"Jake...You felt that suffocating burning too, didn't you?"

He nodded, holding his head in his hands. "I don't know what I can say or do at this point to.."

I cut him off, "The topic at hand isn't your choice, so don't apologize. We just need to figure this out, that's all." I sat down next to him and leaned in so we didn't need to talk so loudly, the other patrons didn't need to hear our business.

"Bella..." He looked at me, his eyes were screaming apologetically at me, "The only option is for you to move home and I can't let you do that for me. You deserve to be here at school with..."

"Jake..."

He cut me off this time, "No." He stated. "You are not giving up on your career."

"Who said I'm giving anything up? I can forward my transcripts to the Forks College. I can still get the degree if I wanted it."

"If? What? Now you don't want to be a teacher?" He shook his head, in disbelief I'm sure. This was all new to us and definitely not something either of us liked.

"I really don't know what I want,I don't know what I want to do right now. And with this happening now, I think it's the perfect time to take a semester off and re-group and evaluate. A lot has changed."

He bit his thumb nail and looked at me under his shaggy bangs, something in me just clicked and I felt myself feeling differently. I shared everything with Jake, I've always trusted him and always wanted him to be happy but now I was staring into the face of my future dead on. Jake was it for me, he was my future, my solace in the storm so to speak he was my other half. I was stupid to think I could just go away for 4 years and replace the feelings I'd had for him, but this truly was a sign from beyond I couldn't quite shake. I'd had re-occurring dreams about Jake and I's future that I never told him about, ones that scared me, ones that involved children and a life filled with ups and downs but in the end of all of them the message was with our love we could literally move mountains. I knew he was stressing about it but felt like it was me sacrificing everything but truthfully with him being attached to the Res it had to be this way and I was happy to be sacrificing this for him. I could make up for the last couple of years I ignored him and treated him so poorly, he deserved that.

"Love is about sacrifices on both ends and I owe you."

He sighed, "Bella, you don't owe me anything...I,"

My turn to cut him off by placing my hand on his and tugged it away from his mouth to stop him from gnawing his thumb off. "Jake. I do owe you something, a lot actually. You have been an incredible source of light in my life and I want to return that for you. I want to support you in everything that you do, I want to be by your side through your ups and downs and be your source of light. I owe you that not only because I love you, but because I treated you so badly in the past and because you were always my light, even when I didn't know I was lost in the dark. You did."

He smiled at me with so much love I leaned back in my chair, still holding his hand in mine, wet with his saliva. He didn't know what to say and he didn't need to, so I lightened the mood, "Besides...I'm tired of not getting any sleep." I winked at him and a smile lit up his face, he was thankful for not having to get too deep with a response to what I'd just said.

"God! Me too." He chuckled and retracted his hand, only to began nervously scratching his forearm.

I smiled at him, "What are you thinking?" I pointed to his arm and he stopped and smiled.

"Just how we made it. I mean, we've been through hell numerous times and you even hated me at one point."

"That's not true." How he could think that killed me inside.

He eyed me, "Really?"

I shook my head, "Of course not! I may not have liked you or even understood you at times and I didn't always love you but I do now...Hell is an understatement Jacob, and I could apologize to you the rest of my life and never feel it's enough for what I put you through."

He widened his eyes slightly and closed them, "I'm sorry, I just thought...Well, it's in the past anyways. Thanks for saying all of that."

"Of course." I knew he needed to hear all of that, despite how badly it opened up the still not fully healed wound that was ever present. I'd fully accepted the fact that I was never going to see the Cullen family again and I was happy that I'd found Jacob and that I was with him. But I was still partially guarded, afraid of something that still was unknown to even me. I was led into this world of vampires and made choices that should have never been in my sight to begin with. I promised myself to the Volturi to become one of them and though the Cullens assured me they would fix that I wasn't too sure. Who's to say they wouldn't come back one day and change me themselves and kill everyone in my life that knew about them? I shuddered and returned my attention back to Jacob who was waiting on an answer to something.

"What'd you say?" I asked, he smiled knowing I hadn't heard a word he said.

"I said, Should I call the council and see if they'll bring you home with me? They'd most likely cover all the moving costs."

"Oh, yes. But why would they do all of that for me? I can understand you, you protect them..."

He chuckled, "Imprint. You are now a member of our tribe, if that makes any sense. You are their concern now just as much as I am."

I smiled, that had a nice ring to it. Having a huge support system behind me was welcomed. "Well that will take some getting used to, but I'm glad I have more support behind me should I need it."

"What do you mean?"

I shook my head, "Nothing. So, should we head back to the dorm now and figure all of this out? I know you still need to get back by next Monday so we should probably get things in motion now."

He nodded and helped me out of my chair and we headed in the direction of the dorms, "Did you have any idea this trip would change your life so drastically?"

"No I didn't, but I have a feeling life with you will always be this way." I giggled and squeezed his hand.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

Jake had called the Res and spoke with one of the members but they needed to consult Old Quil and told him they would return his call that evening. So while we were milling about the apartment packing he got the call and he excused himself to go take the call.

I was packing up all of my desk items and couldn't stop grinning even though the nagging suffocation was present, even being a room over it was hard. He suddenly appeared in the doorway and leaned against the frame, smiling a knowing smile at me. It was so cute that he needed to see me in order to feel better, though I'd have to pick some brains when I got home. This had to get easier, because as of right now being out of each other's sights was hard enough. I smiled back at him as the pain ceased and I went back to packing.

I heard Jake tell them his flight information and he motioned for a paper and pen which I promptly handed him as he mouthed a thank you. He was so polite, well mannered, kind, funny...and don't get me started on how handsome he is. He hung up he phone and plopped down on the floor next to me, "Well...I've got good news and bad. Which would you like first?"

"Hhhm...Bad first."

He chuckled, "Bad news is there was no room on my flight." My heart sank at the prospect of having to fly home without him, would suffocating actually happen? "And the moving van would only be able to come tonight at 6."

I nodded, "So, the good please?" I laughed at his face.

"Well, the good news is the Res paid for the moving van to be here at 6 and rented us a rental car and told me to use the Visa card they gave me, so tomorrow we can drive back to Forks."

I shook my head, not believing that the Res just took care of everything like that. "Wow. Wait, we have to drive? Why would they do that and not just find us another available flight together?"

He smirked, "I may have suggested it..."

I laughed, "Why? It'll take forever." I met his knowing gaze and I nodded, "Oh. I get it."

"Yep!" He popped the p and hugged his knees to his chest. "So...anything I can help with?"

I nodded and set him to work putting all my clothes and necessities into my suitcase for the trip home.

5:30 (30 minutes till the truck arrives)

"So what'd the Res say about you imprinting?" I asked Jacob, he had hauled the last box next to the door an hour ago and we were resting on the couch in an exhausted stupor.

"Congratulations." he said lazily, "They said they could not wait to meet Jacob Ephram Black's mate. I hate that word, it makes it sound like we're dogs. Well...we are...but..."

"You aren't a dog, your spirit is a wolf which is a decedent from the dog family. Wolves are very beautiful, I'm not a fan of dogs Jake." I giggled, his thumb tickling my hip bone.

"So you don't want my pups?" He joked, feigning hurt.

"Oh my god." I laughed, causing him to chuckle lazily. "Does the gene get handed down to every generation or does it skip?"

"Males typically get the gene handed down to them, Leah is a weird exception."

"So your kids will go through this too unless you have girls."

"Unfortunately." he looked to be half asleep but it was so sweet, I knew he was wore out but I had so many questions.

"Is a pregnancy different from a normal one if you have a child with the gene?"

He shifted slightly, looking annoyed for a split second but he turned his head to me and peeked through his long eyelashes at me. "No, the gene is activated like mine was. Pregnancies are normal."

"But then they morph into wolves and everything. That's good to know."

His eyes were closed again, his lips barely moving, "You are curious today."

I felt myself feeling sleepy, "Have to be prepared."

"To have a baby?" He'd opened his eyes and was staring at me now.

"Well yes, I don't know anything about wolf babies. It's kind of scary to think about, I'm just educating myself for when the time comes."

He shook his head slightly and looked at me like I'd said something to him that he'd never heard before, "Wait a second...Are you telling me that you want to have my kids?"

I'd always been against re-production, he'd remembered that about me apparently. It had always been something that spiraled me into this deep dark depression about aging and growing older than Edward. But everything in me changed when I got with Jacob, that life was all about aging and growing old together and spending our lives raising a few children together...it was the life I now wanted more than I'd ever imagined. "I am, yes."

"So...who are you and where is my Bella?" He chuckled, shaking me from side to side.

"It's still me." I giggled, "I see things differently with you, I want things I never wanted before. I want to experience everything with you Jake, you make everything so fun and I think raising a child with you would be an incredible experience."

He looked stunned and speechless momentarily before smiling my smile. "First comes love...second comes marriage...then comes Bella with a baby carriage." He wiggled his eyebrows as I giggled at the thought of actually being married to this big lug, my heart rate accelerated at the thought of donning his namesake. "I don't want anyone to have my puppies except you." He kissed my forehead and I groaned playfully, I hated the phrase puppies but it was also kind of cute.

()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()()

The movers took my stuff and we piled into Jacob's rental car, it was a nice ford focus, orange and it had all the bells and whistles but I was anxious to get home to my baby. The truck was ancient and it was awful on gas but it was a present from Jacob when I moved back to Forks. I will never forget that truck or the love and work he put into it before gifting me with it. I try not to think about how excited he was hearing I was moving back, his buddy...and how I ignored him entirely for two years. But I was making up for that now, I wasn't about to leave his side and I know we're young but when you know you know.

We drove laughing and talking about Candy's escapades and how awkward it was to sit there while they did it next to us. I wondered to myself if Jacob was ready to take it to that next level, I wasn't but I was still curious. I wanted to explore each others bodies, I wanted to touch his body my god it turned me on just thinking about it. I clenched my legs shut tightly to wish away the feeling in my core and looked out the window. I felt Jacob tense next to me, he was holding my hand and he tugged it gently, "Hey, what do you say we stop in two hours, we'll be in New York." I nodded, still uneasy about my wetness. He just nodded and we drove on in comfortable silence.

We pulled into the hotel and he checked in, the concierge made me giggle as he referred to us as Mr. and Mrs. Black. He gave us our keys and room number and told us to 'enjoy your heavenly stay with us in the penthouse honeymoon suite'. We assumed it was because of the credit card we'd used, they just assumed but we were in New York so naturally people with lots of money spent it here.

Our room was massive, even for Jacob. With vaulted ceilings, a massive formal living room, a master bedroom overlooking the city and a bathroom that...if we were at that stage a couple bath overlooking the city lights would be lovely!

Jacob had ordered a fast and furious movie on pay per view for us and ordered us a pizza which we munched on, the movie was good I had to admit and I followed the story line pretty well. But it was my turn to pick and loved 'Friends With Benefits' and eagerly chose it, when Jacob returned from the bathroom he raised an eyebrow.

"What the..."

"It's really funny! Mila and Justin are hilarious together. You'll love it."

"Ok. If you say so."

We'd laughed hysterically through the entire movie twice, he wanted to watch it a third time but I was ready to call it a night. "You can! I'm going to go try to get some sleep though. I'm really exhausted."

He flipped the TV off and walked towards the bedroom, "Quick. Let us go." I laughed out loud and followed behind him, he took a shower and emerged smelling amazing. His hair was damp and long in his eyes, his pajama pants were plaid and hung just below his hips where that amazing V began.

"Bella." Jacob was laughing and I looked down quickly, wondering why he was laughing.

"What?" Jacob walked over to me and pulled me to him, my hands instinctively reached out and landed on that delicious V. I pulled my hands off but was unsure of where to put them so they were in mid air a few seconds before I put them on my hips.

"I catch you staring at this all the time." he gestured to his southern region and I blushed like a mad woman.

"I...Uh...No."

He laughed, "You Uh. Yes. Just touch it." He took my hand and I pulled it away from his grasp.

"Jake, stop." I pulled away from him and stared at his confused look.

"Bella, it's just skin...why are you getting so worked up?"

I was appalled that he thought of it as just skin...it's his most private body part and I was appalled he thought I was looking at it or that I even wanted to touch it!

"It's...jesus Jake...It's not just skin it's...your private area...how could you think I look at it? Or that i'd want to touch it non-chalantly like this?!"

Jacob shook his head instantly, "Bella, I'm not talking about...I was..." He rubbed his hands over the edges of his v and looked at me again, "I meant my cut."

"Oh. My. God." I buried my head in my hands, he wrapped me in a hug and began to calm me down.

"It's okay, it was a mistake."

"A COLLOSAL MISTAKE!"

"It's okay. I wouldn't be so careless with a sexual reference like that, ever."

I honestly didn't feel all that comfortable touching Jacob's body at this point, I knew that I wanted to the wetness in my jeans was enough of a reminder. However, I knew I wasn't fully ready to leap forward in our relationship. I nodded, "I'm going to go shower." He kissed my temple and I let my worries wash down the drain with a long, hot shower. Nobody banging on the door telling me to hurry up or that they needed to pee, the door was unlocked anyhow should he need to go. I wouldn't miss living with Candy in any way, I was relieved to be going home to those I loved. But living with Charlie wasn't something I wanted to do forever...I'd need to start considering a different outcome. Jacob would be 18 in 7 months and until then Charlie would be up my butt, I really didn't want that.

"Jake?" I was towel drying my hair, in my tank top and pajama shorts

"Yes?" He was laying on the bed watching Friends With Benefits, it made me laugh. "I love it, okay?" He laughed.

"I told you! What do you think about me moving out on my own when we get back?"

He paused the movie and raised his eyebrows, "I mean...I think that's more on you and how it makes you feel. I'd come see you either way, it'd be easier since Charlie has become a sex natzi but not necessary."

I laughed, "Sex Natzi. Did I ever tell you what he gave me for my graduation gift?" He shook his head slowly, afraid of the answer. "Condoms."

"No!"

"Yeah. I was thinking of getting a studio over downtown, they don't cost much I don't think. It's just a big room a small bathroom and a small kitchen, it's like 380 a month or so. I could get a job during the day."

"And school at night." He said kind of sad.

"So no time for you..."

"See, no." He sat up, "Move out and get a job, this is your life you need to do what you want. I'm supportive of everything you want to do."

"OH! I could call that guy and sign with him, I get paid for a sign on bonus!"

"Wait, what?"

"I googled them the other night to see if he was legit, and you get a 500, 000 dollar sign on bonus. Then you make a record and they get 40% of your sales you the rest! It's like the perfect job."

"You are serious about it?" He looked excited and I tossed my towel and brushed through my hair quickly, I wanted to snuggle up to him.

"It's worth a shot, I mean...right?" He nodded and I got in bed, curling into his side.

"Yes, I think you should go for it! You have an incredible voice."

"Thank you and I'm sorry I freaked out earlier about the..." I just pointed.

He chuckled, "It's really okay, that was a joke gone bad. Won't happen again."

"I don't have a problem with you joking around Jake, I love that you do that. It was just an embarassing misunderstanding."

He nodded and I sighed, "I really don't know why it's so fascinating to me."

He intertwined our fingers together and laid our hands on his abdomen. "Maybe you subconsciously want me." He joked again.

"It's not subconsciously Jake." I squeaked out, I could hear his heart rate speed and I buried my head into the side of his chest. "I am not ready to go there yet, I know I'm not. But I like looking at you and thinking about it."

He chuckled and squeezed my hand, "We'll go slow, we have a long time together and I'm a patient grasshopper."

I laughed, "Thanks."

"You're welcome. I'd hate to have to wear a shirt." I scoffed and grabbed his chin playfully shaking it.

He laughed and bent to kiss me. We kissed a while until our exhaustion took over and we fell asleep mid kiss.