Chapter 6:

Bella POV:

This is how life should be. Sitting here, eating breakfast. Quiet. Normal.

Normal. I had been thinking a lot about that word lately. It's funny how you don't think about the normal things in life until you face giving them up. Like breakfast. How many times in my life had I been in too much of a hurry and skipped eating breakfast? Too many to count. Now, I am sitting here eating this bowl of Cap'n Crunch, and savoring every bite like it was my last.

I looked over at Jake who was pouring the rest of the cereal into his bowl. What was that? His third or fourth? I lost count. He gave me a cheesy grin, poured the milk, and dug in.

I was finally realizing what was really important to me. I had been so swept up in the romance of Edward; his perfect looks, his gentle smile, his elegant way of speaking. His promises of the way life could be so perfect for us. But life isn't supposed to be perfect. It's supposed to be messy, and complicated. That's what makes it worth living. Having the finer things in life, cars, money, traveling the world . . . all of that is great. But sitting here with my bowl of cereal is great too. Can I really live the life that Edward lives? I was feeling more and more like I just didn't fit in with him and his family, and I knew that I might change in looks after I was one of them, but I would still be the same Bella with the same feelings and . . .

Suddenly it hit me! I knew what I wanted. As much as I loved Edward, and his family, I knew that I didn't want to miss out on the normal, messy, complicated things of life. A husband, kids, paying bills, grocery shopping, cooking . . .

"Bells? Hello?"

I heard Jake calling me and I shook my head and turned to him. "What? Oh, sorry, just thinking."

"Yeah, I could see that," he said with a soft smile.

I looked over and noticed that Billy had left the table. "Where's your dad?" I asked as I got up and picked up the dishes on the table to put them in the sink.

"He went to get dressed. Bella? You OK? You were a million miles away there for a while." I could hear the concern in his voice.

I sat back down beside him and took his hand. I looked right into his eyes and smiled. "I am the best I have been in a long, long, time, Jacob. I was sitting here thinking how great it is to have Cap'n Crunch for breakfast. How life isn't supposed to be perfect . . . it's supposed to be messy and complicated. You know, everything that we talked about on the beach last night: babies, pizza and ice cream. I think I finally know what I want, Jake. I want a normal, messy, complicated life, and you want to know the best part? I think I might want to spend it with you."

I couldn't believe it when I saw tears spring into Jacob's eyes. He closed his eyes for a second, then reached over and took me in his arms, holding me tight. "That is the best fucking thing you have ever said to me, Bells," he whispered. "I will do everything in my power to make that happen."

When we pulled apart, there were tears in my eyes, too. Jake reached over and wiped them away then we laughed at each other.

"Life will be perfect, Bells," Jake said with a smile. "I promise."

"No, it won't, Jake. Don't promise that. There will be some good with the bad - it won't be perfect, but that's OK. Life will be good, because we'll be living it, and I want to make every second count, because we won't know how long it will last. It won't be eternity, but I hope it will be many, many years worth."

Jake smiled and stated, "I stand corrected - Life will be good."

I gave him a smiled and nodded. "Yes, life will be good." I took his face in my hands and kissed him. I loved him. I love Jacob Black. I just wish it wouldn't have taken me so long to realize it.

We left the kitchen and moved to the living room to settle in on the couch. He looked down, and picked up my arm to look at the bracelet he gave me. "Hey, wasn't there another charm on here? A rock or something?" He held the little wolf charm in his huge fingers and turned it over to look at it.

"Yes." I looked down at the little wolf charm. Edward was jealous of Jake's graduation gift to me so he hooked his heart charm - a diamond, of course – onto the bracelet. It was yet another huge difference between them. Jacob made the wolf charm with his own two hands and gave it to me. I knew his gift was right from the heart. Edward always had to go for the best and brightest. Even thought it had been his mother's, which was sweet, it still looked out of place on me. Just like the ring.

"You know, Jake, I realized the other day how horrible it was of me to allow Edward to put that charm on here. You made this gift for me. I decided to take the other charm off and I put it in my jewelry box. I figured I'd put it on a chain, or something. This gift is from you – just you. And that is the way it should be. I'm sorry I let him do that."

He smiled. "Thanks, Bells. That means a lot." He dropped the charm and then suddenly reached down to try and scratch his leg. He looked over at me and stated, "I have got to get this thing off of my leg! It itches and it's driving me crazy! Will you help me?"

I laughed at him, scratching like a monkey. "Are you sure? Is the pain gone?"

"Yeah, it's felt better since last night." Last night. Images started floating into my head . . . OK Bella. Don't go there right now.

He could see exactly what I was thinking, and he gave me a big, "wolfy" grin. I smacked him on the arm. With a smile on my face, I said "Stop it!"

I reached over and undid the Velcro straps on the immobilizer. We took it off of his leg, and he slowly bent his knee back and forth a couple of times before he attacked it with both hands, scratching all up and down his leg.

"Well? How does it feel?" I asked.

"Not bad. Pain is mostly gone, but it's pretty stiff. I can walk that off," he answered. "I think I'll take a shower and let the hot water run over it for awhile. Then maybe we could take a walk?"

"Sure, sounds good. I think I'll do up the dishes, then throw in a load of laundry while you're in the shower. I think I'll strip the beds and wash sheets today." His eyes lit up and he smiled softly. "Jake, are you thinking about what we were doing on the sheets last night?"

"Maybe." He leaned over and kissed me gently, then licked at my lips with his tongue. I opened my mouth and let my tongue touch his as I wrapped my arms around his neck. The kiss deepened until we heard, "Ahem, sorry to interrupt?"

We broke apart to see Billy wheeling into the living room. "Is there something we need to talk about?" he asked.

Jacob cleared his throat, and said, "Um, yeah, Dad. Bella and I talked quite a bit last night, and well . . . we . . . umm, we realized that . . ." he stuttered.

"We love each other," I finished as I looked over at him with a smile. The look on his face was . . . well, priceless. It was a look of love and gratefulness and surprise all wrapped into one.

"I see," Billy said. He pulled his brows together like he was thinking very hard what to say next. I wasn't sure how Billy was going to take the news. He was a tribal elder, the leader in fact, and with Jacob being the "heir to the throne" so-to-say, being the Alpha, I figured that he would want Jacob to marry a girl from the tribe. Billy and my dad had been best friends forever, and I knew that Billy liked me, but would he want me to be the mother of his grandchildren? Grandchildren. Wow.

"I could see this coming. I wondered how long it would take you two to figure it out," Billy said with a smile.

"Are you OK with this, Dad?" Jake asked. "I mean, it won't change how I feel about Bella, but I guess I really want to know how you feel."

Billy looked at Jacob, then at me. "Kids, it doesn't matter how I feel about it. I can see that the two of you love each other very much. Like I said, I've known it for awhile. Bella, I've known you since the day you were born. Your dad is like a brother to me. I couldn't ask for a better girl for my son. But, it won't be easy. Jacob has some responsibilities that he has to accept and live up to. I hope, Bella, that you are willing to let him be who he has to be. And what about your promise to . . . "

"Edward," I finished for him. "I'm going to talk to him today. I love Jake. I've only just realized how much." I looked over at him as I said, "I am proud of Jacob. I know that he hasn't accepted the position of Alpha, but I hope he will someday. I will support him on that." I looked back at Billy and said, "I love him. I'm sorry it took so long for me to finally realize how much. I'm so sorry for all the pain I've caused him. But now that I know how I feel, I want you to know that I will love him and support him for the rest of my life."

Jacob took my hand and squeezed it.

"Well, Bella, I can tell you now that I never wanted you to become one of them. It broke my heart for my son and my best friend . . . and myself." He stopped and smiled at both of us and then added, "I suppose you know this means no more sleepovers." He winked at us. "When are you going to tell Charlie?"

Oh wow, Dad. He will be so excited. He's been pushing me at Jacob for how long now? "Probably tonight, when he gets home from work," I told Billy. I looked over at Jacob. "I'm sure he'll approve. He has been trying to throw us together forever."

We all laughed. "Wow, Charlie and I will be grandpas together. Won't that be fun?" Billy asked.

"Whoa, Dad. Slow down a little! I don't think we're going to be popping out grandkids anytime soon. We're a little young for that, don't you think?" Jacob said.

"Well, all in good time, son. All in good time," Billy said. Then he turned his chair and wheeled into the kitchen.

Jake and I looked at each other and smiled. "That went pretty well," he said. He got up, tested his leg a little, and said, "I'm heading to the shower."

Billy came out of the kitchen with a glass of tea. "Is it OK if I strip your bed and wash your sheets for you?" I asked him.

"Bella, you don't have to do that. You're here as a guest, not our maid. Besides, I just washed them a couple of days ago. I'm good. I'm going back to my woodcarving. See you later," he said as he wheeled down the hall.

"OK," I said as I got up and walked to the kitchen. I plugged the sink, turned on the water, and added some dish soap. I heard Jacob come in behind me then he slid his arms around my waist and planted a kiss on the back of my neck. "I'll miss you," he whispered into my hair. I smiled. That felt so good.

I turned and flicked some water from my hand onto him. "Go! Clean up!" I laughed at him.

"I'm going, I'm going. Geez, nag, nag, nag. Is this how it's going to be?" he said as he backed up a few steps. I picked up a plastic cup from the counter and threw it at him. He dodged it and limped down the hall, his laughter carrying into the kitchen. I went and picked up the cup and threw it into the dish water in the sink. I smiled as I washed it. Life with Jake will be good.

Jacob POV:

I closed my eyes as I stood in the shower and let the hot water pour over me. Bella . . . in my arms . . . in my bed . . . damn she's so fucking hot. And she loves me. I was going to have to turn the water to cold if I didn't get a grip. I couldn't believe that I had everything I ever wanted. I hoped it wasn't too good to be true. I had wanted Bella for so long. Could it really be happening? Would she change her mind again and go back to him?

I finished my shower, got out and threw on clean boxers and my pair of shorts. I brushed my teeth, and then opened the door. I made my way down the hall to the bedroom with my dirty boxers in my hand to throw in the basket and then stopped at the doorway . . . there was Bella, stripping the sheets off of the bed, humming some little song. It was perfect . . . just perfect.

Bella glanced over and gave me a smile . . . one that lit up her whole face. I just stood there taking in the sight of her when a pillow hit me square in the nose. "What the . . .?"

I looked at Bella who was dissolving in laughter. "Oh, you're in for it now, girl," I said as I tackled her and we crashed onto the bed. I dug my fingers into her ribs and tickled her until she called out, "Can't breathe! Jake, stop!"

I stopped and looked down at her trying to catch her breath and wished that time would stop right now, at this moment. Her cheeks were flush, her brown eyes were shining . . . she had never looked more relaxed or more beautiful. She reached up and touched my cheek as I leaned toward her. "Kiss me, Jake," she whispered. I smiled and stopped just before our lips met and just hovered there until her hand snaked around the back of my neck and she pulled my face to hers. I laughed as I kissed her and she bit my bottom lip. We played at kissing each other until she dissolved in giggles.

"Oh my God, did I just giggle?" she said in horror.

"Yes, I think you did. It was kind of cute," I told her.

She shoved me off of her and sat up. "Jake, I'm hardly cute."

I sat up and looked at her. "What? You're adorable, really, maybe even bordering on, dare I say, precious?"

She rolled her eyes and pushed herself off of the bed. I thought we were still teasing each other, but I could tell she was serious. "Bella?"

She turned and said, "Look, Jake, I know I'm not some beauty like Alice or Rosalie. I'm just plain and . . . "

I jumped up and grabbed her shoulders. "Are you fucking serious? You have so much more beauty than they do. Just a minute ago, when you were laying there on the bed under me, your hair fanned out behind you, your cheeks flushed . . . I thought I had never seen you look more beautiful. Bella, you are beautiful. I mean that."

"Yeah, OK, if you say so," she said shyly.

"I do, and that's that. Period." I leaned forward and sealed it with a kiss. "So, what do you want to do today?"

"Jake, you know what I have to do," she said seriously.

"But not yet, OK?" God, I sound like a lovesick wimp. Oh yeah, I am.

She smiled. "OK. Let me finish here then we can do whatever you want." She turned back to the bed as I asked slyly, "Anything I want?" Bella shot me a look and I laughed. "Alright, I'll be good. I need to go for a walk and work the stiffness out of my leg. How about that?"

"Sure, sounds good." She scooped up the sheets and took them to the laundry room to thrown them into the washer while I sat down to put on my shoes and then grabbed a clean t-shirt from the drawer.

I was pulling the shirt down when Bella walked in and picked up her shoes. "Come on, woman! Let's get going."

Bella shot me a look and said evenly, "Really, Jake? Did you really just have the balls to call me 'woman?' "

I just grinned and pulled her from the room to call out to Dad that we were going on a walk.

Once outside, I took her hand with a smile and we walked toward the woods. The sky was gray, as usual, but at least it wasn't raining . . . yet. Bella was once again wearing my black sweatshirt, which I really liked.

We walked in silence for awhile, not really heading anywhere in particular. It was kind of nice for a change. But, I could see the wheels in Bella's head turning. "Bells? You wanna talk?"

She glanced at me then looked straight ahead. "Just thinking about what to say to Edward." I winced at his name. "I am not looking forward to talking to him. I . . . I want to be strong, Jake . . . "

I stopped and turned her to face me. "Bella, are you sure this is what you want? Do you want to be with me? To stay . . . human?"

She took a deep breath and I found I was holding mine, waiting for her answer. Finally, she looked at me and nodded. "Yes, Jake. I want to stay human. And," she smiled, "I love you. I really do."

I pulled her to me in relief and held her tight. I wondered if I would always have that fear in the back of my head that she would change her mind and leave me for him. Is this how he's felt all along?

I let her go and said, "Then, just hang onto that, and be strong. I'll go with you . . . "

"No, Jake. No. I need to do this on my own." Ha, just like I thought. Do I know this girl or what?

We started walking again and I found that we were actually on the path that would take us to Sam and Emily's house. "We're almost to Sam's. Do you mind if we stop in? I'd like to talk to Sam for a minute."

Bella smiled. "Sure."

It wasn't long until we climbed up the steps to Sam's front door. It was open, as usual, so I hollered out, "Hey! Anybody home?"

"Come on it," Emily answered back from the kitchen. She was just taking a tray of cookies from the oven.

"Alright, just in time," I told her and I grabbed a couple of cookies off of the counter and shoved one into my mouth.

Emily shook her head and said to Bella, "I knew it wouldn't be long until one of them showed up."

Bella smiled as I shoved the other cookie in my mouth. "Is Sam here?" I asked with my mouth full.

Bella rolled her eyes and smacked my arm. "Geez, Jake, swallow before you talk. You just spit crumbs everywhere." Then she looked at Emily and said, "Sorry about that. Werewolf, what are you going to do?"

Emily laughed at that as she put the tray she was holding in the sink. "You're telling me?" Then she looked at me and nodded down the hall. "He's back in the baby's room painting."

I nodded and grabbed another cookie and turned to go down the hall. I stopped and turned back to Bella. "You OK here with Em?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Go," she answered. I dropped a quick kiss on her lips then grinned and walked down the hall to find Sam.

Bella POV:

I looked over to see Emily just standing there smiling at me. "What?" I asked.

"So, you and Jake? When did that happen? I mean, I wondered when I saw you last night at the bonfire together, but, that kiss . . . " she said, waiting for me to confirm her suspicion.

I finally smiled back at her. "We talked a lot yesterday . . . I, um, I realized how much I really love Jake. And . . . how much I want to stay human."

A smile broke out on Emily's face as she said, "I'm so glad, Bella. Jake has been so miserable without you."

"Yeah, I really hate how I've hurt him. Just like now, I have to hurt Edward . . . " I stopped and plopped down into a chair at the table.

Emily poured some coffee into two cups and walked over to set one in front of me. "Milk or sugar?" I shook my head and she sat down beside me to take a sip of her coffee. "So, you haven't told him yet. Talk to me, Bella. Tell me what happened to change your mind. That is, if you don't mind? Maybe I could help."

I smiled and found myself pouring my heart out to Emily. Which was really weird, because I never talked to anyone like that except for Jake. When Edward left, and Jake and I first started hanging out, I was quiet. But Jake was just so trusting, I found myself talking to him more and more. Just like I was now with Emily.

When I finished, she sat there shook her head slowly. "Wow. Sucks to be you."

I had to laugh at that and she joined in. "Yeah, tell me about it."

"I'm sorry, Bella. Look, you know about me and Sam and . . . Leah, right?" I nodded. "I think it's very possible to love two people at the same time and be torn between them. Sam hates to talk about it, but at first, he was miserable. He felt such a strong love for me . . . a pull that he couldn't break. But, he couldn't just stop loving Leah."

I watched her in amazement that she could talk so frankly about this. "That's where you are. You love Jacob and feel pulled to be with him, but you can't just stop loving Edward."

I nodded. She did get it. "Yeah, so what do I do about it?"

She leaned toward me and said, "Well, some would say that Sam had no choice . . . that because he imprinted on me, he had to be with me. But Sam and I know better." I gave her a curious look and she smiled slyly. "Sam and I are exactly right for each other. We balance each other out like he and Leah never could. They were both hotheads . . . they fought and tried to push each other to see their own way. They are both very passionate people. They loved each other, . . . but they weren't good for each other. They just couldn't see it."

I thought about that. Jake and I were like that . . . we just fit. It felt so natural to just be with him . . . to talk to him . . . to kiss him. With Edward, I felt like I needed him to breathe, but . . . it was always strained between us. There was always a sense of danger, and I was always so stressed out over his . . . possession of me.

Emily put her hand over mine. "Go with your heart, Bella. When you close your eyes, who do you see standing beside you? I can tell you who I think would be best for you, but all that really matters is what your heart is telling you."

I smiled warmly at Emily. "Thanks for the talk. I think it really helped."

"Good." She patted my hand as she stood up. "These boys will be getting hungry soon. Want to help me make some sandwiches?"

I stood up and scooted my chair in. "Sure."

Jacob POV:

"Sam?" I said as I stood in the doorway of the room. Sam was rolling a green color of paint onto the walls. He stopped when he heard me call him and turned toward me.

"Hey, Jake! You took the leg brace off already?"

"Yeah, the thing was driving me nuts."

He nodded as he put the paint roller back into the pan. "You OK?"

"A little stiff, but OK. I need to tell you something. Can we talk?"

Sam picked up a rag and wiped off his hands. "Yeah, what's up?"

"Well, it's about me . . . and Bella." Sam squinted his eyes and looked at me. "Right before the fight, when I was still on the mountain with Bella, I kissed her. Like, really kissed her. I forced her to feel what she really felt for me. I knew she loved me, too, if only she would admit it to herself, and well, she did. And after the fight, when she found out I was hurt, she came to me and she's been with me ever since. We talked a lot yesterday and last night, and this morning she told me that she's going to go to Edward and tell him that she doesn't want to marry him, or become . . . like him. She loves me and she wants to be . . . with me."

Sam smiled and then punched me in the shoulder. "Look at you, Jakey. You won the girl after all. Good for you!"

I smiled then asked, "So you're not pissed? I mean, Bella's like the enemy around here. She's switching sides, I guess, and I just want to know that the pack will support this."

"Well, I'm OK with it, as long as she stays on our side. Has she told him yet?"

I shook my head. "No. She's planning on going there later today."

Sam nodded. "Think he'll accept that?"

I quickly told him about our conversation in the tent that night on the mountain. "He told me he'd walk away, that he only wants her to be happy. I hope he sticks to that. But I'm prepared to fight him if he doesn't."

"Well, let's hope it doesn't come to that. That's a personal thing between the two of you. According to the treaty . . . "

"I am well aware of what the treaty says, Sam. I won't do anything to compromise it if he doesn't."

"Good enough. You hungry?"

"You have to ask?"

Sam laughed and clapped me on the back. "Come on. Let's find something to eat."

We walked out to the kitchen to find Emily and Bella making sandwiches. Just then a loud racket hit the hallway as Quil, Embry, Jared, Paul and Seth came tumbling in.

"See, Bella? All you have to do is put food out, and here they come!" laughed Emily.

"Bella!" I looked to see Bella suddenly caught up in the middle of Seth and Embry in some kind of 'Bella' sandwich. "You still sticking around with this guy?" Embry said as he nodded his head toward me. Seth took off as soon as he saw the cookies.

"Back off Embry! That's my woman you're pawing," I growled. Embry put up his hands and walked off laughing to steal a cookie from Quil.

"What is with this 'woman' thing? I do have a name you know?" Bella huffed at me. I just laughed at her and tried to steal a sandwich. She slapped my hand and told me to go sit with the other rowdy wolf boys.

"Alright, you all. Settle down," Emily ordered. "Bella and I are making sandwiches for you, so behave." She was going to be a good mom. She'd had enough practice mothering all of us.

I noticed Paul make his way over to the counter where Bella was making sandwiches to pick up a cookie. I moved closer to hear what he might say to her. He looked up at her and asked quietly, "What are you doing here with Jake? I thought you were with the bloodsuckers. Isn't that what that fight was all about?"

"Yeah, I was, Paul. But I realized during the fight, that that was not where I belong," Bella replied as she spread mayo on bread. "I belong with Jacob. I know that now. I love him."

"Hmph!" he snorted. "Yeah? For how long? Seems like you change your mind a lot."

"I don't see that this is any of your business, Paul." I said from behind him.

He whipped around to glare at me. "Sorry, Jake, but she's trouble. You get involved with her, we ALL get involved. That makes it MY business," Paul snarled.

Sam walked over to keep peace. "OK guys. I don't know what this is about, but I want you to knock it off. I don't want Emily upset right now, got it?"

Paul tried to stare me down the whole time Sam was talking. "Yeah, I got it." Paul turned and headed for the door.

"I'm sorry. Maybe I should go," Bella said.

"No, Bella. You are always welcome here," Emily said from behind her.

I walked around the counter and put my arm around her shoulder then yelled, "Hold up, Paul! All right everyone. Look, I know you'll find out anyway so I'm going to tell you right now. Bella and I are together now. I mean, together, you know. So, I expect her to get the same respect and protection that you give to Emily, and Kim, and Claire. OK?"

I looked around the circle and waited to see if there were any objections. I really wanted to take Paul outside and kick his ass, but decided now was not the time. Everyone was quiet for a second, then Embry piped up, "So you like a little fur with your fangs, huh, Bella?"

Everyone cracked up at that. I rolled my eyes and said, "God, Embry, shut up!" then I had to join in the laughter. I looked over at Bella and said, "I'm sorry about him, Bells. He's my best friend. What can I do?"

"Come on, Jake! Give her a kiss and let her get back to work! We're hungry here!" Embry yelled. I gladly hauled her into my arms, dipped her and gave her a big kiss.

That brought out all of the wolf whistles and cat calls. I let her go and could see her cheeks burning in embarrassment. I looked around and noticed that Paul had gone, and Jared must have gone after him. I walked back to the table and took a seat beside Seth then looked at Bella and winked.

"Come on, Bella! We're hungry!" Seth shouted at her. She surprised him by picking up a piece of bread and throwing it at him. "That's all you're getting!" she shouted back at him with a grin. He plucked it right out of the air and wolfed it down. "Ah, come on, take pity on me. I'm a growing werewolf!"

I smacked him on the back of the head. "Maybe ask a little nicer next time, smart ass."

Seth cleared his throat. "Miss Swan? May I please have one of those delicious-looking sandwiches you are making?" Seth asked oh-so-politely.

Bella picked up a sandwich, put it on a plate and walked over to Seth. She placed it down in front of him, patted him on the head and said, "Here you go. Good Boy." That brought a roar of laughter from the all of the guys.

I pouted, "Hey, what about me?" She stepped over and sat on my lap and gave me a big, smoochy kiss.

Seth looked over and said, "Hey, not fair. All I got was a sandwich."

"And that's ALL you're getting!" I told him. "Eat up!" Another round of laughter. I looked around the table and was so happy that they all accepted Bella. It wouldn't have mattered . . . I wouldn't ever give her up. But it made life a whole lot easier.