A/N All thing Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer

BPOV

Four months had passed since the showdown in the front yard of the Cullen's house. Things had gone back to normal; well as normal as they ever were. The creepy messages from Edward stopped; Alice and I had kept in contact though. She'd call me all the time, trying to make up for all the months of not speaking; she'd even flown out here a few times.

Carlisle had followed through on Italy. Alice said Edward and Carlisle had been on a plane to Volterra the morning after the "showdown". Once in Italy, the powerful Italian vampires kept Edward under a watchful eye.

One snowy weekend after Thanksgiving, Alice and I were on our way back to her house from Port Angeles when she told me they were going to see Edward for Christmas.

I had nodded trying to be polite, but not really caring about what Edward was doing. Then she started picking on my truck, "You know," she said with her nose wrinkled, "you should really think about re-upholstering the seats." She plucked at the frayed fabrics.

"Hey, leave my baby alone," I said defensively.

Charlie had made quite a fuss about Alice's sudden reappearance. He liked Alice a lot, he said, but the whole family had caused me enough trouble. I explained, over and over again, that Alice wasn't coming back permanently, just every once in a while to see me. And under no circumstances was I ever going to leave Jacob. Charlie gave me hell for a few days, and then Jacob talked to him. I don't know what was said or what Jake told him, but after that Charlie calmed down about the whole Alice in Forks thing.

Emily and Sam had gotten married on New Years Eve. It had been a small ceremony, just the pack and a few family members. I had been worried about her lately; every time I talked to her or went to see her, she looked sick and feverish.

As I sat in the parking lot waiting for the truck to warm up, Angela and Ben walked across the snowy parking lot, hand in hand. I waved at them. Angela smiled and waved back. The vents started kicking out warm air as I backed out of the parking space. I headed down toward La Push to see Emily. She was supposed to go to the doctor today to find out what was wrong with her. I felt a little bad; I hadn't spent much time with her since Alice came back. I tried my best to balance out my life, but between school, family, and friends I sometimes came up short.

When I pulled up to Emily's her car wasn't in the driveway. I turned the truck off and knocked on the door on the off chance that Sam had taken the car and Emily had stayed behind. There was no answer, so I got back in the truck and drove to Jacob's instead. He still had my old copy of Wuthering Heights, and my bookshelf looked naked without the raggedy book.

"Hey," he said, opening the door, "I thought you were going to Emily's?"

He pecked my lips, "I was," I told him, "she's not there."

"Oh. Well come on in out of the snow."

JPOV

I was surprised to see Bella at the door when I opened it. I hoped to hell she didn't notice the bulge in my pocket.

"I'll be right back," I said and darted down the hallway.

I took care of the bulge, slipping it into the top drawer of my dresser, and then went back to the living room where Bella was sitting flipping through a magazine. I sat down on the couch next to her and threw my arm over the back of the couch.

"So, your birthday is next week," she said, still flipping through the magazine.

"I know," I groaned.

"You're not excited?" she asked.

"In a way, yea. But really, look at me. Do I look 18?"

Bella shook her head no.

"So see, it doesn't really matter."

"So you don't want anything?" she asked me suggestively wiggling her eyebrows, climbing into my lap and playing with my hair.

"Just you, forever."

Bella closed the space between us, "That can be arranged."

EPOV

Volterra, Italy

I absolutely loathed Volterra. The summers were excruciatingly hot, the sun shone all the time forcing me to skulk around the city like the creature of the night I did not want to be.

It was dusk now, the air crisp. My dark cloak swirled around my ankles. There were families out and about, talking and laughing. Bits and pieces of their conversations swirled around me, like flakes of fallen snow.

There was a couple in front of me. They were walking with their arms intertwined, looking very much in love. It made me long for Bella. Thinking of Bella hurt, and I pushed the image out of my head. But it was too late.

I felt a familiar pang in my chest; Carlisle had been right to send me here; it had helped dull the pain, but it was always there; just under the surface. You'd think that time, distance and the knowledge that Bella was just as much in love with Jacob Black as he was with her would help. But truthfully, it didn't. Nothing did.

I roamed aimlessly, but after four months of being confined within the city walls it was hard to properly wander. There was only so far you could go.

I turned a corner into a dark alleyway, thinking I'd just go home. Up ahead, a dark haired girl turned the corner. Bella, I thought and hurried after her.

"Bella?" I called. She stopped and looked at me over her shoulder; the smiled and darted down another dark street.

I rounded the corner, "Bella?" I called, "Where are you?"

Up a head I saw her, she grinned at me, "Come on Edward; come find me."

I chased Bella around corners and down dark alleys. I turned another corner and saw her standing on a crowded street looking into a store window.

"Bella," I sighed, grasping her shoulder.

The girl, who was clearly not Bella looked at me, "Scusi, che cosa lo pensate state facendo?" (excuse me, what do you think you are doing?"), she said in rapid Italian.

"Sono spiacente (I'm sorry)," I replied, dropping my hand from her shoulder. I turned and walked quickly into the crowd. How could I have been so foolish? Bella wasn't here; she'd never be here again.

JPOV

La Push, Washington

I was 18. I lay in bed not really caring. Should I feel different, I though, Cause I don't. I still feel the same. I looked at my arms, still the same. Lifted the blankets and looked at my legs, still the same. I rolled out of bed and looked in the mirror. Still looked like me, same old Jake. I went back into my room and opened the top dresser drawer and looked inside. Still there, I thought and slid the drawer closed.

I was nervous. I hadn't been this nervous in I don't know how long. I had talked to my dad, who whole heartedly agree that it was the right thing to do. So then I went and talked to Charlie. His face had turned the most virulent shade of purple, eggplant really, when I told him what my plan was.

"You're too young," he had said when I first asked him. I had to explain that I wasn't going to do it today or tomorrow or even next week. When I told him I planned to wait till my birthday, he loosened up a bit.

"Look," I'd finally said, "I'm going to do it with or without your blessing, but for Bella's sake, I'd rather have your blessing."

Charlie and I had sat there staring at each other across the table.

"Fine," he eventually said, "You have my blessing. But if you hurt her, I'll shoot you."

BPOV

I parked beside the steps leading down the beach and got out of the truck. I stood at the top of the stairs and looked down. This was dangerous, navigating stairs in the dark. I looked down on the beach; there was a flicker, like someone had lit tiny bonfires all over the beach.

What the hell? I thought as I grabbed the railing and carefully descended the stairs. Jake was standing at the base of the steps.

"Hi," he said nervously.

"Happy birthday."

"Thanks," he said and led me to the picnic table that had been set up and left on the beach after one of the rez barbecues.

I realized where the flickering was coming from; someone, Jake, had set fat white candles into large glass hurricanes and buried them in the sand around the picnic table.

"Jake what is all this?" I asked looked around at all the candles.

"Well there's something I wanted to ask you," he said.

"Here on the beach? Jake it's freezing down here."

JPOV

What was I thinking? It was January and we were standing on the beach like a couple of ninnies.

"I'm sorry," I said reaching for Bella, "come on. We'll go back to my house where it's warm."

Bella stood there and crossed her arms over her chest. "No," she said, planting her feet, "you said you wanted to ask me something. You went to all this trouble, so ask me."

Since her showdown with Edward she'd gotten more aggressive. Bella took shit from no one; she was assertive and aggressive; it was beautiful to see that fire burning inside of her.

"Okay," I said, "come here." I held out my hand and she slipped her cool one into my warm one. I took a deep breath, "I love you, so much and I know that we're young, but really, what's age but a number. And really with all the weirdness I've got going on, and you able to accept it all. It just feels like this is the next logical step, and I hope you-"

"Jake, you're rambling," Bella interrupted.

"I am? Sorry, I'm just really…nervous."

"Nervous? What are you nervous?" Bella asked, panic starting to etch itself into her face.

"Okay, here it is." I took a deep breath and opened my mouth.

BPOV

"Will you marry me?"

"Oh my god!" I shrieked, "oh my god, Yes!"

Jacob pulled a small black box out of his pocket and opened it. Nestled inside the black box was a simple diamond engagement ring. The thin gold band and small square cut diamond sparkled in the candle light.

"It's beautiful," I breathed as Jake slid the ring onto my finger.

"It was my moms." He gazed at the ring on my finger, "it's a bit big. We'll have to get it resized."

I nodded and grabbed his face. "What did I ever do to deserve you?" I breathed.

"Everything and nothing," Jake said, kissing me breathless.

"Thank you," he said when his lips finally left mine.

"For what?"

"Giving me the best birthday ever."

Later as we were driving back to my house a thought occurred to me, "Um Jake?"

"Yea?"

"Did Charlie know you were gonna ask me to marry you?"

Jake nodded, "Yea. Right after Alice started visiting I overheard him and Billy talking about it. He was worried you were going to get tangled up in Edward's web and leave me broken-hearted. I talked to my dad about having my moms ring, and then I went and talked to Charlie to ask for his blessing."

"What did he say?" I asked, "Did he try to shoot you?"

Jacob laughed, "No. but he said if I hurt you he'd shoot me. He tried to tell me we were too young. If only he knew about half the things the two of us have been through."

We both laughed.

"If he only knew," I agreed.

Reviews are better than birthday engagements

Sorry for the late update..I was brainstorming ways to make this longer...cuz it looks like I'm coming to the end...I've got about two more chapters..and then I'm fresh out of ideas...but I am working on another story..something that came to me yesterday..another Bella and Jacob, all human story...