Dedicated To: gabijaluvs2rite2 who was awesome enough to tell me up front that my story was getting boring.

"O love, O fire! once he drew
With one long kiss my whole soul through
My lips, as sunlight drinketh dew."

LORD ALFRED TENNYSON

Cupid's Chokehold; Chapter Twenty-Four. Bella.

I hated every moment of talking to Jake. I hated divulging the secrets of the Cullens. I hated telling him about their powers and about everything that had happened since that night with Edward in Port Angeles. But, he had to know. It wasn't like there was a how-to guide on how to kill vampires and any information I had could be of some help.

I felt guilty for telling Jake the information. The Cullens had trusted me with their secret and here I was piping off the information over the thick crust pizza Jake had picked out.

"The Cullens are good though, Jake. Not the vampires people need protected from. They aren't the evil kind of vampires."

"They hurt you, human or vampire, it means they're evil."

"It wasn't— they had to leave. They couldn't help it." I never had figured out why they had left with Edward. It made sense as a story, what kind of 17-year-old human son just leaves the family? But, why didn't any of them say goodbye? A clean break, that's what Edward wanted for me. But, what about closure?

"Bells—"

"Jake, could we just drop it?"

He sighed, he obviously didn't want to stop talking about it, but I just wasn't in the mood to defend the Cullens right now. I wasn't in the mood to do much of anything. "Of course, Bella."

"Thanks Jake," I leaned into him and his arm went around my waist.

"I love you, Bells. Remember that?"

"Of course, Jake. Love you." He squeezed my waist, but left it at that. "I should get home Jake, before it gets too late. Maybe you should go visit Billy or spend some time with Quil; he might appreciate it. He probably needs someone to talk to, a good friend or something."

"Bells, I don't want to leave you alone, especially after what the vampire pulled today."

I just needed some time to think things through, to be by myself. "Jake, I'll be fine. You can circle the perimeter or whatever, I'll leave my window open and you can come in then." I hadn't left my window open in awhile, after Edward left I had kept it locked very tight. "Just be quiet, Charlie was okay with last night—at least he hasn't said anything, I haven't seen him since this morning—but tonight might be a little different."

I heard him growl and I raised my eyebrows, it sounded so animalistic.

"Geez, Jake, you gonna piss on my leg next?" I tried to smile at him, to show him that it was okay.

He groaned this time.

"I'm going to go now. Charlie might try to heat something up in the microwave if I leave him there long enough. He thinks that the metal in the microwave thing is a myth."

"Fine, Bells. I'll go talk with Quil, if he's even calmed down enough. I need to take a run anyway." He helped me off the couch and held my hand as he walked me to the door.

"Have fun tonight." He hugged me tight and I easily melted into the warmth, I felt so safe here, especially compared to the cold breeze coming off of the beach.

"Be safe, Bella," he whispered into my ear and kissed my temple.

A shudder ran through my spine as a brief memory hit me, I smiled through it and clutched Jake's hand harder before letting go and heading to my truck.

Charlie hadn't attempted dinner by the time I got home, so I threw in something into the oven for him and went up stairs to sift through the homework. I left Angela a message saying sorry for not dropping hers off. I would have to do that tomorrow. The oven beeped and Charlie called up that he would get it, which was good because I was already half asleep on my bed. With dinner taken care of I gave into the pull and fell fast asleep.

&

I was in Phoenix again and at the community pool I went to a few times. The heat was so intense that the steam was rising off the pavement just a few feet ahead of me. I couldn't see anything I needed. It was like a sauna. The sun was smoldering on my skin and I only wanted to get my water bottle and guzzle it down then jump in the pool to relax the horrible sensations. I just couldn't draw in a deep enough breath to do any of those things. My short breath froze when I felt a cold sensation wrap around my torso. Sweet relief for my skin, but my eyes and throat were still burning and useless.

"Bella!" If I could just get to that voice I knew it would help me. A loud noise startled me and I turned to my right. When I opened my eyes I was awake and in the arms of a cold angel.

My room was dense with smoke. Oh my god! I could hear the wood crackling from the fire and the smell was horrid. I couldn't identify it but it had to be one of the material burning, maybe the linoleum in the kitchen.

"Bella, don't breathe too deep."

A sweet smelling shirt was placed over my mouth and nose and my skin was suddenly against even more cold. Oh God. I felt the angel and I going down the stairs and then into the fresh air of the outside. The grass was dewy under my hot skin when I was sat down on the grass.

"Bella!" It was new voice, a voice of a savior. I tried to open my eyes, but they felt goopy. Warm fingers brushed against my eyelids, "Bella! It's okay."

I heard sirens off in the distance. Red was flashing against my still closed eyelids but I could feel someone close. I grabbed onto the person's shirt, "Charlie! Charlie's still in there!" I opened my eyes and saw light and dark.

Edward and Jacob.

Edward was back in Forks and that sent my mind reeling, until Jacob stood up in a flash and ran into the house. I inched myself up and saw that the house was slowly being engulfed into flames. Fire was coming out of the windows of Charlie's bedroom and I could see the garage had already been taken over. The front door slammed open and I saw the wallpaper melting off the walls. Charlie had made it out of the house, without Jake though.

A fire truck and ambulance showed up and the men worked in some preplanned choreography, the EMTs looking over Charlie's singed body, but leaving me alone after taking a few looks at Edward.

"They must have passed each other, Jake is still in there." The kitchen roof collapsed. Something screeched, Edward held me close to him and I uselessly attempted to push him away. "I need to go get Jake, he could be hurt."

"Bella, no! You could die." I barely felt his grip, but it was still strong enough to keep me from going in.

"Edward! Please! Don't let Jake die!"

"You want me to go back in there for Jacob?" He looked at me incredulously. I stopped struggling and looked at him, this house could kill him. The fire could kill him and I wanted Edward to go in there to save Jacob.

"I'd never forgive you if he died," my own voice was dead as I articulated my threat. I heard him growl, but he let go of me and I disappeared into the house. One of the EMTs came towards me, carrying a large bag. He meticulously started looking over me, I pushed him away, "GET AWAY FROM ME!"

"Miss—"

"No!" I pushed against him; he seemed content that my insistence meant I was okay for now. I obviously wasn't bleeding and nothing seemed broken. I looked back to Charlie who was still being treated. The front door flew open again, this time coming off its hinges and landing on the front porch, the only thing in the house that wasn't on fire yet. Edward was haphazardly holding Jake in a, fittingly, fireman's hold. Jake seemed to be unconscious because he wasn't fighting Edward. My heart thundered in my chest, he didn't appear to burnt but I knew that most people who died in a fire died from smoke inhalation and not the fire himself. If Jake died… I had no plan C. Jake had been my plan B, the plan worked for me. It was the right path for me, I would be completely lost if I went off this path.

Edward dropped Jake arbitrarily next to me, he landed on the ground with a short thud and Edward stood there, waiting for me to say something. He wouldn't be getting anything from me until I knew Jake was alive.

I pulled myself over to Jake and straddled his waist. My hands ran up and down his chest, it was warmer than usual from the fire but I could feel the shallow movement from his breathing. "Oh, Thank God." I leaned down and pressed my hand against his cheek, "Jake. Jake. Jake." I continued my mantra as I brushed against him. I leaned closer, my right hand on his cheek my left in his hair that I could feel was brittle from the heat of the fire. My lips ran over his forehead, his temple, his chin, the bridge of his nose. "Jake, you can't leave me." He coughed. "Jake, I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you, Jake. You can't leave me now."

He coughed again, "Kiss me," he sounded parched.

"Jake?" I couldn't be sure if he was really awake.

"Kiss me," his eyes were still closed but I saw his chin move up, a small grin on the corners of his lips. "Kiss me."

I laughed. Jake was awake and feeling pretty good. I brought my lips slowly from his temple, to his eyebrow, to the corner of his eye, down the side of his strong and straight nose, the stubble covered skin below his nose, the corner of his smiling lips. One hand touched the bare skin behind my knee and the other rested on the small of my back.

I spoke against his lips, "You can't die on me, Jake; I love you."

"Kiss me then." I moved centimeters and kissed his lips, my heart thudded against my chest again, but not in anxiety. My body was overwhelmed and my breathing shortened, despite not actually working vigorously. His lips were so soft and warm beneath mine and even though my skin was singed from the heat of the flames, it still felt amazing. His lips moved slowly under mine before I pulled back enough to speak.

"I love you Jake."

"I love you too, Bella," that communication was enough for him though and his hand that was on my back moved up to my neck, a sound escaped from me when it brushed my shirt up and moved against my skin. He wrapped his fingers into my ponied hair and pushed me back down to his lips.

I felt a fire light within me that had nothing to do with my burning home.

AN: You can't deny the chapter was worth the wait (that's really being full of myself) but it's not like I could do much of anything. I'll try and get something up soon, I started working and after two days my wrist has started acting up again. :c

Just to give credit where credit is due, the "kiss me" thing is inspired by Casper Meets Wendy when at the end Wendy goes "hug me" to her aunts in order to wake her up. I love that movie.