Author Note::

I don't usually post these, but I'd like to make a special thanks to

Dessa Darling

jvestaj

Both of whom, added this story to their favs. :]

I woke up with a stiff neck and a killer headache. Right next to me was Jake; and we were both still outside on the ground. I couldn't help but smile when I realized that I was in his arms.

I mentally slapped myself. No! This is Jake my best friend. I couldn't be all girly and gushy with a crush on him. Especially since I'm with Alex, and he just broke up with Bella. And not to mention that we're just friends.

I also noticed that Jake was burning up like mad crazy. More than yesterday; and it had me sweating in my sweater and jeans.

My eyes started to look around everywhere, trying to figure out what time it was or something. As I started to get up, his arms tightened around me again. He groaned in pain, a grimace lining his face. "L-laur-laurel," he stuttered out. Sweat was lining his forehead, and he defiantly looked sick. I started to shake him. "Come on Jake, get up. We need to get you home alright?"

Embry, maybe Embry could help. I pushed Jake's arms off of me and got up. There was a large piece of white paper on the tent door with writing. Great, just what I needed to find. A freaking note.

"Jake, Laurel; Scabbers, Sceeter; I took Bella home and came back, you two were sleeping. I already headed home. I would have woke you two, but you just looked so damn comfortable. :)

Billy and Terry are at Charlie's for the day, and there's going to be some storms out this afternoon, so hopefully you two are up and at Jake's house or something.

Talk to you two later."

Thanks Embry, just the note we needed to read. Especially when Jake is possibly terribly sick.

I bounded on Jake, nudging him and trying to wake him up again. We needed to tear our stuff down and load it back up so we could leave before any serious storms started. Since Jake wasn't really responding, I decided to do everything myself.

First I took my stuff out of my tent, taking care to pack it nicely and quickly so I could move onto Jake's tent. Once I started on his, I had to think how I was going to get us home with his truck and Molly. This was going to be a challenge.

It took longer to put Jake's stuff all together and packed. By that time thankfully he started to come to. I didn't notice until I was throwing our stuff in the back of his flatbed. "Laurel, what's going on," he groaned out trying to stand up. I rushed over and tried to help him to the truck.

"I think you're seriously sick Jake. I'm taking you home and calling Billy to see what to do."

"Where's Bella," he asked immediately as soon as I got him into the passenger's seat of his rabbit. It killed me to hear him talk about her, no matter what I was telling myself; I still liked waking up this morning. "Embry took her home last night," I sighed trying to buckle him in. He groaned again, a humph sadistically escaped his nose.

"How can I get the four-wheeler in the back," I asked before I shut the door.

He rolled his head to me, his hand clutching at the material of the sweater on me before looking at me with his sad eyes, "Use and rope, and put it in neutral." Of course! Why didn't I think of that? I jumped into the back of the truck, searching Jake's bag for a rope.

After I pushed Molly over to the back of the truck, put her in neutral, and tied the rope between the two, I jumped in the driver seat and let it roar to life. Jake groaned to my left again, I instantly felt horrible.

The kid cried himself to sleep, in late October almost winter cold, not to mention near a beach. And in all honesty its my fault. If I hadn't went to kiss him on the cheek, we would have never kissed, and it was my request we didn't tell Alex or Bella. So if we would have told them then probably this would have never happened. It should have never happened to begin with anyway! Why me? Why Jake? Just why?

Through my mental ramblings, I had gotten us to Jake's house.

It was hard to try and drag the kid through the front door, the living room, and into his room. I'm not even a quarter of his size and he's ginormous. Well, maybe I was over exaggerating, but it was still hard. Not to mention my stomach was still killing me, so every time I turned or dragged; it hurt like a-son-of-a-gun.

We both flopped on his bed with a sigh. What work. "Sorry Laurel," he coughed, "I just don't feel good at all."

"It's okay," I mumbled, "It was my fault anyways."

I started to get up, to unpack the truck, get Jake some new clothes to change into and maybe myself, call Billy; and do a crap load of other stuff. But Jake's steaming hot hand pulled me back, right on the bed next to him. "Please don't leave," he groaned. A smile found it's way onto my face. "I'm not going anywhere Jake. Just gunna unpack and make a few phone calls okay?" A rumble of thunder rang out softly outside. It sounded like a storm was brewing, but no where near close to us.

He let go of me, in which I started outside to get everything out of the truck. It was pouring like no tomorrow. I made quick work to bring in the camping stuff with only two trips. I didn't want to leave Molly in the rain, so I started to push her out back and hopefully into the garage. Sadly it didn't go so smoothly, and took me longer than I expected. On account that my stomach hurt worse pushing this than dragging Jake.

Once I got back into the house, I wiped away a mixture of sweat and rain from my face. Jake was leaning against the passage way that lead into the hallway. He had already changed his shorts into a different pair that looked a lot like boxers. Or they were just short shorts; or I was just thinking to much about it and starring at his sweaty chest for some reason...

I'm starring at his sweaty chest. Crap.

"Jake get back in bed," I rasped out. "I'm going to call Billy here in a second. Let me change first."

I pulled a pair of my own shorts and tank top from my duffel bag; only to find them soaking...in rain water. Great. "Or not..." I mumbled reaching for the cordless that Billy always left next to his lazyboy. Since Embry said Terry, Billy, and Charlie, I decided to call Terry's phone.

"Hello? Laurel?" Terry sounded worried.

"Hey Terry."

"Thank God. I was worried when you didn't call this morning." This morning? Wait... it's not morning now?

"What time is it?"

"Rounding on five girl. Where have you been?" Seriously? It couldn't have took more than an hour ago that Jake and I woke up.

"Just here in La Push. Put Billy on the phone."

Billy's cheery voice laughed in the receiver. "I told Terry that you were okay. He was just worried when Charlie called and said that Bella came home late last night."

I whimpered a bit, forgetting all about Bella for a second there. I'll have to still try and talk to her about Jake and I later.

"I'm fine...but Jake isn't. I think he's really sick Billy."

"What's wrong?"

"Well first off neither of us didn't wake up until an hour ago. And he's burning up, bad," I said quickly looking towards Jake. He was still in the passage way, seemingly sleeping standing up. "He's sweating and non-coherent. He keeps saying he doesn't feel good and doesn't want to do anything but sleep. Should I take him to the hospital?"

"No, it's not necessary. I'll come by tomorrow morning to see how he's doin'. But if it's not to much to ask, can you stay and watch him for the night? It's stormin' pretty bad here in Forks, and I have to go over to Harry Clearwater's place to check in on his kids, Leah and Seth. I think they've come down with somethin' too."

"Yeah...not a problem. We'll see you tomorrow then. Bye Billy."

I threw the phone down, putting my face in my hands. Boy was I in for quite a night.

Jake groaned from across the room again. "What's wrong Jake," I mumbled quickly getting up and advancing to him. He shook his head back and forth, his hair slightly waving with it. I touched a hand to his forehead; it was still hotter than the sun.

"Get back in bed Jake. I'll make you some soup or something, okay bud," I said trying to usher him back into his room. I practically had to wrestle the kid into the bed and make him sit still. It was hard counting his sweaty-ness, and he was way stronger than me, and my stomach was killing me.

"Laurel," he groaned again, "it's hot. Turn on the air conditioner or something."

Complying with his request, I turned the air conditioner in his room down to sixty, and knowing it was going to be freezing in here; I went to his dresser to steal some warm clothes. I took two pairs of sweat pants, a tank top, and a sweater. Jake was rolling on his bed in front of the air conditioner with a queer smile on his face.

After changing into the warm clothes, I grabbed the phone from the living room and went back to Jake's room. He was already sitting up and looking better. "Laurel, are you crazy," he almost shouted at me, "it's hot out and you have all those clothes on?"

Am I crazy? What the hell? I scooted across his room, trying to keep the sweat pants up and fumbling with the phone. "You're the crazy one. It's forty something degrees out, and I got your air conditioner on to make it sixty in here while the heater is running," I snapped at him, trying to ease myself onto the bed without hurting myself. I was going to call Alex, because it was looming in on six and I said I'd call him as soon as I got home. Now that I'm not going home, I might as well call him.

I laid back with a sigh, looking to my left at the lunatic with only a pair of boxers on trying to cool off. A chill crept down my spine, it was freezing in here. He smiled at me, eyes half lidded and laid down too.

Rolling my eyes, my fingers pressed Alex's number into the phone. Four rings later he answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Alex, it's Laurel."

"Hey! Where in the world are you? It's storming like crazy, are you okay?"

"Jake's. Fine. He's sick though, so I'm going to stay here because Billy has to go help a friend out. Thought I'd call you."

"Oh... do you need me to come help?"

"Help?"

One glance at Jake told me no, Alex couldn't come 'help'. He was glaring at me, a not so nice sneer on his face and looking as if he would bite anyone's head off at any second.

"Yeah, if he's sick you might need help."

A twinge in my stomach, and a few blinks later I felt like I was going to be sick. The thought of Alex coming over sort of repulsed me. "No," I choked out, "It's fine. I got it under control. Oh... Jake don't throw up there!" I said out loud like I was talking to Jake himself. He cocked an eye brow at me and looked around like I was talking to someone else. My teeth sank into my bottom lip to keep from laughing. "Got to go," I breathed out breathless, "Jake's throwing up."

I pressed the end button and tossed the phone onto the pile of clothes off to the side of the bed; as a rightous laugh erupted from my throat.

"Since when as I throwing up," Jake smiled rolling next to me on the bed. My head rolled to the side to look at him, smiling, "Since I didn't want to talk to Alex while I'm hanging out with you."

Then there was the Jake smile. That smile will be the death of me one day. But since today's not that day, oh well. I flipped on my stomach, but then grunted because that wasn't a good choice. Forgotten completely about my stomach bruise. Jake's hand was already flipping me over, fingers running over the sweater. I sucked my teeth, trying not to make much noise—I didn't want him to know I was hurt when he was the one that was sick.

Letting out a giant sigh, I closed my eyes and counted to ten, something to let me get my mind off the pain. Next thing I knew, something was burning against my stomach—and it surprisingly felt extremely good. "Laurel, is this when I elbowed you," Jake asked loudly next to me. I peeked an eye open, to see him start to move his hand. There, as big as three softballs was a black bruise with blue and purple lining the edges. My breath caught in my throat as I looked back up to him. A look of horror lined his face, and he looked like he did when he was beating the crap out of Jared.

"Jake," I breathed, "listen to me. It's all my fault okay? I picked a fight with him, I jumped on top of you. It's fine."

He looked at me with his eye brows furrowed together with utter confusion on his face. "I did that to you Laurel, are you going blind? I. Did. That. Your best friend, did that to you."

In one quick moment, he turned away from me, letting out a groan of rage. I pushed myself up quickly to my knees and spun him around. He still looked utterly pissed. I grabbed his hands and pressed them against the bruise. "It's okay. I'm at fault. This makes it feel better," I stated smiling at the feel of heat on the skin. Jake sighed, "You're really cold."

He was still sweating, and in the crappy lighting his small room provided with the window, I couldn't help but see his muscles. "And you're really hot."

After the statement, I felt the heat start to flow through my body easily. And it became to hot to wear the damned sweater.

I pulled it off, and crawled to the head of the bed, where I sat myself up on his pillows. "Get some more sleep kid, I know you need it," I yawned scratching my arm. He crawled in right next to me, an arm easily sliding under my lower back, and his other hand palming my stomach. My arms were slung along the pillows, and he rested his head on my chest.

"Night Laurel," he yawned, squeezing my stomach slightly.

I pressed a hand into his hair, fingering it and sighing, "Night Jake."

Yeah; one hell of a freaking night.

In the morning, I woke to Jake in the same position, and me with only one pair of sweats on. And it was hot, almost too hot. Both of my hands were trapped under Jake's arm that was attached to the hand, that was attached to my stomach. I leaned down to press my lips to his forehead.

Quickly I snapped away, he was hotter than he was yesterday. I've got to call Billy, someone, or do something. Gently I pulled myself away from him, trying not to wake him up.

Before I could grab the phone, I heard the front door open. I peeked my head out of Jake's doorway to see Embry making his way towards me. "Hello sleeping beauty, is your prince awake," he chuckled pushing past me to get into the room.

"He's burning up, bad Embry. I think we got to take him to the hospital."

For a slight second he looked concerned, until he peeled his gaze away from Jake and back to me. "How about you get your stuff together and I'll take over from here, yeah?"

Nodding slowly I started for the front door. Embry grabbed my arm, holding me back. "What is it—" I stopped when I saw him nudging Jake awake. When Jake started to set up, rubbing his eyes, I looked back to Embry. "Laurel," he laughed, "as much as I love doing this, whatever you hear, don't come back. Jake's going to kill me most likely. Just leave alright?"

"Okay...?"

Whatever that means... Just as I was about to turn around again, Embry spun me around.

And his lips were moving over mine in a harsh kiss.

My eyes widened, trying to push him off of me, but to no avail did he comply. It was only when I started to beat on his chest did any sound come from Jake. "Embry? Laurel? What are you two... Fuck! Get your hands off of her you slimy pig," he started to holler. Embry broke the embrace thankfully, spinning me around again. "Don't come back, alright sweet cheeks," he whispered in my ear before slapping my ass and pushing me out the door.

Before I got over the shock, the door slammed in my face, and a rather familiar fist came through it. When it retreated, I could see Jake already picking up things and starting to throw them at Embry.

Screw this.

I ran outside and jumped on Molly, not even bothering to throw on my helmet.

None the less, Jake's yells and screams of anger rung in my ears as I left.

And him throwing and breaking things, over Embry most likely.