Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

A/N: Title is taken from Dark Blue by Jack's Mannequin. Opening song by Alkaline Trio.

Chapter Seventeen: Alone In A Crowded Room

I'll dedicate it to the fact that it's so hard for you to dream.
A million heartbeats all around you make it hard to sleep.
It doesn't help you're freezing in your bed, your blankets aren't enough.
All you want is someone there, and all you say is,

"So what

Love love, kiss kiss... blah blah blah.

You're making me sick, I wish you'd just stop showing off
For the rest of us that no one wants to love
It's hard enough trying to drink another winter all alone."

If I'd been prepared for spending a Thursday at work, alone with Mike, I probably would have been dreading it. We'd barely spoken since the disaster-date over a week before, and I'd been shamelessly using his mom as a buffer between us. He made no secret of the fact he wanted to talk to me, but I'd conveniently been finding reasons to 'talk shop', or put myself in another room whenever he got that serious look on his face.

He was a nice guy, and I wondered that if, in another reality, had I not met the two people who had such a huge impact on my life, Mike and I would have really gotten along. Would I have finally been worn down by his persistence and innocent charm? Knowing what I did now, it was the smallest details that could change the course of a person's path, and maybe, in some far off version of events, where the Cullens hadn't moved to Forks, and I hadn't become close to Jacob, Mike and I were together, and happy, and living a very human existence. Oddly enough, the thought didn't horrify me. Everything about my life since I'd left Phoenix had been complicated, bothersome and difficult - and I was tired. Tired of hurting, tired of fighting for my happiness, for my life, and for my heart. It was that same weariness that led me to ask him out in the first place. I just wanted something easy, safe, and something – for once - devoid of mystery.

I'd tried and failed to open myself up to it. Was it something about me that just couldn't be content with being with a human? I honestly didn't know if it was the species, or the boy.

Today, Mike was on a mission, and in turn showed me a truth I'd failed to acknowledge. It seemed he'd given up on salvaging our non-relationship, for now, because one very obvious development was being shoved in my face.

He was back with Jessica.

I fought a little smile when he answered the phone obnoxiously, telling her how much he missed her and couldn't wait until she came to meet him for lunch with Angela and Ben. I had no doubt that if I'd had any real feelings for Mike, I would have been seething and green-eyed, but from where it stood, things couldn't have worked out better. If he was trying to get a rise out of me, he wasn't going to get one, and if anything, the relief I felt at knowing that he was once again off the market just elevated my mood.

Jessica and Mike were a typical High School couple – madly in love one minute, hating each other's guts the next, and ever reluctant to just let go. I knew how that felt – the all-encompassing feeling of belonging, like there could be no 'me' without the 'we'.

I knew better now, and the dramatics of teenage love was something that had stung me one-too-many times for it to be something I really craved. I'd assumed being with Mike would be drama-free, easy, and effortless, but Embry was right about that, too; just because Mike was human, didn't mean there was no chance of getting hurt. He and Jessica fed off each other's passion, and took it in whatever form they could get it, even if that meant inflicting pain on each other in the process.

Heartbreak wasn't just a risk when falling in love with the super-human. Heartbreak was as human as you could get. Maybe it was about time I embraced my humanity a little more – if this was the reality I was now committed to, I was going to have plenty of human moments ahead.

A reminder of my own human weakness was laid out for me at lunch time, when Jessica, Ben and Angela arrived to pick Mike up. They politely invited me along – well, Angela and Ben did – but one look at their joined hands, the easy comfort they had with each other, and old pain came roaring to the surface.

"Hey, Bella," Angela greeted, in that quietly-excited tone only she could master. "Mike never said you were working today. You should totally come to lunch with us." Something about the sidelong glance she threw at Mike and Jessica told me she'd also figured out Mike's plan, and completely understood why I wouldn't want to accept her offer. As for the happy couple, they were going out of their way to pretend I wasn't even there; I was once again in the doghouse with Jess for going on the date with Mike, and she seemed to somehow be joined to him at the lips.

"Thanks, Ange... I don't want to be a fifth-wheel, though," I smiled through the half-truth.

"You wouldn't really be a fifth-wheel... but I get it," she smiled knowingly. "You and I should get together soon, though, just the two of us."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

The reality was, I couldn't have stomached being in a room with that many hormones for much longer. I watched them as they sauntered out of the store without a care in the world, and decided that I really did need to work on distracting my mind. Although I wasn't jealous that Jessica and Mike were once again an item, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of loneliness, with a heavy dash of inadequacy. After all, if someone as vapid as Jessica Stanley could hold on to a boyfriend, what did that say about me?

I'd been thinking about what happened the night before, and the most surprising realisation wasn't that I acted out of missing Jacob, or feeling like the world wasn't turning without him, but rather that my reconnaissance work in the bookstore was an effort to bandage my wounded pride. Sure, Jacob's choices had hurt me, but how was it that the only two guys I'd had serious romantic feelings for had found it relatively easy to leave me? I wanted to know more about Melanie because, as Embry had said, knowing why I wasn't good enough would somehow help me make sense of everything. But I still didn't have a clue.

Was this all I had to look forward to now? Watching everyone around me find their own happiness while I became more and more bitter as the years passed? The rational side of me told me not to be so ridiculous, that I was eighteen years old, and losing at love was a part of life. Maybe it was normal to spy on your ex-almost-boyfriend's replacement for you, and then burst into tears when you got found out. Maybe it was normal to let said ex's best friend rescue you from humiliation, and actually believe that he didn't hold any judgement. I cringed inwardly at the memory. Everyone else had it all so figured out. Why didn't I?

I was so lost in my thoughts, that I didn't hear Leah's approach until she heaved a fold-up rain jacket pretty forcefully at my head.

"What the hell, Leah!" I complained, tenderly touching the side of my face which was now throbbing from the smack of water-proof plastic. I looked round in time to see her rolling her eyes and leaning a long, toned arm on a display of portable camping stoves.

"I've been standing here like some damn butler waiting for you to notice me for the past two minutes. Jesus, Swan, do you ever crawl out of that brain of yours and take a look around?"

I shrugged sheepishly as I got to my feet. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm thinking of taking up fly-fishing. All the hottest guys do it." she deadpanned, "What do you think?"

I wrinkled my nose and studied her. "You came to visit me?"

"Is that so horrendous?" she asked, cocking her head to one side, and I fought a smirk. Sometimes, like at this moment, it wasn't so hard to believe that there was a wolf lurking right under the surface.

I had to admit, I'd really enjoyed seeing more of Leah, and not being the target of her more cutting remarks, but she hadn't given me much indication of what she got out of our friendship. It was just her way, though. I surmised that once your feelings had been so badly burned, you didn't openly let people in on how much they really meant to you. That's the safest way not to get hurt, after all, and I'd given her methods a try myself.

"No," I said, half-smiling. "Just surprised is all. Don't I have a furry babysitter for the day?" I jerked my chin out towards the shop front, where I was sure that somewhere beyond, Jared was sighing in boredom and wishing he was anywhere else.

Probably with Kim, so they can choose their future kid's names and pick out centrepieces for their wedding. Maybe they can go shopping for onesies and buy a tandem bike while they're at it.

I grunted unhappily as I reached up to push another box into the shelving, and heard Leah chuckle behind me. I wasn't mad at Jared, or Kim – in reality, I didn't know them well enough to really form an opinion – but they were yet another happy couple on the long list of people I'd rather avoid.

"Yeah, you do, but Emily needed supplies for some kind of Martha-Stewart-inspired concoction that the guys will probably inhale before she even gets it on to plates. Place was too crowded anyway, so I saw my chance to skip out. Of course, I can't get a fucking minute's peace without someone hopping in the damn passenger seat," she rambled, rolling her eyes and jerking her head towards the door where Seth was entering with a beaming grin.

"You drove here?" I asked, strangely surprised. Leah raised an eyebrow at me.

"Well, yeah... it's kinda hard to carry bags of flour in your mouth, Swan. Besides, my dad spent months teaching me how to drive, I might as well get some use out of it since I won't be on four paws forever."

I realised that I'd too-often made assumptions about the Pack and how they operated, and especially Leah – out of anyone, she would logically be the wolf most eager to preserve some normalcy. Suddenly, being human didn't seem like such a weakness anymore, when someone as strong and resilient as Leah would give anything to classify herself as just that. Maybe I had to stop looking at my humanity that way.

"Hey, Bella! I heard you're a racist now," Seth announced as he approached us. I gaped at him dumbly for a beat before Leah smacked the back of his head.

"Stop trying to be a dick, Seth. It doesn't suit you," she admonished. He shot me a sheepish smile and held out his hands innocently.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist."

I rolled my eyes and turned back to my task. It seemed I was the butt of everyone's jokes these days – even sweet, considerate Seth's.

"Anyway, despite many heartfelt protests, I came to tell you that we're going out tonight," Leah informed. I looked back up at her and crinkled my brow.

"We are? But it's Thursday..." I said, honestly wondering what we could possibly do around here when it wasn't the weekend.

"Wow, well done, Bella! That's right, and yesterday was Wednesday, the sky is blue, and you need to get laid. Are we just stating facts here for fun?" she mocked, and I pursed my lips together, thoroughly berated, but unable to disagree with her logic.

"How come you get to be a dick, and I don't?" Seth enquired, and Leah shot him a sidelong glance, without turning.

"Because it's an art, and I've perfected it. Stick to being cutesy and saccharine, there's more chance of that little piece of ass at the ice-cream counter agreeing to go out with you." Seth opened his mouth to protest, but it was clear she'd touched on a secret – one he wasn't aware had gotten out. Leah's eyes widened in mock surprise as she nodded at him. "Yeah, I know that's why you came. Why don't you go bother her for a while?" She jerked her thumb over her shoulder towards the front door, and turned her stare back to me – her baby brother was already dismissed.

Seth seemed to ponder this for a moment before slinking away behind her – the desire to see his crush outweighing the need to prove Leah wrong. I laughed softly at his retreating back before his sister engaged my attention again.

"Anyway, there's this club in Port Ange that lets over-eighteens in on Thursdays, just for summer. You get this really lame stamp on your wrist so you won't get hammered, but the music's good and at least there'll be unfamiliar faces there."

It was odd hearing Leah try to sound encouraging instead of demanding, and it occurred to me that she'd been looking forward to this, and a lot rode on my answer. I gnawed on my lip for a moment, honestly wondering if it was a good idea.

"Oh crap, don't get that look," Leah groaned, and I met her eyes confusedly.

"What look?"

"The one that says 'Oh, I'm sweet little Bella, I hate fun and I need everyone to take care of me!'" she mocked, softening her voice in a surprisingly accurate caricature of my own. "Embry was all contradictory too, when he saw my plans this morning. Even Paul was hitting me with twenty questions..." She frowned slightly and looked off into the middle distance, as if realising how odd that was for the first time. I willed my face not to betray anything, but I was pretty amused at how bad Paul was at disguising his feelings – the sooner I got talking to him, the better.

"You've got a little spunk in there, Swan, don't tell me it's gone already?"

She almost sounded proud when she said the last part, but my curiosity didn't let me take the compliment. "Embry thinks it's a bad idea?" I asked, feeling slightly hurt by his apparent doubt.

"Fucked if I know...he was all 'that place is full of creeps, it's not Bella's scene'," she said, lowering the timbre of her voice but still managing to sound whiney. I turned round in time to see her drop a questioning hand back to her side and her face twisted into mock offence. "It's like he doesn't approve of us hanging out."

"Why not?" I asked, bending down once again to retrieve another box of back-up tent pegs. "What's it got to do with him anyway?"

Leah smiled ruefully. "Maybe he thinks I'm a bad influence?"

I found myself smiling back despite myself. "Maybe you are, but I doubt that's it. Why would it even bother him?"

"Fucked if I know. That kids thoughts are better guarded than a nun's panties. I don't know how he does it."

"Embry's? Really?" I asked, slightly taken aback. What did he even have to hide? And why didn't he hide the window incident?

She nodded in reply. "Yep. No-one knows why. Paul says he's gay."

I dropped the box in shock, the rattling of the metal inside all-too-loud in the quiet store, and cleared my throat.

"He's what?" I asked, eyes wide. It was never a vibe I got off of Embry, at all, and the idea threw me for a loop. Leah laughed and threw me a studious glare.

"He isn't, well... as far as I know. What's with the shrieking?"

I shook my head, swallowing thickly. "Nothing, it's just, I was shocked," I said, trying to sort through my memories to pick just one where Embry was seeing a girl, or even had a crush on one who wasn't a famous model or actress, but couldn't find any. That still wasn't evidence, though. I just knew he didn't swing that way. At that moment, another wave of curiosity came over me. Maybe Embry wasn't gay, but it still didn't explain why I'd never seen him with a girl. Any one of the Wolfpack could have their pick of girls on and off the Rez – and he was one of the few unattached members. Why had he never cashed in on his transformation?

The mystery of Embry Call took yet another turn.

"So is that a 'yes'? I haven't got all day to stand around and watch you think yourself into a coma," Leah cut in. "I've got a little brother to humiliate."

I shot her a smile and squared my shoulders. I wasn't the shy, nervous person who needed taken care of, and no-one else should tell me otherwise. I could take care of myself – that much I'd proven, and I was going to keep doing it until everyone else believed it too.

"Sure. What time are we going?"

"Atta girl. Be ready around nine-thirty, and don't wear something that makes you look like a Sunday school teacher," she smirked, before turning on her heel and walking out of the store. I pushed down the feelings of apprehension that were shimmering in my gut. Just call me Bella Backbone.

Clearly, the under-twenty-one contingent of this corner of Washington had little difficulty procuring alcohol. The club smelled like sweat and beer, but it was unclear whether it was coming from the clientèle or was simply ingrained into the sticky floor and the stale air. The dazed look on many of the patron's faces told the story, though, and I knew that the lack of purse-checks on the door probably contributed to the full glasses more than the bored-looking bartender hawking soda and water. Steam rose off the heaving bodies on the dance floor like a haze of hormones and need, and I was definitely out of my comfort-zone. I'd realised it somewhere between donning a scoop-necked tank and a pair of skin-tight black dress-shorts I barely remembered buying, and Leah telling me not to assume every guy here was trying to rape me. I appreciated her reassurance, but from the hungry looks she was getting from every guy who caught sight of her, there wasn't much to back up her claims.

She was currently being reverently ground-on (or, as respectfully as someone can thrust their crotch at you) by two of the less-scrawny guys here, and from the satisfied look on her face, she'd gotten what she came for – tonight was Leah's ego boost, somewhere she could come where she wasn't 'that bitch' or just a Pack member with boobs. Said breasts were pushed perfectly and symmetrically together under a tailored, button-down vest and over a pair of jeans she'd probably been sewn into. Leah looked like a model on her 'off-days', but tonight, she looked like she made her living strutting around in lingerie. Hell, even I wanted to squeeze her ass.

I sucked down the rest of my cola and sighed. I was supposed to be letting lose, enjoying myself, but the cautious, more Bella part of me was keeping my guard up. I'd been approached and asked to dance by two guys already – one looked at me like I was edible, and the other seemed pretty shy, but I'd politely declined both. Maybe it was because I knew what could be lurking around in here, or maybe because Edward had always been pretty vocal about the way teenage guys thought, but I just couldn't silence the side of my brain that urged me to go home, take a bath, and watch a marathon of Katherine Heigl movies.

The disapproving look Leah shot me from the dance floor said it all – she'd become pretty well versed in my anxious expressions, and one subtle narrowing of her eyes told me to snap the hell out of it. I made a promise to myself that the next person brave enough to ask for a dance was going to get one, no matter what vibes he gave off.

Embry POV

I felt like I spent a lot of time skulking around in the shadows, always unseen, but it never felt quite as creepy as this. Here I was, in some shit-hole dive of a nightclub, trying desperately not to get discovered as I – for all intents and purposes – spied on Bella.

I sighed uncomfortably as I folded my arms. I was not okay with this in the least. Sure, I'd been pretty much against the idea of her and Leah going off to this club where it was dark and full of drunk assholes, but it didn't mean I was in any position to stop them. Jake, however had had other ideas.

"They're what!" he snapped, eyes widening as he paused in wiping his hands. I'd come by the garage to debrief about patrolling near Bella's last night, and slipped in the plans I'd seen Leah make when our paths crossed. Jake was horrified.

"We're meant to be keeping a close eye on her, how the hell are we meant to do that all the way in Port Angeles, and in a goddamn night club?" he asked, tension pulling his shoulders taught as he interrogated me. "Who are they going with? Are they meeting guys there? Have they been vetted?"

I sighed wearily. "It's just the two of 'em, man. I don't think they're actually going to meet anyone specifically.. I think Leah just wants to let off some steam." I half-shrugged, not sure whether to encourage him or assuage his fears. He was partially right – it really wasn't a good idea for Bella to go out of town at night, especially somewhere she would be difficult to guard – but what were we supposed to do? Forbid her? If he thought about it for a second, he'd know that telling Bella she couldn't do something would do little more than encourage her.

Of course, a part of me was just as worried about the human guys she'd meet there as the non-human. She wasn't ready for this – last night had been proof of that – and if I was being truthful, I wasn't ready either. For the first time, I'd had Bella all to myself. Sure, it was in a semi-professional capacity, and she still just saw me as one of her friends.. but it was a start, right? With time, maybe she would take me a little more seriously, and see me as something other than a leftover part of her life with Jake. What if she met some douche tonight, and once again I was background-guy?

Who was I kidding? I was lucky that a girl like her would give me the time of day – I shouldn't set myself up for disappointment all over again, and the parade of faceless jerks swimming through my head who could potentially charm her grew longer and longer –I wasn't even any competition.

Why did I have to be so vague? If I'd just been a little clearer that night in her room, telling her that she'd be ready to move on when she found the right person, it hadn't even occurred to her that I meant – maybe – with me... some day. I'd replayed that night over and over, not even being able to hide it completely from my thoughts – they'd see the window anyway. Now she was going out with Leah and would probably end up with some dick who DJ'd part time and had a nickname for his junk.

"So what, Bella's left wide open to attack while Leah flirts-it-up?" he questioned, and I knew better than to warn him about referring to Leah that way – he didn't really mean it, but she had grown kind of partial to dangling guys on a string and cutting them loose since the whole Sam-thing. Maybe she just needed to be validated, we all knew how messed up she'd been. It didn't mean she wouldn't scalp him for making comments like that.

"Leah and Bella are kind of friends, now... she's not going to leave her alone and vulnerable," I bargained, but wasn't sure I was fully convinced. There were plenty of distractions in a place like that, and Bella was really little. What if she got lost? Or some creep grabbed her the second Leah's back was turned? It wasn't Bella's or Leah's judgement I didn't trust, it was everyone else.

"It's not good enough," Jake muttered, shaking his head. He was getting that look when he wanted to divide the Pack's strengths efficiently, or when he was coming up with new strategies for training. I'd come to nickname it The Alpha Brood – I'd never seen it before he stepped up. "I should go," he resigned. My eyebrows just about shot to my hairline when he said that.

"Are you sure that's a good idea? I mean... You're not exactly Bella's favourite person right now. What if she sees you?"

He sighed unhappily and nodded. "I know – that's the whole reason I've been making you guys patrol her house all the time. Sam can't, because of Emily and all, but I feel pretty shitty about having you all so stretched thin and not doing anything about it," he confessed. "It's about time I grew a pair and stopped hiding behind you guys."

I appreciated the gesture, but he was forgetting one vital component – Bella. Not having to see Jake every couple days was more for her benefit than anyone else's.

"Jake, I know you mean well... but don't you think she deserves to go out and not run into her ex?"

"I'd rather she be mad at me than dead," he said with finality, and who could argue with that? "Shit," he said, his hand moving to press a fist to his mouth. "Mel, I forgot.."

"You forgot about Mel?" I said disbelievingly. He shook his head and shot me a withering look.

"No, smartass. I forgot we made plans."

"So what are you going to do? Tell her you're cancelling to go spy on your ex? I'm sure she'll love that..."

"She'll understand," he said, and I didn't think even he believed it from the way his eyes darted from mine. "Okay so maybe I don't have to tell her." He grimaced in pain then, and I found myself edging closer to him with concern. "Sorry... the imprint goes all stab-y if I contemplate betraying her," he sighed. "Alright, so no matter how understanding she is, she's not going to like that, especially with how Bells treated her."

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah, she's a pretty relaxed chick, but nobody's that secure."

"So I'm fucked," Jake said in resignation. "And Bella's fucked. It's all fucked!" He dropped his fist down on the work bench loudly in frustration, and the clenching of his jaw was the only indication that his mind was still working.

His head shot up then with an idea. "Unless..." His face turned to look at me imploringly as he stepped closer.

Knowing where this was going, I held up my hands in protest. "No way, Jake. I am not following them to that club. Leah will castrate me and feed me the remains. Can't you make Paul go? Or Quil?"

"Dude, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't really important. Those two will just see it as a free pass to chase tail – I've seen Paul take his shirt off at parties just to speed up the process from meeting to making out," he said exasperatedly. His expression turned pleading again as he held his palms out. "I'll do anything – you won't have to patrol for a week. I just need her safe, can you do that for me?"

The slight flare of panic of losing my excuse to see Bella shot through me and I swallowed. "Fine," I sighed, unable to argue with his objective; I needed her safe, too. "You don't have to let me off patrols. But you will owe me one."

"You're the best, man. I swear, anything you want, you can have." Somehow I didn't think he'd grant me the only thing that came to mind in that moment, no matter how over her he was.

That was how I found myself sitting in a darkened corner of this club, actually wearing full-length pants and a shirt to comply with dress code, and watching while two guys practically marked Leah as their territory. I watched the people around the club, how couples seemed to gravitate towards one another, and how some seemed to just not care what they did in public. It was pretty disgusting, but I couldn't ignore the tiny pang of jealousy I felt each time I caught sight of someone sharing a kiss, or a close, heated dance. Worse still, was the couple three seas away, simply talking and whispering to each other, holding hands and enjoying each others' company. Would I ever have something like that? Or better yet, would I ever be over Bella enough to even want something like that with someone who wasn't her?

Bella sat alone by the dance floor, looking like she regretted agreeing to come. She seemed to be doing an okay job of letting anyone who approached her down gently, and a small swell of pride – and relief – washed over me. In that moment, I felt stupid for having such little faith in Bella – she wasn't as naive as everyone seemed to think, and could take care of herself. I wasn't sure how I'd forgotten that in my panic.

Vibration in my pocket tore my attention away from the mission to see a second message – one from Quil and the first from Jake - light up the screen. It was still weird enough that I'd had to dress up to come here and put crap in my hair to make it all douchey, but that Jake had made me bring my cell instead of being phased made this feel a little more professional. Maybe one day I could become a real spy?

I tried not to snort at how ridiculous that was. I'd be lucky to go to college and not spend the rest of my days picking up welfare cheques.

Jake: What's the latest?

Quil: Dude, you went to a club without me?

I typed a message assuring Jake that everything was alright and hit send before moving to put the phone away – but Quil refused to take my lack of response as an answer.

Q: Are there strippers? Are they drunk? Man, you're so fucked if I'm missing drunk strippers.

I smirked good-naturedly – the guy seriously only thought about one thing. Not for the first time. I wondered if for once, imprinting could actually have a practical function – mentally castrating Quil.

It's not that kind of place, man. Like you could land a stripper anyway. Zero game.

Q: Dude, I have game.

Oh yeah? I forgot about all those times you got laid...

Q: Get off my dick. I have standards, okay?

Yeah... standards so high you're asking me about drunk strippers.

I waited for the smartass response when another message from Jake came through.

J: Does it look like she's having fun?

I blew out a breath, feeling once again uncomfortable to be spying on Bella this way – and especially reporting back to Jacob. No matter how well-intentioned he was, she deserved her privacy and to enjoy her night without me here, relaying her every move. This really wasn't any of his business – but the buried guilt over how he'd hurt her meant he was more curious than most. I looked back to the stool she'd been perched on – but she was gone.

Bile rose in my throat as the terror hit me. I'd had one job – and now she was gone, and it was all my fault.

I sprang out of my seat and towards where she'd been sitting, trying to pick out the faint vestiges of her scent through the crowd, but it was useless – the place was like a sauna filled with the pheromones of 150 drunk teens. There was little chance of distinguishing one scent from another. I got to the edge of the sunken dancefloor and braced my hands on the guardrail – and breathed a sigh of relief. Bella was dancing – albeit kind of awkwardly – with some guy I'd never seen before. She was alive, though, and that counted for something. I sank onto a stool and and pulled my phone out again.

Yeah – she's dancing.

I figured it was best to leave out the mild panic attack I'd had when I thought she'd been kidnapped, or the fact she was dancing with a guy – Jake was more than a little irritated when she'd gone out with the Newton weiner; no-one would be good enough for Bella.

J: Haha... I bet that's entertaining. Thanks for doing this, man. I feel better knowing you're there.

Don't worry about it, just remember you owe me.

A slender hand squeezing my knee tore my attention away from the phone to lock eyes with a confident smirk. I'd seen the girl around Forks before, and she'd come to the beach a couple of times with kids from Bella's school.

"You're way too sexy to be sitting here all lonely like that," she purred, and the stench of cheap vodka on her breath would have made a lesser man's head swim. "How about some company? I'm Lauren," she introduced, holding out her hand delicately for me to take. Her boobs were pushed up almost to her chin, blonde hair teased up in some kind of bee-hive-meets-birds-nest style, and the acrid perfume she was wearing did little to cover up the scent of arousal and desperation emanating from her pores.

She arched her brow flirtatiously, waiting for me to reciprocate, but I was too distracted by the way her hand was snaking up my thigh to form a coherent answer. Girls I knew weren't normally this aggressive, and I wasn't exactly well practised in talking to them.

"Uh... Hi..." I said unsurely, my mind fighting to catch up with the way she was making my skin crawl. "I'm okay, thanks."

"'Okay'? What kind of a name is that?" she teased, her tongue darting out to taste the sticky lip-gloss smeared over her lips. I huffed out a breath – this girl didn't get turned down often, and I suspected it was because she didn't take no for an answer. She leaned in slowly, pressing her chest up against my shoulder as she whispered in my ear. "You don't have to tell me your name, I'm sure that pretty mouth of yours can do much better than talking..."

Her grip tightened on my thigh to punctuate her words, and I just about jumped out of my skin when I felt her mouth on my earlobe – the wolf was feeling threatened, and we did not do well when cornered.

"Look, uh... Lauren. I'm really just here for a friend. I'm not interested okay?" I said, shaking my head and cringing at the lack of conviction in my voice. Lauren pouted and twirled a hand through the ends of her hair.

"Aww, don't be like that, sweetie.. who says you can't have a little fun, huh?" She leaned in to my face again, and I remembered to hold my breath and lean back in defence against the vodka fumes. "I won't tell anyone, if you won't," she said, lowering her voice seductively.

Just about ready to turn tail and run, Lauren's shoulder was jerked back suddenly, and she spun around in irritation to reveal Bella, almost a foot shorter than her, and with a look of disgust on her face as she eyed her from head to toe.

"Lauren," she spat over the din of the music, "Should have known this was your scene. Don't you know better than to inflict yourself on my poor, unsuspecting friends? At least until your herpes have cleared up."

For the first time all night, I got a good look at Bella; and she was stunning. I'd never seen so much of her on show before, but in stark contrast to the girl she was laying into, she did it with class and grace – the latter description not one normally afforded to the girl I knew. Her hair was styled to perfection, and the dark shadow applied to her eyes made their colour pop, even in the dim lighting of the club. There was a fierceness in them, too, that I hadn't even seen before; Bella was being protective – protective of me.

Lauren wrinkled her nose, as if Bella was something she'd scraped off the bottom of her shoe and squared her shoulders. I fought the angry tremor that ripped through me – who was this bitch to think she could look at Bella that way?

"Should have known you'd have got your claws into him first, Bella. Spreading it around a little, don't you think?" she called over the throbbing bass. Even if they weren't yelling, it wouldn't have been too hard to hear the exchange.

Bella jutted out her hip confidently and rested her hand there. It was the sexiest thing I'd ever seen.

"Well, you'd know all about 'spreading it', wouldn't you? Just need to ask the entire football team." I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing – I'd been worried about this side of Bella becoming more dominant, but now, the confidence she was displaying (most of it was still bravado) just made her all the more attractive. Why shouldn't she call someone out when they deserved it?

Lauren rolled her eyes and flicked a lock of platinum blonde over her shoulder. "Not my fault you're jealous," she scoffed, and Bella smirked mockingly.

"Sure, Lauren. I'm jealous," she deadpanned, before her face lit up in a sarcastic grin. "You've got team spirit, yes you do!" The twisted cheer was Lauren's cue to leave, and Bella continued to chant after her until she was out of earshot. I finally stopped holding on to my laughter and let it out, clutching my stomach to contain the vibration. It only took a few seconds to realise that Bella hadn't joined in, and was looking at me sternly, her eyes raking over my body slowly to take in my clothes, my stupid hair, and the cellphone in my hand.

I was in big trouble.

Bella clutched my elbow and began walking – I had no choice but to allow her to lead me. Hell, I'd follow her anywhere when she was looking like that, but the trepidation bubbling within me made me drag my feet. This could not end well.

Her hair tickled my bicep as it flowed behind her, and it sent thousands of jolts of energy up my arm – the smallest contact with her eliciting reactions I was powerless to control. But this wasn't the time to get lost in that; the determination on her face as she searched the club with her eyes told me that much.

"Where are we going, Bella?" I hedged, almost nervous for the answer.

"Somewhere quiet, where we're going to talk, and you're going to tell me why the hell you're here."

The whole time she spoke, I could do nothing but try to get a better look at her face, mapping out the beauty of her skin, and figure out if she was wearing lipstick, and whether it would make the experience of kissing her any different to the countless other times I'd imagined it. The proximity of her body and her hand on my arm was clouding my thoughts, and despite the annoyance in her expression, the biggest part of me was just electrified to be this close, to see her all fired up like this, and pathetically, to have another chance just to be alone with her.

Yeah, I was in big trouble.

A/N: Dammit, Embry can't catch a break can he? It's not even his fault this time!

This was a slightly longer chapter, hopefully it will move the story along a little more so we can get to the good stuff.

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed – they really do help motivate me and figure out where I'm going with this!

I'd love to hear your thoughts, and don't be afraid to tell me what you'd like to see in the next chapter.