Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. But I wouldn't complain if Stephenie Meyer decided to share.

AN: I can't believe that I keep letting time lapse in between updates. I have no excuse other than being a knucklehead. Sorry guys.

In the week following Bella and Jacob's drunken encounter things had come to a complete standstill sexually. Every time they were intimate Bella would imagine being split in half the first time they had sex. Jacob was patient but he was not a saint, he could only hold out for so long and Bella hoped that she would be over her hang-ups before then. Jacob was the poster child of the perfect boyfriend. Bella knew that she had nothing to fear because he would never push her before she was ready which made her guilt over the situation even worse.

She needed another woman's perspective and she knew exactly who to go to. She made plans for them to go over to Sam and Leah's for dinner and she would not leave until she had voiced her fears to Leah. Leah was the one person that she knew who would not shy away from the conversation and would be honest with her. She was not looking for to Leah's brash way of telling the truth but she needed to get over herself and put her fears behind her.

The drive to Sam and Leah's was silent, Jacob knew that something was up but he didn't press for an explanation. He knew that Bella would tell him what was wrong when she was good and ready and not a moment before. He turned to look at her once they had pulled into the Uley's driveway before turning off the car. Bella looked at him out of the corner of her eye to see him watching her curiously.

"I love you," he said with a crooked smile.

"Love you too," she murmured with a whisper of a smile.

He turned off the engine and got out of the car, meeting her around the front of the Rabbit. He took her hand in his, knotting their fingers loosely. Sam opened the door as they were walking up the stairs and greeted them with a nod and a small smile. Jaymeson could be heard, playing in the living room and Leah could be heard praising him for what he was doing. Sam took off down the hall towards the kitchen and Jacob followed him wordlessly. Bella sucked in a deep breath before walking into the living room.

Jaymeson sat at his child sized drum kit, banging on the symbols as Leah clapped along to the beat. Leah tossed Bella a quick smile over her shoulder when she sat on the couch next to her. Jaymeson continued to play, content to be in his own little world. After a few minutes he decided that he'd had enough and ventured off to see what Sam and Jacob were doing.

"Sorry, he has been insisting that Sam and I listen to him play more and more lately," Leah said in apology.

"It's fine. Do you think that I can talk to you about something without you making it weird?"

"Is it something personal?"

"Yeah."

"Then I promise to openly honest and to not make it weird," she said sincerly.

"I'm scared to be intimate with Jake," she said, embarrased.

"Has he done something to make you think that he doesn't have the truest of intentions?"

"No. Things got heated last weekend and I saw him naked for the first time. I've never seen one...that big."

"He has a huge shlong?" Leah asked, quirking an eyebrow in interest.

"You promised not to make this weird," Bella said, giving her an even look.

"I'm sorry, continue," Leah said in mock seriousness.

"I couldn't even wrap a hand around it when I gave him a hand job. How the hell am I supposed to fit it into my mouth, much less my vagina?!" she whisper shouted so that the men and child in the next room wouldn't hear her.

"I'm going to be honest with you because you're my friend so do not take this personally but you need to get over yourself. Jake would never do anything to hurt you. You haven't talked to him about this, I know you haven't. But I'm glad that you came to me first so that you don't freak him out and make him think that you don't want him in that way. Think of this as your first time having sex, he's going to need to stretch you as much as he possibly can. Lube will help, so don't be afraid to use it the first few times. If you're uncomfortable just tell him, I'm sure that he'll understand and he'll wait until you're ready. This is Jake were talking about, not some random guy that you've just met."

Bella nodded, knowing that Leah was right. She needed to tell Jacob what was going on. He would understand, he wouldn't think any less of her for being scared. She smiled her thanks to her friend before standing to go into the kitchen. Sam had gone upstairs, leaving Jacob alone with Jaymeson. Jaymeson sat in his booster seat coloring and talking to Jacob. Jacob listened intently, answering the little boy when it was called for. Bella smiled, watching them interact. How could she have ever thought that Jacob would hurt her?

XXXX

Jacob could hear laughter filtering out of the apartment before he had opened the door. Apparently, they had company. He took off his jacket, hanging it up on the coat rack by the door before toeing off his boots. He followed the laughter and voices to the kitchen and was surprised to see Alice Cullen sitting across from Bella.

"Hey," Bella said happily, tossing him a smile.

"Hey, yourself," he said, leaning down to kiss her temple.

She sighed, staring up at him with a dreamy smile. Alice watched them interact quietly. She had never seen Bella this happy, not even when she was with Edward. Bella hadn't brought Jacob around to the Cullen house all that much while she and Edward were together because Edward hadn't gotten along with Jacob and out of respect for Bella and Edward's relationship, Jacob had made himself scarce. Alice watched him intently, trying to remember anything that she could about him. She remembered that he was a nice, genuine guy who would move moutains for her female best friend. She guessed that she couldn't be mad at him for moving in on her brother's ex-girlfriend if he treated her that well.

"Alice, you remember Jacob, don't you?"

"Vaguely, hi," she said politely.

"Hi," Jacob said with a polite nod before grabbing a bottle of soda from the fridge.

"Alice just came by to drop off my invitation to her wedding and to catch up," Bella informed him.

"That's fine. She can come over whenever she likes," he said with an easy smile before sitting in between them.

The two friends continued talking and Jacob relaxed, seeing Bella happy made him happy, so he wasn't going to deny her something that made her happy.

"It's been, what? Five years since I last saw you?" Alice asked Jacob.

"That sounds about right," Jacob said with a nod.

"You were just a scrawny kid with long, gangly legs and arms back then," she said, shaking her head as she took him in.

"The rest of me finally caught up," he said with a light laugh.

"I'd say so," she agreed, giving him a cursory once over.

Alice turned her attention to him, getting to know him while Bella started dinner. Over the next two hours Alice and Jacob talked and laughed. Bella was glad that the two of them were making an effort to get to know each other.

XXXX

Sunday night was spent at Billy's that week since Billy wasn't feeling well enough to travel the short distance to Charlie's. Bella got a pot of homemade chicken noodle soup started while the other three watched a movie in the living room. Once she had the soup going and she had cleaned the kitchen she went into the living room to sit on the floor in front of Jacob where he sat with his dad on the couch. His fingers carded through her hair on their own accord as she leaned her head to rest against his leg.

Charlie watched them interact, having so many questions that needed answers. He knew that Billy had questions of his own. Once the movie was over Charlie turned off the TV before someone could suggest watching something else. He cleared his throat to get the other three's attention before leaning forward to place his hands on his knees.

"How serious are things between the two of you?" he questioned.

"We're living together Dad, that pretty much explains everything."

"So the two of you have been...ahem, intimate?" he asked, uncomfortably.

"Dad!" Bella exclaimed, her face red with embarrassment.

"Things haven't gone that far Charlie, not yet," Jacob admitted, looking down at the floor.

"Really?" Billy asked, credulously.

"Never in a million years did I think that we would have this conversation with our dad's," Bella said, her voice muffled by one of her hands covering her face.

"I think that I have a right to know what his intentions are towards you," Charlie said in defense.

"His intentions? Are we in the 1940's?" Bella asked, shaking her head in embarrassment.

"Bells, it's fine. I hope to marry her at some point. Not in the near future, but maybe in a few years. If that's okay with you," Jacob clarified.

Bella pulled her hand away from her face slowly, and turned her upper body around to look at Jacob. Had he just asked Charlie's permission to marry her? They hadn't talked about marriage. Yes, she would love to marry him but she would like to have talked to him about it before he asked Charlie for his permission.

"Well, I guess that would be alright," Charlie said after half a minute of silence.

"Now that that is out in the open I say we let the topic go since Bella looks as red as a tomato," Billy said with a playful smile.

Bella scoffed before smacking his leg playfully. Jacob pulled Bella onto the couch with them and scooted over to make room for her. She folded herself against him, resting her head on his shoulder. He rested his head against hers, taking her closest hand in his and lacing their fingers together. He should have known that their dad's would shanghi them. They should have been honest with them sooner and not kept them in the dark for so long. He was surprised that had held out as long as they had.

XXXX

Bella made a point to go out to lunch with Jessica and Angela at least one Saturday a month. They spent the day shopping and getting caught up on each other's lives before going out to lunch at their favorite Port Angeles restaurant. It started out like every other time they had had a girls day but it quickly turned into a gab fest about their respective guys. Jessica and Angela grilled her about Jacob and where things stood with them. Angela was a little reluctant to talk about Embry at first but Jessica was able to pry a little infomation out of her.

"We've only gone out on a couple of dates. And I went to the Govenor's Ball with him to help him take pictures, so that doesn't count as a date," Angela informed them.

"What's the hold up? He's freaking gorgeous and it's obvious that he's into you," Jessica pointed out.

"He has more going for him than just his looks Jess and I think Angela is aware of how much Embry likes her," Bella reasoned.

"We want to take things slow," Angela said, looking down at her hands.

"Has he at least kissed you?" Jessica questioned.

Angela bit her lip, not able to hide a smile before nodding.

"Now we're getting somewhere! Is he any good?" Jessica prodded.

"Jess, leave her alone, this is obviously making her uncomfortable," Bella said, taking up for Angela.

"Okay then, how things with you and Jake?" she asked, shrugging her eyebrows suggestively.

"Man," Bella said with a cluck of her tongue, not able to hold back a groan.

"Come on, I have to live vicarously through the two of you since I don't have a guy of my own. The least you can do is give me a few juicy details."

"Things with Jake and I are fine. Great, even. He is the world's most perfect roommate. I couldn't ask for a better boyfriend," Bella said with a shrug.

"See, was that so hard?"

"You just wait until you and Seth are together, we aren't going to use kid gloves with you. We're not going to forget this," Angela warned.

Jessica clammed up, wringing her hands in her lap. Bella nodded, agreeing with Angela. She should have known that bringing up Seth would make Jess shut up. That wasn't going to work forever, but she planned to use it for as long as she could.