BPOV

I turned off the cell phone and stuck it in my pocket as I headed down the stairs. The last thing I needed was for it to ring and for Charlie to wonder where I had gotten it from.

We drove in silence, as we usually did. Riding in the car with Charlie was like going in slow motion, after being in Edward's car. I wasn't that worried about Alice's vision, but I kept an eye on the clock, noticing that it was just hitting five as we crossed into the reservation. I made a mental note to call Edward as soon as I could get a minute alone, just to reassure him.

I felt a rush of nostalgia as we pulled up to the little house. Long-forgotten memories came back to me – sitting in the front yard with Jacob, making mud pies, other kids riding by on their bikes, the smell of fish crackling as it fried- but that wasn't just a memory. We headed right for the kitchen, and Jacob was just turning over a fillet in its pan. His eyes lit up when he saw me.

"Bella! I didn't know you were coming too. I mean, I'm glad you came…" His brown cheeks took on a blush and he turned back to the fish.

"Hey, Jake!" said Charlie enthusiastically. "Yeah, Bella and I are sort of having a father-daughter week, so here she is. You haven't been here in ages, have you, Bells?"

"Nope." I glanced around the kitchen, which was just as I remembered it. There was an old card table in the middle of the room, with three chairs around it, and although the walls had been repainted, it was the same pale green as before. There was the same wolf painting on the wall over the table, and the same ancient yellow refrigerator. The only noticeable difference was Jacob himself, who was even taller than he had been at prom – he had to be at least an inch taller than Edward by now, and his shoulders were filling out. His jet-black hair was a river down his back, contrasting with the white shirt he wore.

"Good grief, Jake," I muttered. "What are you eating, Miracle Gro?"

He blushed again and straightened up even taller as he continued cooking. Soon, Billy rolled into the room and pulled up to the side of the table that didn't have a chair. "It's good to see you again, Bella." His voice was kind, but his eyes were watching me intently. I glanced down to my arm, to make sure the makeup was still covering everything; it was fine.

"You too, Billy. It's nice to be back here again."

Jacob brought the platter of fish to the table, and soon Charlie and Billy were chatting comfortably, leaving the two of us to fend for ourselves.

"So," he finally said, "how has the summer been for you so far? I see your leg is finally out of prison."

"Great. I just got the cast off a few days ago. The doctors had to leave it on so long because it was taking too long to heal. What about you? Did you get the car finished?"

He chuckled. "No, that's kind of an ongoing project. No end in sight yet… but I enjoy it anyway. Hey, you wanna take a look at it after we eat?"

I nodded. I would do pretty much anything to get away from Billy and his well-meaning stare. While we ate, he kept watching me curiously. Did he expect me to fall over dead any minute, too?

"So, Charlie," he said around a mouthful of fish, "Everything alright down in Forks? Heard there was some trouble with one of the local kids. One of those Cullens, wasn't it?"

Charlie scowled at him. "It was all a misunderstanding. The Cullens are great, and they've been nothing but kind to Bella."

"So you're still… seeing one of them?" he asked me. It sounded like an accusation.

"Dad," grumbled Jacob.

"Yes, I'm still dating Edward. And his family is great." Take that.

Billy just shrugged, but Charlie suddenly looked guilty. "I really should call them, or something," he said quietly. "Dr. Cullen's wife was in a car accident earlier this week. I didn't even think to check up and see how she was doing."

I remembered, after a second, to act surprised. "Esme got hurt?" I asked angrily. "Why didn't you tell me? Is she all right?"

Billy snorted, shaking his head. "I'm sure she's fine," he said to himself.

"What's that supposed to mean? Did you see her in the hospital or something?" asked Charlie.

Billy just glanced over at Jacob, who was doing his best to ignore his father. "Charlie, I seriously doubt she went to the hospital."

"Why wouldn't she?"

"I just don't think that she would," Billy answered mysteriously. There was a thump under the table; Jacob had kicked his wheelchair.

Now Charlie was getting annoyed. "Look, just because you don't let your relatives go to the hospital, doesn't mean everyone needs to boycott it. What is it that you have against the Cullens, anyway?"

I glanced over at Jacob, who was already staring at me. "Dad," he said loudly, "I think Bella and I are going to have a look at the Rabbit. Could you please try to act normal by the time we come back?" We both stood up and headed out the door.

"Man, I am really sorry about that. He's been even weirder than usual lately," he said as soon as the door swung shut.

"It's all right. I just don't see how he really believes that legend stuff. What are they supposed to be again? Zombies?"

"Vampires. Uh, Bella? You never said anything to Charlie about that, did you?" He looked a little nervous.

"Of course not! It's hard enough getting your dad to let you date someone. Can you imagine if he found out that Edward was secretly a vampire?" I opened my eyes wider and wiggled my fingers, and Jacob doubled over laughing at my attempt to look scary. I laughed along with him, and I hoped that the sound was drowning out the pounding of my heart. At least it looked like Jake still didn't believe the legend.

Jacob folded his arms, looking superior. "Well, as your friend, I have to say that I don't think you should be dating a vampire. It's not healthy, you know." He smirked at me, and there was a bit of an awkward silence.

"Well, I've still got all my blood. Besides, with the way I've seen Edward eat, I don't think he has room for it, anyway," I said casually. I was getting better at this. "Hey, speaking of Edward, do you mind if I make a quick call? It won't take a second."

He shrugged. I glanced back at the house, ducking behind the shed before I pulled the phone out of my pocket.

"Charlie doesn't want you to call him?" asked Jacob, grinning widely.

"It's a long story," I sighed as I turned on the phone, dismayed to find several missed calls from Alice's phone. I quickly dialed the number.

"Bella! Is that you?" Edward's voice was trembling.

"Yeah. It's at least 5:20 now so…. just thought you'd like to know we got here okay." Jacob was just inside the shed, and I didn't want to say too much.

"I don't understand. According to Alice, you don't exist right now. She's getting little glimpses here and there, but mostly nothing. I'm glad you're all right… I'll see you tonight when you get back home."

"Okay, see you then… love you." I ended the call just as Jacob reappeared in the doorway.

"So, you have to check in with him everywhere you go?" he smirked. "Or just when you visit enemy territory?"

"Funny. Keep the phone thing between us, okay? Charlie doesn't know I have it."

"Hey, you kept my secret. It's what friends do, right?"

"Right. So, how about that Rabbit?"

We headed into the shed and I was surprised to see how well-organized Jacob kept everything. The car itself took up most of the space, but the walls were lined with homemade shelves, each with neat rows of tools, parts, and supplies. Jacob already had a new smear of grease down one of his arms, and he had just tied back his hair. He cheerfully handed me a wrench.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" I asked, eyeing the tool suspiciously.

"Just hold it still… here." He pulled my hand down so the wrench was gripping a bolt near the tire well, and when I nodded, he scooted himself under the car. A moment later, I felt tension on the wrench and had to use both hands to keep it still.

For the few hours, I played mechanic's assistant and we caught up on what we had been doing since we last saw each other at prom. At one point, Jacob grew so quiet that I swung my head down to see if he had fallen asleep under the car.

"Just wondering about something," he muttered under his breath.

"I'll bite. What is it?"

"It's just… he's not really beating you up, is he? Because if he is…" His voice was suddenly tight.

I groaned. "Not you, too! I thought I left that rumor in Forks for the evening."

"Hey, we have police scanners on the rez too. And don't deny it. I know the cops got sent out to their house on Tuesday."

"Listen, I'm only going to say this once, okay? Nobody is hurting me. I am the clumsiest person in town, and I got a couple extra bumps on Tuesday, and it made Charlie suspicious. So he issued a restraining order until he could get it figured out. It was all cleared up by the next morning anyway."

"And the father-daughter week?"

"Charlie is leaving the order in effect until Monday, just to be annoying. So until then, he gets me all to himself."

"Well… except for right now." He was grinning again.

"I guess so. Anyway, thanks for showing me around the Rabbit. You have a nice setup here." Jacob had put his tools back in their places, and he pulled the shed door shut behind us after we walked out. I was surprised to see how late it was; the sun was low, and the mosquitoes were already out.

"Anytime. And next time your boyfriend gets arrested or something, come on back over. You look good in grease." He pointed to my shirt, which was covered with streaks of dirt and oil.

"I'll remember that," I laughed, trying to brush off some of the dirt. We headed back toward the house, where Charlie was helping Billy clean up the remnants of unhealthy snacks from their game night. When we walked into the living room, Charlie and Billy looked at each other and burst out laughing.

"Sorry, Bells. It's just… I've never seen you so dirty before!"

"Well, I've had enough of baseball, so I helped Jacob work on his car for a while. Good game?"

He nodded, and Jacob walked us out to the cruiser. "Hope to see you again soon, Bella. I had a really good time tonight." He reached out and gave me a quick hug. I smiled and waved goodbye as I got into the car. Charlie was thoughtfully quiet on the way home, and it made me a little nervous; what had he and Billy been talking about?

By the time we pulled up to the house, it was dusk, and I yawned loudly as we got out. "I have got to get a shower. I don't think I'm cut out to be a mechanic," I said.

"Looks like Jake might be, though. Billy says he spends hours every day out in that shed. Well, I'm glad you two had a good time."

"Yeah, we did. It was nice seeing him again." I headed up the stairs and slipped into my room. Edward was waiting for me, and his face broke into a huge grin when I walked in.

"What happened to you?" he asked, eyeing my shirt.

I handed him back his phone. "I found my inner mechanic, and she wants a shower." He chuckled and pulled me close for a kiss, but after a moment he pulled away, wrinkling his nose.

"You only went to Billy's house, right?" He leaned down and laid his nose on the fabric at my shoulder, inhaling deeply. He frowned.

"That's it. Well, actually, I spent most of the time in the shed working on Jacob's car. Well, helping him work on it. Why, do I stink like oil?"

"Mm." He ignored my question, sniffing my hair now. He straightened up, his face clearing into a smile. "Well, Alice just called a few minutes ago. You're alive again, apparently."

"Oh! Well, good. I'm glad she's feeling… better?"

"We all are. I think I'm going to run home and change while you clean up. But first…" He suddenly swung me up in the air and carried me over to the rocking chair, where he sat down, holding me, "first tell me how a nice girl like you ended up becoming a mechanic." He rocked me while I began to tell him about my evening. When I got to the part about Billy's comments regarding Esme, he stopped rocking and frowned.

"Billy should be more careful with what he says. It's bad enough that his son is going around breaking the treaty- not that I mind," he said, pulling me closer. "If Jacob hadn't told you about the legends, things might have gone very differently."

"It's true. I'm glad he told me, too. Hey, speaking of legends, aren't you supposed to tell me the story about how you made the treaty?"

"I will, tonight." I climbed off his lap and we both stood up. "I'll be back by ten," he promised. "That way you and Charlie can have a little bonding time. He's thinking about asking you to play Rummy again."

I let out a long-suffering sigh. "I'll see you tonight," I whispered as he slipped out of the window.