"Geez Mike, what're you doing?" Ben said, shifting the log back with a big stick.

"Makin' it awesome!" Mike exclaimed, waggling his hands in the air.

"You're not letting him drive, are you?" Bella whispered to Angela. He was a good few beers in.

"No," she said, "I think Jessica is driving him home." She snickered. Things were a little strained between the two, and the sparks that flew from the fire paled in comparison to the flaming barbs they'd watched fly between Mike and Jessica earlier in the evening. The beer seemed to have lubricated things well enough, though, and shoulders were more relaxed in the semi-circle around the brightly coloured flames.

Ben occupied himself by poking at the resurrected tripod of logs, fiddling with stray bits he seemed to want to shove into proper order.

"Leave it," Angela called, "come relax. Have another marshmallow or something."

He grinned, looking back at her, his smile radiant, looking at her.

Things there were going well, Bella thought. Good. It made her happy to see them so content together.

"You got room for one more?" a familiar voice called.

Jacob.

Bella bristled a bit. Two distinct discomforts snarled inside her. Was he here because there was danger—? No, she told herself, she wouldn't see him if he was. More annoyingly, he had made his presence more present of late—casually dropping by her house in Forks.

Charlie had been thrilled.

Bella had initially been glad to see him, but less glad to see the bent of his interest.

"Sure," she said softly, scooting over, and then followed him with her eyes as he sat down beside her.

He saw the small swallow, the nervous tightening in her jaw, and shook his head minutely.

"Purely social," he said softly, looking at her. "We're covered, anyways."

"What's covered?" Mike said too loudly.

"Nothing," Jake said, none too friendly.

Mike grunted, and the others pretended he hadn't said anything. His inebriation was verging on the embarrassing.

"Nice fire," Jacob said, trying to be more appropriately social. He didn't like the look Mike had given him. He liked less the sounds and eyes he'd been making at Bella.

He wanted his interest to be very clear, and very public in this group.

"You cold?" he asked her.

Not that he needed to. She was always cold, even on this fairly warm night in June.

He noted that her curled hunch had only disappeared briefly, those few months she and...Edward...were together.

She seemed OK right now, but...still, her jaw hadn't relaxed. He could see the tightness there, pulled up into her face, the eyes too wide for the right amount of concentration. She was faking it well, but she was faking it, he was sure.

He risked placing a hand, fingers spread widely, on her back. Just enough for her to feel the heat of it. She could lean in if she wanted more.

It was cold, she told herself, shivering at a new breeze up the beach. She'd need to head home soon, if the temperature dropped any more.

Jacob looked at her, an eyebrow up. She sighed a little, almost whispering to him, "Jake, I'm just cold. 'K?"

"'K," he said lifting his arm to make space for her against him. It was enough for him, to feel her breathe beside him. To take the chill from her body to his.

Mike was not done embracing his ignominiousness. "Way to go on the rebound there, Bella."

Bella's face flushed a bright and satisfying red. She hoped everyone else would attribute it to the fire.

Everyone except Jacob looked away in obvious discomfort. The holds on Mike's propriety were well loosened. Jacob said nothing, preferring to ignore the pettiness he saw as beneath him.

"You drive?" he asked Bella, instead.

"Yeah," she said, "why?"

"Wondering how your truck's holdin' up."

"It's fine," she shrugged.

Remembering the last time they'd been in it, Jacob resolved to look at it the next time daylight presented opportunity.

"Graduation's soon," he said, shifting his arm to cover more of her.

"Yeah," Bella said, yawning, "couple of days."

"Hence the 'kegger'," Ben said quietly to Jacob, curling his fingers dramatically around the words. "Some people though…" he muttered quietly, not looking at Mike. They'd all had a bit of a beer, but most of them weren't drinkers.

Mike was more than making up for everything they lacked in that area.

"Hey," he said, standing up with a distinct wobble, "who wants to go loose some boats?"

Everyone stared again.

In a surprising move, Jessica stood to join him. "Sure," she said, "let's get in the car and go do that." Her look to everyone but Mike made it clear that the only ship she was loosening was Mike's. She was taking him home.

"Sure you're OK with him?" Lauren hissed to the side, the nameless and pimply boy beside her looking on worriedly, hoping his access to the current social scene wasn't leaving too.

"Yeah," Jessica said. Her voice was a flat shade of bitter resignation.

Bella couldn't help but let her eyebrows rise in respect. Jessica was rising beyond the petty.

Who knew? Maybe they were all growing up a bit.

"Thanks Jess," she said softly, as they left. "Night Mike," she called too, for good measure.

"Night Bells!" he slurred back, tripping over a rock on his way up the beach with Jessica.

There was an audible sigh that rose up from the group, watching the awkward pair leave.

Their eyes returned to the elegant flicker of the flames. Small sparks made their hasty journeys into the sky, and then nothingness. The water licked at the pebbles nearby, and these peaceful sounds made their own conversation unnecessary.

Those in the shrunken semi-circle of light whispered their thoughts to the people closest, and soon, even these soft suggestions of words faded.

Ben broke the mood with a loud, and jaw-cracking yawn. "Some kegger. Think I might be done for the night. You?" he asked Angela.

"Me too," she said, "still have exams to study for tomorrow."

Lauren and her pimple boy made their excuses as well.

"You want a hand with the fire, or anything?" Ben asked, a little awkwardly, not sure about Bella and Jacob. He was superficially aware they were friends, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to leave her alone with him. Something at the back of his neck told him it wasn't wise. The something wasn't loud enough, though, to make him press the point hard.

"No, I'm good, but thanks," Bella said, content and warm in Jacob's comfortable silence.

Jacob was trying to keep himself from vibrating with excitement. He too, was content, but his eagerness at being with her again was its own, irrepressible thing.

When the last departing headlights had scanned the beach, and then the trees, swivelling around to leave, Bella breathed a sigh of relief.

"Parties always sound like such a great idea, until you get there," she said. "Thanks for crashing, by the way."

"No problemo," he murmured back. "Crash your parties anytime."

She snickered at this, something sounding funny to her.

"What?" he asked, smiling.

She kept giggling. "I was just imagining you literally crashing into them. Wolf shaped."

"Oh, nice," he smiled, "sure, make fun of us poor supernatural creatures. Like we can help it."

Her laughter stopped.

Crud, he thought. Way to go. Too far.

"Sorry," he mumbled, almost surly.

"It's fine," she said, making herself sound light. "I kinda like that you don't walk on eggshells around me. Everyone else does." She looked up to where her friends had been before. "It's nice to be able to be myself with you."

He nodded. "You too."

Wouldn't it be nice if they could be much more? he thought.

He let his fingers shift a bit on her, sliding them around her arm.

No rush, he told himself, wanting to rush this very, very badly. They had time.

"How's it been?" he asked, "seeing the freaks at school and everything."

She rolled her eyes but tolerated the insult. "Fine, I guess. Alice is great. Jasper is...still creepy," she laughed a bit, "and...well, I'm trying to just avoid...him."

"Mm," Jacob said. "Easier when you're here, I guess."

"Subtle, Jake. Subtle." She looked at him, eyebrows up.

"King of," he grinned back.

They stared at the flames a bit. The fire was low now, starting to glow more than burn. "So," she said, "things are...quiet here?" She was hoping they were. She had no guarantees on that front anymore.

"Sure," Jacob shrugged, "nothing concerning. Why?" His hand tensed now. Had something been happening, and would she say if it had?

"Just curious," she mumbled, yawning.

There was no need for her to rush home, but he didn't like the idea of her driving tired. She'd had something to drink, he was sure, but he expected not much, and certainly not enough to prevent her from driving safely. "Want to stay at my place tonight? Billy won't mind."

Bella shrugged out from under his arm, "no, but thanks," she said, ending the contact, "Charlie'd worry if I stayed late."

"You could call," he said softly, not standing to follow her, not wanting to intimidate her.

"No thanks," she said finally "I'll be fine to get home."

"Then I'll walk you to your car. I can take care of the fire in a sec," Jacob said, standing slowly. He towered over her small frame.

"Some guest I'd be, leaving a mess for you," she said, starting to douse it.

They had the fire out safely, well drenched in mud and water before long.

As they walked slowly back to Bella's truck, Jacob's hand shot out to steady her, she finally accepting its presence in her own, as a necessity against falls in the dark.

She felt an uncomfortable lurch, his hand in hers. She recognized it: guilt. She thought she'd been clear. There wasn't a future for them that way. Despite what Jacob thought, with her separation from Edward.

The brushing of his side against her own was an uncomfortable reminder. She let her hand fall away, almost immediately tripping. He took her hand back again. He knew she was trying not to send mixed signals. He was happy to have all the signals mixed up to wherever the hell they needed to go, as long as he got to hold her hand.

The walk to her truck seemed far too short for Jacob. Standing there, he wondered how he might delay her leaving.

"So," he said, casting about for the topic that was never far from his mind, "your vampires giving you your space?"

"Sure," she said.

He turned his head, a little inquisitively. "You don't seem certain."

She shrugged a bit, saying much more softly. "I doubt very much I'm left alone, Jacob. Not with...her, around."

Her. Yes.

"We keep watch too," he said. "You'll be safe."

She nodded, and tired, and a little off her usual reticence, mumbled to herself, "all I need is a year."

"What?" Jacob asked. His eyebrows were pulled tightly together. "What do you mean, you only need a year?"

If swear-words had expressions, they would have been all over Bella's face.

Jacob's stomach sunk to the bottom of his body with a sickening thuck. He didn't have to ask why. He understood perfectly.

"NO!" he roared. "You can't! Anything but that!" His hand had shot out, gripping her arm in a painful clench.

Her cry made him stop, releasing it quickly. Her own hand flew there, trying to massage the tender spot.

He'd left a bruise.

"Sorry," he said, still distraught, his breathing quickening beyond what he wanted. "You can't. It violates the treaty Bella. It's wrong, it means you'd be—"

"Dead," she finished for him. "I know."

He made himself breathe intentionally, trying to calm himself. He was afraid he would phase, and with her so nearby. Emily's face swum before him.

When his own lungs had slowed their rhythm, he could see that hers had not. She was upset.

She should be.

"Why?" he asked.

She took a shaky breath in. "You remember when I left?" she asked.

He nodded.

"And why?"

His face darkened. "Yes," he said, voice clipped.

Her voice shrunk in on itself, producing the horrified whisper that was the only sound she could use to describe that harrowing experience. "He went to Italy to destroy himself. The Volturi, they're...well, they're powerful." How inadequate this description seemed here, in this corner of the world, far from them. "They enforce their only rule—secrecy." She took another breath to steady herself. "They were going to kill me, because they knew that Edward wouldn't change me. But Alice," she said, "they trusted that she would change me. So they let us go. But," she breathed shakily in again, "they will send someone to check. And if they find me human," her voice broke, "they will kill all the Cullens, and anyone else they suspect might know. Everyone." Here she swallowed again, watching him carefully. Did he understand?

Jacob shook his head, almost closing his eyes. "We can protect you, you don't need to—"

He didn't.

"No," she said, shaking her head, closing her eyes, images of wolves and people mangled and broken, strewn throughout the town. "No, Jacob. You don't understand—"

"No," he said, more loudly, "you don't understand, Bella. You were terrified that Laurent would kill us. They would be no match—"

"Dozens of them, Jacob," she rushed out, "at least, and some….some with powers. No," she shook her head. More firmly she added, "And besides, it isn't your choice."

She was leaning against her car, arms curled around herself, eyes now closed, trying not to remember what she'd heard, what she'd seen, as they left the audience chamber. She wasn't successful, and shuddered.

Warm hands laid themselves gently on her forearms. "You have a choice, Bella. You don't have to."

She wasn't surprised by the tears that left her cheeks wet. "Thank you," she said, wiping them away. "I should...I should go."

She was half-turned, about to open the cab door, when she felt his hands again, this time with a grip that spun her back and against the driver's side window. His lips were soft, and hot against her own, but the force behind them had her pinned there.

Wriggling her hands up from between them to his shoulders, she gave as powerful a shove as she could, but it only squished her further back against the truck. She could breathe, but her indignant "stop!" was a muffled and squeaky "nnnrgn!" under his mouth. Jacob continued, his hands beginning to explore her back. His stance left him unprotected in some decidedly squishy parts—that were none too squishy at the moment—and Bella took full advantage of this, shoving her knee high and hard into his groin.

If she hadn't been so blisteringly angry, she might have stopped to wonder, or appreciate the fact that despite his many other supernatural abilities, he remained remarkably human in this one respect.

But, she didn't.

"I DID NOT END THINGS WITH ONE PUSHY, SUPERNATURAL CREATURE JUST TO GET SHOVED AROUND BY ANOTHER ONE! SCREW OFF JACOB!"

Then she climbed into her truck, started the protesting engine, and sent gravel spraying, pulling away. She did check in the rear-view mirror to make sure she hadn't accidentally run him over, but beyond that, let the wave of angry indignation carry her home.

Disclaimer: S. Meyer owns Twilight. No copyright infringement intended.