Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Sorry people.

AN:Comes out of hiding: Please don't hurt me! I have a valid explanation. My computer broke last fall. Then I quit my job. I was supposed to get a new computer for Christmas, but my Grandmother died a week before Christmas. So my dad and I weren't able to go computer shopping. Then we didn't have internet service. Then we moved over the summer and I didn't have security software for my computer. After all the setbacks I can finally update. I can finally talk to you guys again. :Donna does her Happy Dance: (It resembles The Carlton from the Fresh Prince of Bel Air.)

Whoever said that cooking for a group of six was easy had not had to deal with two still growing teenagers who just happened to be werewolves. Sue, Charlie, and Seth sat in the living room while Bella checked on the pot roast.

Sue had come in twice already asking if she could help. Bella had explained that since she had invited her over that she wouldn't feel right asking her to help.

"Okay, then I'll offer to help." Sue said, shrugging her shoulders.

"If you want to help, you can keep Seth out of the pot."

Seth came into the room a few seconds later. He pulled the lid off of the carrots that were boiling on the stove and grabbed a small handful. He popped them in his mouth as Bella and his mom watched.

"They're done." he said once he finished chewing.

"Nathan Seth Clearwater, don't you ever do that again. What if Charlie had come in?" Sue said as she smacked his shoulder.

"Sorry, Ma." he said with a sheepish smile.

"Apologize to Bella."

"Sorry."

"It's okay."

Bella drained the carrots and started on the glaze. She was pouring the brown sugar and honey mixture over the carrots when someone came up behind her. Their hands rested on her hips while their chin rested on her shoulder. She turned her head and was met with warm coffee colored eyes.

She kissed Jacobs cheek before his arms slid around her waist. She stepped into his embrace and rested her head against his shoulder. He kissed behind her ear before burying his face in her hair.

"I missed you." he mumbled into her neck.

"I missed you, too." she said with a smile.

Charlie came into the room, looking confused. Bella gave him a worried look.

"There's something scratching at your bedroom door and it's whining."

"Angus." she said before pulling away from Jacob.

Thirty seconds later, nails could be heard running across the wooden floor then down the stairs at warp speed. Seth was at the bottom of the stairs when something pawed at his legs.

"No way!" he said excitedly.

Bella came down a minute later. Seth had the dog on the floor with his pull toy. Angus might be small, but he played like a dog three times his size. Bella watched as Angus jumped on Seth's stomach, only to slobber him with kisses.

"Eww! Yuck." he said with a laugh before wiping his face.

"Where did he come from?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"I had him in Phoenix. I know you don't like dogs, so a friend of mine took care of him. Since they were leaving for college I went and got him a few days ago."

"What kind of dog is he?" Seth asked once Angus had settled in his lap.

"He's a miniature Dachshund."

"They're good watchdogs." Billy said with a nod.

"That little thing?" Sue asked in disbelief.

"You'd be surprised."

"How old is he?"

"Almost three."

Jacob came into the room, but stopped when he saw the dog. Angus lifted his head before trying to jump out of Seth's lap. Seth set him on the floor, and he took off at warp speed toward Jacob. He jumped two feet in the air as Jacob crouched down to his level. He scratched the dog's head with one hand while the dog licked the other.

"I don't feel bad leaving you alone now." he said, looking up at Bella.

"He makes for a great alarm system." she said with a laugh.

"But he's so small." Sue said, still not believing.

"He's vicious, aren't you little man?" Jacob asked as the dog rested his front paws on his knees.

"Well, he likes the boys. He must not be so bad." Charlie said with a shrug.

"I'm going to go check on dinner." Bella said before walking down the hall.

They were sitting down to dinner a few minutes later. Bella put Angus in the laundry room and put the gate up. He yelped and whined for a few minutes before curling up in a pile of warm towels.

"Why can't he stay in here?" Seth asked as he forked more pot roast onto his plate.

"Because he's an insistent beggar. You would feed him under the table, I just know it."

"He used to feed Max under the table." Sue said.

"I know he did, so did I." Bella said with a sly smile.

They talked and laughed through the rest of dinner. Bella was more than a little surprised when her dad offered to help her clean the kitchen. Sue gave him an encouraging look before letting Angus out of the laundry room. Bella scraped some pot roast into his bowl, and he skidded to a halt in front of it.

"He has a lot of energy doesn't he?" Charlie asked, watching the dog devour the food.

"He keeps me on my toes."

"He reminds me of someone. I can't place who."

"Jake."

"That's it. Not that Jake's a bad guy. He needs to lay off the sugar though."

"He's calmed down a lot in the past year."

"You coming back had something to do with that." Charlie said with a smile.

"Is there a reason why you're helping me? Not that I don't appreciate it."

"I wanted to talk to you about something."

"I had a feeling."

"What would you think if I started dating someone?"

"Does this person make you happy?"

"Yes, they do."

"Then I don't have a problem with it. Who is she?"

"Sue."

"I was starting to wonder why you were spending so much time with her. I guess I don't have to bring you food anymore, huh?"

"I usually eat at her house."

"What do you do with the food that I bring over?"

"It went to a good cause."

"Jared went nuts over your peach cobbler." Jacob said from the door.

"I gave it to Emily so that she wouldn't have to always cook." Charlie said as a blush crept up his neck.

"It's okay, Dad. At least it's getting eaten."

"Since you ratted me out you get to help her finish."

"I help her all the time." Jacob said, taking the towel from him.

They cleaned the kitchen in silence while Angus watched them from under the table. Jacob draped the towel over the drying rack before pulling Bella into his arms. She wrapped her arms around his waist while he draped his over her shoulders. She looked up at him with a smile.

"Hi."

"Hey." he said with a smile.

She laid her head on his chest as he rested his chin on top of her head. They stayed liked that until that someone cleared their throat. Jacob lifted his head to see his dad in the doorway.

"We're leaving. I just wanted to let the two of you know."

"Thanks for coming." Bella sai,d looking over her shoulder.

"You're welcome, Honey. Make sure he's home early on Sunday. Not eleven like last time."

"I will."

"Bye, Bells." Charlie called from the living room.

"Bye, Dad."

"Where's the dog?" Seth asked from the door.

"Angus is under the table."

Seth knelled down as he pulled out a chair. Angus' nails clicked slowly on the floor. Seth affectionately scratched the dog's sides while the dog licked him.

"Seth, lets go." Sue called from the hall.

"Bye." he said before standing.

The front door shut, and Angus went back to watching Jacob and Bella. Jacob brushed his lips over her forehead. She sighed as she tightened her grip on him. He drew lazy circles across her shoulders as her breathing slowed.

"Are you tired?" he whispered in her ear.

"No. Just worn out. I passed tired around noon."

"Why?"

"Angus isn't used to living here yet. He'll want down in the middle of the night, only to want on the bed again ten minutes later. Half an hour later, he'll want down again."

"Don't give into him, then."

"I can't handle his whining. It's sad."

"Then don't let him on the bed."

"He won't sleep at all unless he's next to me. I've tried that already."

"He's going to have some competition this weekend, then."

"I can't wait to see how he reacts to you." Bella said with a laugh.

"Come on. Let's go to bed." he said, leading her out of the room.

"Come on, Angus." she called over her shoulder.

The dog darted off and was waiting by the door for someone to take him outside. Bella took him outside while Jacob took a shower. She was in bed with the dog asleep at her feet when Jacob came in. She rested her book on her chest as she watched Jacob towel off. He climbed into bed, and Bella immediately draped an arm over his stomach. Her head rested on his shoulder. He picked up her book from the bed and reached across her to place it on the nightstand. He turned out the lamp next before brushing his fingers over her shoulder blades.

She sighed into his neck before closing her eyes. He kissed her temple before closing his own eyes. The dog moved farther down on the bed. His soft snoring could be heard as they drifted off to sleep.

XXXX

Angus' whimpering woke Bella up at seven the next morning. His sad brown eyes and reddish brown muzzle were all that she could see. Jacob must have let him up and down all night.

She started a pot of coffee while Angus waited eagerly at the back door. Around the time she was scooping coffee grounds into the maker, Angus took off at lightning speed for the front door; all the while barking up a storm. A soft knock let Bella know what the problem was.

She opened the door a crack while holding Angus by his collar.

"Stop." she said firmly.

She looked up before her eyes widened in surprise.

"Can you hold on a second? I need to find his leash."

"Sure." The person said giving her an unsure look.

Bella didn't like letting Angus out in the front yard. The first thing he did was make a run for the dock. Which brought back flash backs of her cliff dive from the spring. All she could do was watch in horror as he splashed happily. He didn't mind the leash. It gave him a chance to show off his dog show skills.

She walked outside, and the person sat in one of the rockers that she had restored.

"I'm surprised to see you here."

"I've been meaning to come by." The person said as they tucked their hair behind their ear.

"You've only talked to me twice since I came back, Leah. Why change now?"

"I know I've been a bitch. But you have to see things from my perspective."

"Which is?"

"Your and Jacob's situation isn't much better than mine, Sam, and Emily's."

"Edward has nothing to do with this. He didn't love me."

"What?"

"That's right. Turns out my feelings were semi one sided. Don't judge me unless you know the whole story. Please?"

"I'm sorry."

"I am too. We used to be friends. And now we hardly say two words to each other."

"So tell me the whole story."

"Vampires cannot mate outside of their species. So he couldn't love me with his whole being."

"Since his heart doesn't beat."

"Right."

"So he lied to you?"

"From the beginning."

"Now I really am sorry." Leah said with a laugh.

"I'm not. If I hadn't met him, I wouldn't know what love is."

"That's true. So the blood sucker was good for something."

"His family is wonderful."

"You still talk to them?"

"Every day."

Angus chased a rabbit through the yard and Bella called him back. The leash made a clicking noise as he came to sit next to her. He sat in between them, looking up at Leah with pleading eyes.

"He wants you to pet him. It must be the dog smell. He went berserk for Seth last night. And he likes Jake more than he likes me."

"Hey little guy." Leah said, ruffling his ears.

"He likes you."

"What's his name?"

"Angus."

"I should go. I hear Jake walking around."

"How do you know that it's Jacob?"

"Each of us has a certain smell that we give off." she said with a shrug.

"Don't be a stranger, okay?"

"I won't." she said as she stood.

Bella watched Leah run through the trees as Jacob stepped out onto the porch. Angus' tail thumped excitedly against the porch as Jacob handed Bella a cup of coffee. He sat down in the other rocking chair as Angus pawed at his legs. He picked him up before undoing the leash.

"That's inhumane."

"I freaked when he jumped into the lake. Someone had to get him out for me." she said in a small voice.

"Only use it when I'm not around. I'll use any excuse I can get to jump in. Pretty soon, you'll be in too."

"I doubt it." she said shaking her head.

"I won't force you to do it."

"Thank you."

"I might use Jasper, though." he said in a teasing manner.

"Don't you dare." she said, glaring at him.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He watched her with a look of adoration. It was a look that Edward had given her more times than she could count. It felt different coming from Jacob, it felt right. She didn't need Jasper to tell her how much Jacob loved her. It showed in everything he did.