won't be able to stop myself if you ask me to be yours. I still feel resentment toward you sometimes, late at night when I'm out patrolling alone and I remember everything I felt when you were gone. I don't want to be your boyfriend while I'm still feeling that way. You deserve my unconditional love, and I want to be sure you have it before things go to far." He took my hands in his and I nodded. Waiting was going to be hard, but not having Jacob would be harder.

All right another chapter done! Sooo what did you think. I made sure I got at least one chapter out this week, I literally worked for a day just to make sure I could get this out to you. That being said I would really love it if you left a review. I'm going to start on the next chapter and hopefully it'll be out by the end of the month or in early May.

-ladybug82896