Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

All of you who are reviewing are seriously AWESOME! Thanks so much for your input and I hope I keep on making you happy!

There's a short A/N at the bottom of the chapter, so be sure to check it out.

- perfectshadeofdarkblue

Best Definition of Good Intentions

7 – Somewhere Weakness is Our Strength

It seemed Alice's personality was fully restored and she couldn't have been happier for Bella. Upon hearing of Bella's change in plans for the weekend, she spoke to her mother and changed her plans as well. She was still planning on going shopping in Seattle, but instead of redecorating her own bedroom, she and Esme were going to prepare Edward's room for when he joined their family. There was an extra room on the second floor that shared a bathroom with Emmett's room and was across from her own room, but they wanted to do something special for the newest addition to the Cullen clan so he would feel more welcome and comfortable. The third floor of their house was merely an open space. Half as large as the other floors, it was more like a loft than anything else. And like the rest of the house, the back wall was entirely glass, providing the best view of the surrounding forest. Esme had always had ideas of what to do with the rest of the room, but never got any farther than adding a soft, black leather couch. Hardwood lined the half of the floor closest to the stairs while the other half was covered in a plush almost-gold carpet.

While Alice and Esme were canvassing the streets of Seattle rifling through the choices of beds, lamps and armoires, Renee and Bella were nestled into a small café, enjoying a cup of coffee while looking out on the rainy streets of Port Angeles. They had plans to leisurely walk throughout the city, stopping in stores that piqued their interests but the dreary weather put a damper on their plans. Any bystander would have thought these were the plans they had originally made for the day judging by how their mood's reflected it. Nothing could upset either today.

The first part of their morning had transpired without a hitch. Renee had claimed that Bella was going to need a dress to wear for the graduation ceremony that was only a few weeks away. After deciding on a basic navy blue sundress, they moved onto finding a suitable pair of shoes to match, where Bella proceeded to showcase her lack of balance. Trying on heel after heel, she stumbled her way around the store until she found a pair she could walk in. Once the bags were safely stored in trunk of Renee's car, a light rain had begun to fall. The mother and daughter continued roaming the streets until the precipitation started to fall more steadily. Quickly they ducked into a quaint café where they ordered lunch and enjoyed people watching while catching up.

Despite Renee's recent distance from the family, she still seemed to be fairly in-tune with the goings-on of Bella's life. She asked why she and Alice hadn't been hanging out with Angela as much lately, to which Bella explained Angela's new relationship with Ben. Renee gushed, recalling elementary school memories when Bella, Angela and Ben had all been in the same class. He was always such a sweet boy, she exclaimed. Then unexpectedly, Renee turned the attention to Bella.

"And what about you, dear? Anyone catching your eye?" Renee delicately sipped her tea, trying to remain nonchalant. She didn't want her daughter to think she was prying. She was merely asking out of curiosity.

For a moment, Bella was stunned. She didn't know how to respond. "Uh, well. Umm…no, not really," she managed to stammer.

"You're such a beautiful girl; you could have any boy you like. There's no need to rush into dating just anyone. Just wait for the right boy to come along," Renee advised.

Bella couldn't hold back her laughter. Sarcastically, she said, "Yea, Mom. That's the problem – I'm too picky."

Renee stared at her blankly, waiting for further explanation.

"It's not like there's a line of guys waiting for the chance to ask me out. But it doesn't matter, because I'm really not interested in any of the guys from school," Bella quickly added the last part of her statement to avoid her mother's obligatory praise of her beauty.

"What about Tyler? Have you ever thought about getting back together with him?"

"Mom!" Bella chided. "We broke up five months ago! And no, I haven't thought about getting back together with him. Our relationship was awful enough the first time – he liked me so much more than I liked him. And nothing's changed since then, so it wouldn't be fair to him," Bella reasoned.

"Oh, sweetie. There's nothing wrong with having a little fun! Besides, you all didn't date for very long, how can you be so sure of how you feel about him?"

"Three months of dealing with Tyler's overeager personality was plenty long enough, thanks."

"Don't you ever get tired of being alone?" Bella could sense her mother slipping out of her parental role as she often did. Which meant it was time for Bella to assume the upper hand. Before she could move them off the topic, Renee spoke again, "Alice has Jasper, Emmett's got Rosalie and now Angela's with Ben. Where does that leave you? By yourself."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Better than being with someone I don't want to be with."

"But how can you know so easily without giving a person a shot?"

"How can you seriously ask that question? Look around, Mom. Why would I want to deal with all the heartache and pain and frustration that come along with that? It's not worth it."

"What on Earth gave you that idea?"

It was Bella's turn to stare at her mother. She watched as realization dawned over the older woman's features as she resumed her motherly position.

"Oh, Bella, you can't really think that! Sure, hard times befall everyone, but that's only because love is such a powerful thing – it wouldn't make sense for it to be easy. Love is what makes this world a little more bearable; you have to be open to it, you never know where you might stumble across it."

The sadness in Renee's eyes was almost too much for Bella. "Alright, Mom, I'll remember that. Now come on, it looks like the sun's coming out. Let's keep walking."

After they cleared their table and exited onto the sidewalk, Renee paused before continuing on.

"Bella," she said softly causing her daughter to stop mid-step and turn back towards her.

"Yea, Mom?"

"Let me say just this one last thing, and then I'll drop it. Promise."

"Okay. What is it?"

"Well, I know I haven't always been the best role model and example of love, but I don't want that to discourage you. You have to believe that there's a love out there for you. A love greater than all others, a love solely meant for you. But finding it may not be easy, you may get confused on occasion, thinking you've found it then realizing you haven't. Don't let that discourage you, either. You have to believe you'll find it. And once you do, you can't let it go. No matter what."

Renee spoke with such conviction, Bella wondered if there was some hidden meaning to her words. They'd only been talking about how she wasn't having enough fun for a girl her age, but it seemed like her mother was trying to tell her something else now. Either way, Bella didn't really want to press the issue. She wanted to agree and move on.

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm only sixteen…"

"You're almost seventeen, now," Renee corrected, perking up.

"Five months, Mom. But it doesn't matter – plenty of time!" They stood on the street just looking at each other for a moment then Bella turned around, "Now, let's go! There's a bookstore a couple of blocks down that I want to check out."

The two continued their afternoon of shopping, even enjoying some time walking along the pier. Sometime around five o'clock, they left Port Angeles and made their way to La Push. Since they normally drove to La Push from Forks and weren't used to the drive from Port Angeles, it took much longer than expected. Parking in front of the Black's house, they glanced at the clock with a sigh of relief escaping their lips when they realized they weren't late. Next to them in the driveway was Charlie's cruiser, which meant they were back from fishing. As they were through the door, Billy rolled his wheelchair from the kitchen to greet his newest visitors.

"How's the truck running, Bella?" Billy asked as she leaned down to hug him. Bella's red truck had in fact belonged to Billy previously. Charlie bought it from him for her sixteenth birthday since he no longer had a use for it. His son had even restored it a bit before letting it go, but whether that was because of the truck's age or his love of cars, one would never know.

"Don't worry, I'm taking good care of it! Jacob did a great job on the engine," Bella didn't know much about cars, but she did know that any car that old, with that many miles on it, wouldn't run as well as her truck unless it had had some great work done. Bella couldn't even complain about its loud rumbling when she thought about it.

Billy laughed as he turned his attention to her mother, "Renee. It's so great to see you again."

Renee hugged him in turn, "It really has been far too long. Thank you so much for having us all for dinner tonight."

They followed Billy into the kitchen where Sue Clearwater was standing over the sink, peeling vegetables. Sue greeted them both, stopping her dinner preparations just long enough to pour Renee a glass of wine. They clinked their glasses and as if on cue, someone bellowed from the living room.

"Hey! Can I get another beer?" The deep voice seemed to shake the walls of the small house.

Sue opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of beer off the shelf. Before closing the door she called out, "Charlie? Billy?"

"We're good. Thanks, Sue," Charlie's voice carried through the house.

"Here, Seth. Bring this to your father," Sue handed the drink to her son who had been setting the table.

"Where's Leah?" Bella asked, referring to Sue's older daughter. Leah was two years older than Bella and even though they didn't get along really well because of their differences, Bella could have used from another girl around to escape with.

"Off with Sam somewhere. I swear, those two are going to get sick of each other real soon if they keep spending this much time together," Sue answered, resuming her peeling.

"Can I help with anything?" Renee asked, washing her hands in the sink as though Sue had already given her a project. Sure enough, Sue handed her another potato and peeler and the two women started gossiping in no time.

As much as Bella loved the familial interactions, she knew she was in for a boring evening. Every time they got together with the Blacks and the Clearwaters, she had a boring evening. Her mother and Sue always bonded over being the only two women around, usually laughing about their husbands. Billy, Charlie, and Sue's husband, Harry always found some kind of sporting event on television or were too tired from fishing all day to do anything. Billy's son Jacob, who was only a year younger than Bella, usually joined the men lounging in the Blacks' living room or disappeared to his garage with Seth, who, at two years Jacob's junior, idolized him. That usually forced Bella and Leah to make awkward conversation, that after not very long settled into a common bored silence. But Bella wouldn't even have Leah around tonight to distract her a bit. Then she remembered that Billy's two older daughters were supposed to be in town. She jumped off the bar stool and headed into the living room.

The television was on full blast and Bella was surprised she couldn't hear it louder from the kitchen. It looked like they were watching an ESPN special about the March Madness that had ended nearly a month before. Harry was stretched out over half the couch with one foot resting on the coffee table. His glasses were slid down his nose so that his hand could be rest against the back of the couch and he could still clearly watch the picture on the screen. With a beer in hand and an array of empty bottles on the table, he made for quite a sight. Billy's wheelchair was perched by the opposite side of the couch from Harry. He was leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees, staring intently at the screen. The frustrated crease in his forehead was apparent in his dark skin. His long, black hair was tucked behind his ears, tumbling down his back. He had such a dignified presence that he looked as though he should be concerned with more important issues other than a basketball game that happened over a month ago. His son was lounging on the floor in front of him. Stretch across the carpet, it looked as though he had grown. Jacob was a year younger than Bella, but even the last time that she had seen him, which was over a year ago, he was taller than her. He was lying on his stomach, resting his chin on his hands, giving Bella a nice view of the tight muscles in his back through his thin white t-shirt. He resembled his father so much from that back, that she could only believe his face was an exact replica of Billy's many years ago. Bella noticed that his hair looked newly shaved. The last time she'd seen him, he had worn it long, like his father, but apparently he'd adopted the buzzed look and tonight it looked at though it were freshly cut. Charlie was sitting on the love seat in a fashion similar to Billy's, although he retained no dignified air. Bella took the seat next to her father and for a moment no one in the room acknowledged her presence.

At the commercial, Seth joined them, sitting next to his own father. Charlie then turned and greeted his daughter with a smile. Bella turned her attention to Billy.

"Where's Rachel?" she asked referring to the middle Black child. Bella was closest to Rachel, despite their age gap; she was four years younger than the young Indian woman. But Rachel had never let the difference matter, unlike her older sister. Rachel always seemed to enjoy Bella's company when they were younger, forced together while their fathers fished. The two girls hardly spent any time together these days since Rachel hardly came home from Washington State where she went to school. All the extra time she was spending there was leading her to graduate early, but she still had at least another year left. She and her older sister were supposed to be home this weekend, but Bella couldn't see a trace of them anywhere in the house.

"The girls left earlier this afternoon. I tried convincing them to stay until morning, but they said they really needed to be on their ways," Billy spoke very diplomatically.

Bella was saddened for a moment at the prospect of really spending the evening alone in the house full of people, but then Sue announced dinner was ready and she was momentarily saved. It was hard for the group to be clique-y when they sat around the table. Because the party was so large tonight, there was second folding table added to the end, with a table cloth covering both so no one could even see the difference. Bella took a seat next to Seth and across from Jacob, in the middle of the table in the hopes of allowing the conversation to flow around her. She didn't necessarily want to be the center of the conversation, but she wanted to feel as though she belonged there.

She got her wish as Jacob's humorous stories being told across the table from her were the center of attention. Everyone joined in the laughter, no one else muttering a word as they worked on their meals. Seth only added to the light atmosphere by telling his own stories, trying to impress Jacob. And Jacob was a good sport about it, asking all the right questions, encouraging his younger friend. They spoke about cliff diving, which was apparently a favorite La Push pastime, which was when Bella's interest heightened. As scary as the activity sounded, the way Jacob described it, made it seem like the greatest rush on Earth. Normally, Bella wasn't a thrill seeker, but something about this particular rebellion really appealed to her. There was no way she would say so at the dinner table, calling additional attention to herself.

A comfortable silence blanketed the table as the final bits of laughter fell away. Everyone had finished their dinner but lingered at the table as the adults started their own, quieter conversation. Seth, Jacob and Bella remained silent and seated, knowing better than to get up from the table before they were excused. Finally, Sue stood up and started clearing plates, giving the cue for everyone to follow suit. When the table was clear, the men returned to their places in the living room upon the insistence of Sue and Renee.

"Hey, Dad, mind if I go work in the garage?" Jacob asked.

"Sure. Go ahead, son," Billy answered, his eyes never leaving the television.

"Hey, Jake, why don't you show Bella what you've been working on," Charlie suggested, looking up. He threw a small smile in the direction of his daughter, guessing how uncomfortable she was feeling. In fact, Bella had been thinking how long she needed to wait until claiming she didn't feel very well so they could leave early. She figured they would stay all night if she didn't intervene. She wasn't entirely put off by her father's suggestion though, and she followed Jake out the back door.

"I'm going with them, too!" Seth called out as he bounded through the door, trailing in their footsteps.

The garage was separate from the house and large enough for two cars, although was only occupied by one. The rest of the garage was covered in grease and tools that Bella couldn't name. Jacob cleared off a stool and moved it to a clean section of the floor so Bella could sit, without fear of getting dirty. Then he set about getting his equipment ready to be used. Seth hovered a safe distance behind him.

"So what are you doing?" Bella asked.

"Well since you bought the truck, thanks for that by the way, I'm restoring this car for when I get my license," Jacob replied, matter-of-factly.

"How long have you been working on it?" Bella asked, eyeing the car. She could tell it was a Rabbit, but barely. The car looked more like a mish-mash of pieces than a vehicle.

"Couple months," Jacob shrugged. Bella eyed him suspiciously. It looked more like he had just taken the car apart yesterday. "Don't give me that look! I know what I'm doing, your truck's still running, isn't it?" he teased.

"You're right, you're right. I won't doubt your skill," Bella conceded.

He smiled proudly at Bella and stuck out his hand, palm up, to Seth, asking for a specific tool. The hood of the car was lifted up and Jacob leaned down to peer at the mechanics.

"You know anything about cars?" He glanced up at Bella.

"I know how to turn one on," Bella offered. She laughed at her own silliness. She'd never spent much time with Jacob because she'd always been much closer to Rachel, but even after this short amount of time she was really enjoying herself. She felt so naturally comfortable around Jacob. Seth found her comment hilarious and he started cracking up.

Jacob beckoned her over to him, and started explaining what parts of the engine did what and what part he was working on now. Every so often, Seth would speak up, proving he, too, possessed a vast knowledge of automobiles. Jacob never tired of his interruptions and instead helped him learn even more. Bella thought that maybe it was because he was a more enthusiastic learner. Pretty soon, Bella managed to direct the conversation away from cars and she took her place back on the stool. Jacob absentmindedly worked on the car, while his focus remained on the conversation with Bella. They quickly breezed through subjects, catching up on Jacob's family and then Bella explaining why he and Billy hadn't seen much of her or Renee lately. She downplayed how bad things really were but that was only because she didn't want to ruin their happy conversation and because she didn't think it mattered since everything was practically cleared up. She had no problem admitting to Jacob that her family was flawed because she understand that he would never judge her or think any less of her for it. Next they were talking about school, with Seth's comments about how he could hardly wait for the next year to be over until he would join Jacob at the reservation's high school. Jacob resumed his role of storyteller, describing the antics he and his friends, Embry and Quil, participated in. Just as he was giving Bella the rundown on the prank they were planning for when they were seniors, there was a loud knock on the garage door, followed by two large boys tumbling in after one another. Bella was in awe of the mere size of the boys, although their faces still had boyish features, there heights were past the six foot mark by at least three inches. Jacob stood up to greet his friends and Bella noticed that he was still taller than either boy by at least two inches.

"Hey, Jake," one of the boys said. His face was rounder, gentler than the other's and his eyes were a lighter hazel shade, reflecting the dim light of the garage. His eyes took in the scene around them, noticing Bella for the first time. "Sorry, didn't know you had company," he nudged his friend and as smirks came across both of their faces, Bella could no longer tell them apart.

"Bella, this is Embry," Jacob introduced motioning towards the one who had just spoken. "And that's Quil."

Both boys nodded in her direction, then looked back at Jacob questioningly. "I'm just working on my car," Jacob added, as though there could have been a different reason he was hanging out in the garage.

"Sure. Well, we wanted to go cliff diving tomorrow off the top peak since the weather should be perfect but we need to make sure the trail's clear," Quil explained, eyeing Jacob again. "But since you're obviously busy, we'll just do it ourselves and see you tomorrow."

"Thanks, guys. That'd be awesome," Jacob's eyes flitted over to where Seth was quietly standing. It seemed as though he was in awe of the older boys.

"Hey, kid. Why don't you come with us? We could use an extra pair of hands," Embry understood Jacob's look and wanted to help him out by getting Seth out of his hair.

Seth looked over at Jacob, "Do you need anymore help with the car, Jake?"

"No, no. Go ahead. Besides, I've got Bella here."

Bella laughed, "Oh please. The only thing I'm doing is distracting you from the car."

Embry and Quil raised their eyebrows to Jake. "Well, you get back to it then," Quil said, turning towards the door. "Come on, Seth."

"Later, man," Embry called out.

"Cliff-diving, again, huh?" Bella teased.

"Yea. You really can't ever get tired of it, no matter how many times you do it. It never gets any less exciting," Bella could see the excitement in Jacob's eyes at his plans for te next day.

"It really sounds like it."

Jacob detected the sincerity in her voice, "Really? You want to cliff-dive? Normally, girls go running at the thought of throwing yourself off a cliff and into the crashing waves."

"Sounds cool," Bella answered simply.

"You really are something else, Bella, you know that?" Jacob looked at her adoringly.

Bella could sense the change in Jacob's voice and look from that last statement. Even though, they'd been borderline flirting throughout the night, she had been careful to make it seem as though she was merely being friendly. She remember what her mother had told her earlier that day as she smiled back at Jacob, "That's what they tell me."

Maybe her mom was right. Maybe there was nothing wrong with having a little fun.

A/N: So I'm just curious. How do you all feel about the chapter lengths so far? Do you like the shorter ones better? Or the longer ones? I've been trying not to make them too short, but if that makes them too long just let me know so I can stop! Also, I know there's some concern so I just want to give you all a heads up – Edward will be making his appearance very, very soon, so get excited for that! And as always, let me know what you think!

- perfectshadeofdarkblue