This chapter was a little important part of the process. I promise more Bellice in the next one! Sorry for the delay, RL is beautiful and I don't wanna miss too much of it getting lost in a fantasy world. However, the week looks like a slow one so I hope to catch up more. (To my Points Underneath readers: there will be an update tomorrow night!)

Enjoy!

Chapter Ten – The Black Truth

Jacob grabbed some fresh bannock from the oven and stepped into his bedroom, where Bella sat quietly on his bed. "Want some?" He offered politely and grinned when she accepted. "I made it myself."

Taking a bite, she smiled while chewing. "It's good Jake," she said after she swallowed.

Jacob sat down at the end of his tiny bed and scrunched his nose up in slight disgust. "You stink Bella."

Bella jumped up alarmed, feeling slightly taken aback and hurt. "Why does everyone think that I stink?"

"Well normally you smell wonderful but there's this..." he winced and blew air out from his nose. "You just don't smell like yourself."

Bella blushed slightly, her mind going back to her bedroom and what had happened between her and Alice. "I'm sorry."

Jacob sighed heavily and scooted closer to the girl. "No, I'm sorry. It's just..." he stopped and ran his hair through his long locks. "Bells," he leaned back against the wall where his bed was perched, "I guess it's just hard for me right now, you know?"

"Jake, did you want me to leave?" She asked softly.

"No, of course not." He got up and grabbed a loose button down shirt. "Don't take this the wrong way though, but can you wear this?"

Bella frowned but did as her friend asked. "You're so weird."

Jacob scowled and bit his lip. "So... the reason you don't like me is because you like a girl?"

She stared at him in shock, her mouth failed to close when she heard the question. "W-what?"

"Female scent is all over you. I mean, there's another weird scent and I can't place it, but it's certainly distasteful. Doesn't cover the fact that another female's scent is all over you." The guy smiled sadly.

Bella swallowed and took her regular spot back on the bed. "I guess I could've been honest with you," she murmured.

"No worries." He scratched his neck and looked at her with a perplexed stare. "I guess there are some things that we need to keep secret, no matter how close we are."

Bella pursed her lips together and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I wasn't- I didn't want to keep her a secret. I don't even know what we are or were..." she frowned a little, making a bad habit of biting her thumbnail.

"You've been in that school for a week and you've already found yourself in a messy 'what are we' kinda friendship, right?" Jacob had to smile. Leave it to his Bella to find herself in sticky situations so early in her stay.

"It's just, one minute she's looking at me like she wants to devour me," she smirked a little totally unaware of how close that comment had double meaning, "then she's off of me and out the door in seconds. I'm totally confused." Bella glanced up to notice her friend not exactly smiling. She cursed under her breath and patted his leg, "Damn Jake, I'm sorry. I didn't come here to spill this all out on you."

"No it's cool," he half lied. "Does this girl have a name?"

"Yeah, of course." Bella laughed a little. "Alice Cullen."

Jacob nearly spit out the piece of bannock he just stuffed in his mouth. "Cullen?" He barely got the name out before he started to pace. "Cullen?" He asked again.

"Yea..." Bella watched Jake walk back and forth in his tiny room, scratching his head while his chest heaved.

"It'd explain the smell," he muttered more to himself. Bella must not have heard him as she was still looking at him questioningly.

"Her family actually just moved here around the same time I did. I go to school with her and her siblings. Do you know the Cullens? Does your dad?"

"No, I don't." Jacob replied roughly. "I don't know them personally anyway. Bella," he knelt down in front of her and cupped her cheek with his warm hand, "do these ... people give you any funny vibes?"

Bella raised an eyebrow and gently grasped Jacob's wrist, pulling it away from her face and placing it in her lap. "No, not really. What I find kind of funny is the fact that you think they can be potential danger. I see it in your eyes."

"That's funny?" He scowled. "I'm serious here Bells."

"I am too!" She lightly tossed his hand away from her body and started to do some pacing of her own. "Edward, Alice's brother, thinks I need to stay away from La Push, can you believe that? He practically banned me himself. The nerve! I mean, what was he thinking?"

Cracking his knuckles, Jacob shrugged. "He's probably telling the truth."

"Oh please," Bella waved her hand and closed her eyes. "You guys are seriously confusing me. You're acting like you know each other!"

"Let's just say our families have crossed paths in the past and it could've turned ugly." Jacob said quietly. "Don't ask me how, please. I find it hard enough to lie to you as it is and I'd hate to do it knowing you could probably see right through me anyway."

"I'm not going to ask for anything," Bella grabbed her shirt. "I'm going to go home. I'll wash this for you." She was frustrated with the timid mind games and though none of it was her business, the feud between two people who have never met, confused her.

Jacob cursed to himself and growled, curling his fists up in a tight ball. "Bella, please don't go." His voice pleaded and decided at that moment he was about to do something very forbidden. "Please?" He watched as she slowly turned around and faced him. "Do you believe in aliens?"

Of course the question threw the human completely off and she stared at him. "What?"

"Aliens. Life on other planets, do you believe in that kind of thing?" Jacob asked a little softer yet desperately.

"Sure," Bella answered shortly after scrunching her eyebrows together. "I mean if we can exist on earth, why can't other life forms exist on the other planets, right?" She leaned against the doorframe and studied her friend and his stance. He was tense and pacing. "Are you trying to tell me you're an alien?"

Laughter ripped from the depth of Jacob's stomach and he shook his head. "No, I'm not an alien."

"Damn," she snapped her fingers playfully, "you know how cool it'd be to have an alien friend?"

"It wouldn't freak you out if I was?" His expression changed to a more curious one. He stepped a little closer to Bella.

"I guess not?" She looked up at him confused at the seriousness in her friend. "Jacob, what's going on?"

Jacob ran his hands through his hair for what seemed like the hundredth time that night. "What I'm about to tell you will get me into loads of trouble Bella. You're someone I trust completely and even though you don't feel the same way about me, that doesn't change the fact that you're my best friend." He leaned against the other side of the doorframe and bit his lip slightly in thought. "The reason why I'm going to tell you this is because you'll probably find yourself in the secret one way or another... if not my secret than others." He whispered, talking about the vampires. It was very clear to him that Bella wouldn't be ditching them any time soon.

Thoroughly intrigued, Bella straightened up as her brown eyes studied the tall male in front of her.

"You have to promise me you'll guard this secret with your life. Like I said, I'm going to be in so much trouble even contemplating telling you this but I feel I have to. I feel like, in some way, it'll help you down the road." Jacob believed that even when the pack found out what he had done, after the dust had settled, he'd be forgiven. The only reason simply being is that he told Bella and they all knew she could be trusted.

Bella could feel her heart pounding and she swallowed a little. "Jake..." she whispered and fidgeted slightly under his stare.

"Bells," he whispered just as softly and grabbed her hand, holding it tightly against his chest. "Do you remember those Quileute Legends I had told you about a couple of years ago?"

Scattering through her memories she could vaguely pick out certain things Jacob had told her. How he laughed and said he'd only ever believe it all if he saw it with his own eyes. Realization dawned on her and her eyes grew as wide as saucers. "You saw a werewolf?" her own voice cracked but not because it frightened her. It cracked because a huge part of her was rather in awe and surprisingly amazed.

The deep laughter was stifled in his throat as Jacob tried to keep a straight enough face to continue on with his secret confession. "Well... yes, I have."

"Wow." Bella breathed. "So it's true. Your tribe descended from wolves," she paused for a brief moment and her eyes flickered up to his. "Who? I mean, do you know who?"

Pursing his lips together, Jacob thought of the best approach to tell his dear friend the whole truth. "I've actually seen a few," he nodded, "in and out of their forms." He watched Bella and noticed that if she was freaking out, he couldn't tell. "Bella, the reason why I kind of agreed with Edward that you shouldn't be in La Push because at times, it could be fatally dangerous."

"Okay, so you have wolves running around and you have for some time now. If you hadn't have told me I wouldn't have known, correct?" Bella frowned. "Jake, La Push is the one place I feel the safest."

"Really?" He couldn't help but smile a little, his chest puffing out slightly. "I hope you feel extremely safe around me." Jacob said softly, his hand squeezed hers.

"Out here, you're definitely my safety guy," Bella nodded with a gentle smile. "Do I get to know any of these wolves?"

Jacob raised an eyebrow and stepped back slightly. He placed his hands on his waist and simply nodded, licking his lips. "You're looking at one."

All Bella could do was stand there, mouth open in shock as her eyes scanned his body. Suddenly it all made sense.

Jacob's growth spurt; his eating habits; his constant need to be topless because of his body temperature.

"Oh snap." Was all Bella could really say.

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