A/N: Sorry it's taken a bit to get this chapter out. I took two lovely, albeit short, vacations to a friend's mountain cabin where they have no internet service, nor TV. What they DO have is a peaceful place with a small river running through it. I'm ready to go back right now.

So, I was never really satisfied with Bella and Jacob's conversation after the newborn army war, so they're going to really talk. Hope you enjoy, and please review!

Chapter 24

"Why are you here?" Jacob sneered.

"Nice to see you, too!" I snapped back.

"Do you know what 'I don't want to talk to you' means?

"Do you know what 'It's not just about you' means?" I shouted. "Or maybe 'Stop being an ass?'"

"Me? I'm not the one who's getting married to Vlad the Impaler."

"Ugh! You are such a child! You know the Cullens aren't like other vampires. When are you going to stop with the Dracula references?"

"What would you prefer? Nosferatu? Lestat? Or how about Count Chocula?" Jacob snarked.

"Oh, that's just hilarious coming from Teen Wolf himself! Most people think werewolves are every bit as scary as vampires anyway," I countered.

"That's because they don't know any in the flesh. If that's what you call the skin of a bloodsucker. More like stone and ice…" he scoffed.

"Says the furry four-legged furnace. Tell me how that's better?"

"You certainly didn't seem to mind it in the tent that night. I did what your precious Edward couldn't. You'd be missing fingers and toes right now if it wasn't for me," he yelled.

"I appreciate your help. I really do. But if this had happened in Arizona in August, the tables would have been turned, now wouldn't they!"

He sputtered for a few seconds, desperately thinking of a comeback. "You're… you're… just so aggravating!" he roared.

"Me? You're the King of Aggravating!"

"Bella, why are you here," he said with narrowed eyes.

"I'm here because I wanted to talk, but clearly that isn't going to happen!"

"Hello? I told you I didn't want to talk and you're just now realizing that I don't want to talk? Wow, Bella, you really do have an amazing knack for the obvious."

"If you would stop yelling and being so sarcastic, maybe we could talk like humans. Or at least one and a half humans and half a werewolf…"

"I'm still quite human, thank you very much. Unlike your Fang-ed Wonder Boy. I can't imagine what you see in him. You do know you're his natural food source, right? Doesn't that bother you at all?"

"No, it doesn't, actually. Edward doesn't feed from humans and you know it."

"You say 'feed from humans' like it's the most natural thing in the world! He's an abomination, Bella. Why can't you understand that?"

"Vampires in general may be abominations, but the Cullens aren't. They eat animals, just like you and me. Well, not 'just like me' because I only eat them cooked, but you know what I mean."

"And what are you going to do if he decides to change his menu later?"

"Why would he? This is the life he's chosen, and yeah, it's hard for him sometimes, but he's dedicated to it. His whole family is."

"Speaking of which, isn't Dr. Fang out there? I'm sure he wouldn't be happy about you raising my blood pressure like this."

"Oh, Carlisle!" I'd forgotten all about him. "Carlisle, I'm sorry, would you like to come in and examine your ridiculously impatient patient?" I shot Jake a look of pure scorn.

A moment later, there was a tap on the door. Carlisle sheepishly pushed it open, looking back and forth between Jacob and me. "I didn't want to interrupt, but it would probably be good for me to get my check-up out of the way."

"I'll leave you to it, but this isn't over, Jacob Black!" I warned.

Walking into the hall, I spent a few minutes to calm myself by looking at the many pictures on the walls. Jacob as a baby, Billy before he was in a wheelchair, Jacob's mom, his two sisters. Jacob was an adorable baby, and unbidden, the images of little Jakes and Bellas running around our cozy house flashed in my mind again.

As much as I wanted to rid myself of the thoughts, I allowed them to play through my head. Admittedly, a part of me wanted what I was seeing. But then my thoughts turned to Edward… seeing his reaction to my choosing Jacob. The look in his eyes was nothing short of devastating. He was tortured and there was no way for me to comfort him. Just the image of it tore at my heart. I knew being with anyone but Edward would kill me, which gave me resolve for round two with Jake.

I was roused from my daydream by a crash and Jacob's loud cursing. "Calm down," I heard Carlisle scold. "If you hurt yourself again, I'll just have to keep coming back. Is that what you want? I mean, Jacob, if you miss me that much, you could just invite me over without the pretense of injury." There was a pause and Carlisle laughed heartily. I could only imagine the look on Jacob's face and what hand gestures he might have chosen to respond to his doctor's joke.

When Carlisle was finished, he slipped out of Jacob's room. "You know, Bella, in all seriousness, you probably shouldn't get him so riled up. If he were to phase in his current condition, I'm not sure if all the King's horses and all the King's men…"

As he trailed off, I nodded. "I'll try. He just makes me so mad."

"I think there's a sign-up sheet to join that club," he teased.

"Yeah, and my name will be the first on the list," I mumbled. "So, are you ready to go?"

Carlisle looked a little surprised. "I am, but I didn't think you were."

"Well, you're right about that, but I don't want to keep you here unnecessarily. I'm sure this isn't the most comfortable place for you…"

"That might be the understatement of the year," he laughed. "But I can sit in the car and wait, if you'd like. I wouldn't mind running home and leaving you with the car except Edward might burn me at the stake."

"Yeah, he probably wouldn't be too keen on that. I hate to have you wait for me, though…"

"Bella, I quite literally have all the time in the world. It's really not a hardship. I won't become bored, and if worst comes to worst, I can turn on the radio like a human father waiting for his teenage daughter. If it makes you feel better, I can even honk the horn at regular intervals." He winked at me and I couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you, Carlisle. You're the best vampire dad a girl could ever hope for…" I closed the distance between us and gave him a big hug, which he reciprocated.

"I love you, my sweet little human daughter. Don't ever forget that." Then he whispered, "Now, get in there and give him hell."

We both laughed as he made his way outside, bidding goodbye to Billy. I took a deep breath and tapped on Jacob's door, opening it before he even had a chance to answer.

"I didn't know you meant you were coming back right now…" he grumbled.

"You know, for a guy who's supposedly so in love with me, you sure have a funny way of showing it…"

"What do you want me to do? I've already told you how I feel. You know you feel the same way, but I can't get you to acknowledge it, so where does that leave us?"

I sighed. "That leaves us as friends. Or is that off the table now?"

"Well, you getting married to my natural born enemy does tend to put a curb on the relationship, you know. Even worse… if you become one of them…" he shook his head in disgust.

"When I become one of them, not if…" I corrected.

"Yeah, we'll see about that. I've reminded both your leech boy and the doc that none of them can change you without breaking the treaty, which would mean you'd have to leave and never come back, and well… I just don't picture us being pen pals, Bella," he said with heavy disapproval in his tone.

"So are you saying we can't continue to be friends, or it's not worth the effort?"

"It's not worth the pain," he said bitterly, turning his head to look out the window.

He was finally letting his guard down, so I took the few steps to the side of his bed and carefully sat down on the edge. He briefly turned to look at me before loudly exhaling and turning his face back toward the window. His sadness was now evident as his entire demeanor changed. This was MY Jacob, my sunshine, but surrounded by dark clouds.

I carefully reached over to rest my hand on his. "You know, Jake, I didn't come here to exchange punches. I wanted to talk and make sure you were OK. I was worried about you…"

He moved his hand out from under mine. "Yeah, well, I don't need your pity."

I scooted up closer and took his hand again. "Is that what you think? You think I pity you? I've had a lot of feelings over this whole situation, but pity isn't one of them. Self-pity, perhaps…"

"Ummm… Bella, in case you hadn't noticed, you have all the power here. I don't know why you'd be feeling sorry for yourself about that."

"Really? You don't? You think this is easy for me? I get the fun job of choosing between two men I love dearly, who hate each other passionately. I don't want to hurt either of them, so of course in the process of trying to protect both of them from pain, I'm hurting both of them deeply. If that's not a good reason for a pity-party, I'd like to know a better one!"

"How about finding out the woman that you love more than you've ever loved another person in your life got secretly engaged to your enemy?" he seethed. I tried to stay calm, however.

"I didn't get 'secretly engaged.' A lot of people knew. I was just waiting for the right opportunity to tell you."

"Oh, so you thought letting him break the news to me just before going into battle was the right opportunity, huh?

"No, I didn't think that at all!" I replied angrily. "I was pretty mad at Edward for that, actually."

"Yeah, that was about a subtle as dropping a piano on my head," he complained. "You talk about ME being immature? That was some grade-school level shit right there…"

"I agree, and I told Edward the same. And he finally had to admit it, too. Basically, he was trying to mark his territory," I almost snorted.

"And he calls ME a dog!"

"And he calls YOU a dog" Jacob and I said simultaneously. It was the first time we'd laughed together since I arrived. I didn't intend it to be at Edward's expense, but he sort of earned that one.

"Oh, Bella, see how easy it is for us? We should be together, and I think you know it," Jacob said in a carefree, laughing voice.

I didn't want to dampen the mood, but I couldn't let that go. "Oh, Jake," I mimicked his tone, "it's not that I don't think we'd be happy together, because we probably would. It's just that…"

He cut me off. "I know. Please don't say it again."

I nodded and squeezed his hand in understanding.

"But you DID kiss me, Bella … and not just a little kiss, either. There was passion there, and you can't deny that."

"I'm pretty sure it was just indigestion…" I chuckled humorlessly. Looking at his stone-cold face, I got the feeling he didn't appreciate the joke. "OK, but in my defense, at the time you were pretending that you'd let the newborns kill you if I didn't. I'm kinda mad at you for taking advantage of our relationship like that. What kind of friend does that?"

"A desperate one…" he lowered his eyes to the bed and pulled his hand back from mine again.

"Oh, my Jacob," I sighed, reaching up to cup his cheek in my hand. "One day, you're going to imprint on some nice girl and I will fade into a distant memory."

"Is that what this is about? You think I'm going to imprint, so you're choosing the bloodsucker over me?" He was suddenly angry again.

"Calm down, Jake. No, that's not it. I mean, yeah, of course I've thought about it. Like, what would happen if we got married and had children and then you imprinted on someone else? I'd be worse off than Leah!" This was actually a bigger fear than I was letting on, although I decided not to tell him that because he would make a big deal about it and really, in the grand scheme of things, it wasn't a deciding factor.

"But honestly, Jacob, that's not the reason. I've chosen Edward because… well, because we belong together. You saw what I was like without him. He's the other part of me. He's my soul mate."

"He doesn't even HAVE a soul!" Jacob yelled. "How can he be your soul mate without a soul? He's dead, Bella. You're marrying a walking corpse!"

"He's not alive as a human, but he's very much alive as a vampire. And I believe he does have a soul. He's too kind and good to be soulless."

"Oh, Bells, you'd better get the doc back in here quick because I think I'm gonna hurl," he said through mock stomach heaving.

"Ha, ha… you're so freakishly funny. You know what? Even if he doesn't have a soul, I still love him. Besides, sometimes I wonder if you have a heart!" I quickly covered my mouth, instantly regretting my words.

"Wow, Bella, I take it all back. You're gonna make a great vampire because that was just cold."

"I'm really sorry, Jake. That was really wrong. If I'd thought about it for two seconds, I would never have said that, not just because it would hurt your feelings, but because it's not even true. You are one of the warmest-hearted people I know. Can you forgive me?"

He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly. "Geez, Bells, no fair! I can't stay mad at you when you talk all sweet like that… So, I'm one of the warmest-hearted people you know, huh?"

"Yeah…" I answered, but then couldn't help but add, "when you're not busy being an absolute ass."

He threw his head back and laughed and I knew things were better. Still not good, but better.

"So, where does that leave us?" he asked more seriously.

"I don't know, Jake. I guess that's kind of your call. The proverbial ball is in your court."

"Isn't there anything I can do or say to make you change your mind? Aren't you at least going to consider me as an option to dying and coming back as a cold, blood-sucking parasite?"

"Now look who's the sweet-talker!" I laughed and gave him a little punch in the arm. "When you say it like that, it just makes me feel all giddy on the inside!"

"OK, OK…" he raised his hands in surrender. "So, even though you wouldn't say it like that, you have to admit it's true."

I sighed. "It is true, but it's only part of the picture. You apparently think I haven't thought about all of this, but I have. I've weighed my options and I'm sorry to have to say it, but I'm choosing the blood-sucking parasite route. I'll learn to control my bloodlust and be a good vampire like the other Cullens."

"I wish you'd stop saying 'good' and 'vampire' in the same sentence…" He smiled coyly before adding "Unless you're saying something like 'the only good vampire is a dead vampire' or something like that."

"And you wonder why I sometimes call you an ass," I laughed. He basically snorted in response, but I noticed he didn't argue the point.

"So, he's your true love and I'm what? Just your best friend who's been there for you through thick and thin? Is that it?"

"Actually, yes."

He huffed angrily in response.

"But Jake, don't you see? I treasure our friendship. It holds a special place in my heart that nobody can change, not even Edward. It may not be what you wanted, but I wish you wouldn't see this as some sort of second place loser prize. I hope my friendship means more to you than that."

"It does, but no matter how you dress it up, I am the second place loser here. At the end of the game, it's freaky-yellow-eyed-stony-cold-bloodsucker: one, and practically-perfect-in-every-way-werewolf: zero."

I smiled, resting my hand on his forearm. "I have no doubt that practically-perfect-werewolf is going to meet practically-perfect-girl and will then realize mostly-imperfect-Bella wasn't the right one after all."

"That's easy for you to say…" he mumbled. "What if you are the one and I never find anyone that even remotely compares to you?"

"You're serious right now, aren't you…" I said with disbelief.

"Well, yeah. I'd say this was pretty serious."

"Jacob, you're a teenager! You've hardly been off the reservation. There's a whole world out there just waiting to be discovered."

"I could say the same to you, ya know," he replied with a trace of bitterness in his voice.

"I suppose that's true. I can't argue the point except to say that my heart found its home with Edward Cullen. When he was gone, my heart was ripped to shreds and it almost killed me. You know that better than anyone in this world."

"Yeah, but you and I were so close to mending it. I could have, if he hadn't come back and ruined everything…"

"No, Jake. The truth is, you patched up my heart the best you could, and I am so grateful to you because I really think you saved my life, but my heart wasn't whole again until Edward came back."

For perhaps the first time in his life, Jacob was speechless.

"I do love you, Jacob Black. And I will always love you, whether you choose to be in my life or not. My heart, however, is with Edward, and he's where I belong. I don't expect you to like it or approve or anything like that, but I do hope you'll respect my choice. And I want us to be friends. Always."

"Aw, Bella. Dammit!" I could see tears trying to spring from his eyes, although he was doing his best to keep them at bay.

My automatic response was to curl into his side and carefully wrap my arms around his torso. He put his arm around my shoulders and I rested my head on his massive chest. I quickly thought about Edward plucking this moment from Jacob's mind at some point in the future, but just as quickly dismissed it. Nothing was happening and Edward would have to trust me.

We sat like that for a while. I didn't look up at Jake's face because I knew what I would see and I was sure he didn't want me to see him in what he would consider a moment of weakness.

"I'm sorry for what I said," Jacob broke the silence.

"Which thing? You've said so many things you should be apologizing for…" I said with a little chuckle. He gave my shoulder a squeeze.

"For saying I'd rather see you dead than… well, undead. I still hope you'll change your mind and not go through with the whole biting and dying thing, but even if you do, I can't imagine my life without you in it, even if it's only as my smelly blood-sucking friend."

"That may be the sweetest thing you've ever said," I sighed, but then added, "which means you really should work on your pick-up lines."

We both laughed as I moved to sit up. "I should get going. Carlisle said you need your rest and I'm sure I'm not helping by hanging around, irritating you."

"Actually, I am pretty tired," Jacob admitted. "But I'll probably sleep better knowing you and I are OK. We are OK, right?"

"I think we are, or at least we will be." I brushed my hand over his forehead and leaned over to plant a kiss there. "Take it easy and we'll stay in touch, OK? Oh, that reminds me… we have to go back to Italy. Did Carlisle tell you?"

"Yeah, he told me the whole thing. I don't understand why you have to go, but he said you would be in more danger if you refused than if you just went, so I guess that's what you have to do."

I nodded. "Trust me, I don't want to go. Now THOSE are some evil vampires. You can call them all the derogatory names you can think of and I won't argue with you in the slightest!"

This time, Jacob took my hand. "You be careful. I will say one thing about Edward… he would die to protect you. So would I, by the way, but I'm not going to be there. You stay close to him. Think you can handle that?"

"It'll be a hardship, but I'll try to manage," I teased.

Jake pulled my hand to his warm lips and gently kissed it. "I love you, Bells."

"I love you, too."

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" he asked, grinning.

I rolled my eyes, which was a sufficient answer. "Bye, you silly boy."

"Bye, you stubborn, beautiful girl."

I closed the door behind me, and not seeing Billy, said a loud goodbye to him. I heard a muffled "Bye" from somewhere in the house.

I opened the door to the Mercedes and hopped in.

"So, how did it go?" Carlisle asked.

"Are you trying to tell me you didn't hear every word?" I asked in return.

"Well, yes, I suppose I did," he chuckled, "but I can't very well say so. It's rude to eavesdrop, but I can't help it. My ears work too well."

"It's OK. Nothing was said that I wouldn't tell you anyway, and there's nothing I'll be embarrassed about when Edward asks you about it and then picks your brain for the details."

"I'm sure he won't intend it, but not knowing drives him mad."

"Yes, so he'll do it anyway and then beat himself up about it for a month!" I chortled.

"You know, Bella, everyone in the family has expressed concern that you don't know what you're getting into with Edward, but hearing you say that puts all my fears to rest."

A/N: Next chapter, we return to our friend, Fred. Thanks for reading!