~A/N This one has a little gift at the end because you all are such great readers!

Copyright disclaimer: Twilight and all recognizable characters are sole property of Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 10: Sustained Bonds

Jacob was relieved to be heading home. He was going to have a week at home again. It was about time after working almost everyday for weeks. The pack had been great. They all took care of Bella, but he constantly worried. They were set to stay the weekend on the reservation. The council had some things to discuss with them. They were about to hear a little more about the supposed blessed couple.

As much as the guys helped him out, she returned the favor. Bella fussed over them. She made them more food than they deserved. She listened to their problems, especially the younger ones. Linx had a particular dependence on her. His mom was pretty detached, no one was sure what that was about. Bella helped him with his girl problems.

They had little progress on the Cullen front. Many times, he was almost convinced to show up at the hospital Carlisle worked at. All he could think about was what would happen once he knew the whole story. Could he be convinced right away? It was doubtful. He'd go home, the bloodsucker would read his mind and then all of it would be revealed to him. He was fearful for him to know Bella was human again. The only good thing was Jared found a link with the publishing company and an address in Canada. He was planning a trip up there soon with Charlie. Jacob wasn't willing to leave Bella with that much distance between them, but he was sending Paul and Seth to accompany them.

Tiki greeted him in the yard like normal. She was a good dog. Bella kept insisting she was an honorary pack member. He swore the dog listened to them, because she tried to go out with him constantly when ran the perimeter. He usually allowed it, but if he instructed her to stay with Bells, she did. She was obedient, took orders well. She was growing and was a nice fit for them. He'd been worried she would make distractions but she never did. Although, that damned stubborn woman had coaxed her into their bed lately. Dammit, if she didn't jump up and curl up at his feet every night about three in the morning.

Bella pulled him inside quickly, she had something that had just come through on the computer. It was a message over the blog from Rose. She couldn't understand why Bella wouldn't answer any of them. She said she must be alright if the blog was still being updated.

"What do I do?"

"Nothing."

"How about I use a little code embedded in my next passage."

"What the hell are you talking about? You pretending to be a secret agent again?"

"Vampire family...sometimes, us girls used certain words to mean certain things when we didn't want the men to know what we were discussing. You know how it is when everyone hears every single thing you have to say."

"Yeah, but still. What kind of code?"

"I'll have to think about it."

"What if the bloodsucker knows all your damn codes already? He probably does."

Bella said it was a given that Edward knew something went wrong and that Jacob was still very much alive. He commented as long as he didn't know she was very much alive was what he was trying to prevent.

She suggested giving him some false hope instead. "What if I simply let Rose know that we're fine, but I had to take some time to solely focus on our marriage and I can't have any distractions."

"That sounds like we're having trouble."

"Maybe, maybe not, but it just might be some confusion for Edward if he's snooping."

He said he needed to think about it some more, discuss it with the pack. They enjoyed a peaceful evening at home except for her packing. "It's two nights...do we really need this much stuff?"

"I have to take all of Tiki's things and I'm not sure how I should dress for the council meeting. It's cold if we spend anytime outside like you boys commonly do. Dad and Sue keep their house warm so I'll have to change inside."

He advised her to throw in a few pairs of shorts for him and he was done, but he watched her go through his closet for more appropriate things. "Bells, let's go to bed. I'm not going to be able to touch you for 48 hours, so I need something to tide me over."

"Who says, you can't touch me all weekend?"

"I say...no getting busy with a man's daughter under his roof. It's a hard and fast rule."

She laughed, "It is not. Dad knows we're married, he heard all about my blog. I think he knows you get busy with me and you just said hard and fast."

Jacob shook his head. He was adamant. She didn't seem convinced he was going to hold out, but if it truly made him uncomfortable, then she said she understood.

They had a long informative meeting with all the elders and Billy. It lasted for hours. They wanted to know all the details about the search for Edward. When everyone else headed home, Jacob and Bella stay later with Old Quil. First thing he inquired about was if he'd be allowed to inspect the marks again. He assured Jacob he wouldn't touch. Jacob showed his first and explained the healing and how he doesn't have another scar that looked anything like it.

"Because it's mystical. Hers was the first step to sealing your bond."

Bella turned away from him for modesty purposes but Jacob pulled her shirt up to show the back of her shoulder. He brushed a finger over it and she sighed with contentment.

"It is a source of comfort and pleasure."

He knew she was embarrassed about discussing such things with the old guy, but they were having a very open conversation.

Quil added, "And healing."

Jacob was curious to hear his theories about the mark giving Bella some of her accelerated healing.

He read from some ancient documents about the blessed couple. Taha Aki gave them his blessing when he gave them their lives back. Bella and Jacob would be responsible for the training, guidance and foundation of the strongest pack in history.

Bella spoke up about the past. "The pack grew when the newborn army was coming, they're even larger now. Jacob is so strong. Is something worse coming? Is that why all this is happening?"

He didn't know the future but a deranged vampire solely focused on destroying the alpha could be enough to ignite the gene in some. "You both face danger. Protection has to exist. We have no idea how much worse things can get. It's not only about huge numbers that present a threat. There was an unbalance for many years between Jacob's wolf and the La Push pack. It's finally back in order and nothing can come between them."

He often spoke directly to Bella. She wasn't so convinced she could be the alpha female they all needed. "I made the worst mistake imaginable. I shouldn't have been given a second chance, but here I am. Taha Aki basically told me not to screw up this time. I'm really afraid of disappointing them."

"You won't. You're different. This is your destiny." He reminded them the synchronized heartbeats along with the marks proved their souls were connected. He cautioned them to always heed the warnings. "Neither of you will survive without the other. If you perish, child...the alpha was die or vice versa, Jacob. She only lives as long as you do."

The next day, Jacob had training with the pack. Bella asked if she could spend more time with Old Quil and he said he would love that. That evening, they had a quiet dinner with Sue, Charlie and Seth's family. Jacob tried to get his dad to come, but he said they'd all get together the following day. The long council meeting had drained him. Bella said it felt so natural to be in her father's home again even though she'd never gotten to hang out there with all of them like that for over a decade. Once she married Cullen, she never spent much time at Charlie's and after he moved to the reservation with Sue, it was never an option.

They snuggled together in the much smaller bed in Sue's guest room. Jacob wouldn't allow Tiki to join them because it was already cramped enough.

"I'm kinda liking this small bed," she giggled.

"Oh yeah, me too except it's hot as hell in here. What's wrong with Charlie and Sue?"

"They're older, they get cold easier."

He pulled her closer and she pointed out the obvious, "I thought you said no getting busy in my dad's house."

"Yeah, but we did all that talking about the marks and then my mind went to the night I gave you yours. It's making me have thoughts."

"I can be quiet," she tickled his neck with soft kisses.

They started up a little kissing, but Jacob pulled away. "Dammit, he's up again. Why does Charlie keep going to the bathroom?"

Bella laughed some more.

Things quieted down soon enough and they resumed their smooching session. He believed her, they could be quiet. After all, he was the only one with supernatural hearing. It wasn't like Charlie was outside the door, but then he heard him again in the kitchen and down the hall, so technically, he was outside their room.

He stopped again, "It's no use. Why doesn't he go to bed?"

"My dad's always operated on little sleep. I think he has insomnia issues."

He was going to have to suffer for the rest of the weekend. "It's fine, let's get some sleep." The brief hiatus was going to make their homecoming that much better.

Jacob worked the whole day with the pack. The boys at school were that much closer to phasing. A few of them did a little surveillance. They had yet to push them too much, but Brady and Paul were options. He knew Bella was eager to learn as much as she could from Quil's grandfather, then she planned to meet up with the rest of the girls. They were having a larger dinner event that night at her father's.

All those lost years, he felt out of place at the bonfires. He finally knew why. When they were together with their pack, he felt completely at ease. There was a sense of belonging that had escaped him for a long while. She snuggled against him on a blanket. Most of the pack had headed outside after dinner to sit around a fire.

Bella reminded him of one of the best things they'd learned over the weekend was she never would know what it felt like to be one second without him. "We'll go together. That's good, isn't it?"

"Yes, I'm not eager for it to be anytime soon." He reminded her he'd also never feel what he felt like the night he briefly lost her after Ness's birth.

"We both know how desperate and dark that place is and I'm in no hurry to cross over. I want a long, happy life with you, but also a peaceful one. I hope the danger ends soon. I have to be super careful. I can't take any risks. I get that now, better than I understood before. I think I've been foolish."

"How so?"

"Our lake house. As much as I love it, maybe I should spend more time on the reservation until you figure out where Edward is. The guys watching me are more vulnerable at our place and so am I. Can we figure out a compromise?"

He had heard some similar warnings from his private meeting with his father, so he said he'd look into finding them a temporary place. "It can't be at Charlie's. I mean...if I'm working a lot you can stay there, but us together, no way. I've barely survived these two days."

He told her they didn't have to lock up the house indefinitely. He felt confident when he was there and the pack was on patrol, they were safe. It would only have to be those times when his job demanded more of him.

"I miss the corporate apartment too." They had the best dates in the city when she'd stay with him.

"Maybe you can come with me again soon. We can bring extra protection. I still want to take you to that warm, beautiful beach someday soon."

"Yeah, because I'll stink on the slopes."

"I'll protect you Bells. I promised you a hundred years once. You know I don't break my promises."

She said that was one of the best constants in her life. "Not too long ago, you wanted to live out a normal life. I can't help but wonder if you feel like your choices were taken away from you again."

He knew one day, they'd have that normal life, but he'd phase as long as he needed to take care of the pack and the tribe. Protecting her was the most important thing.

"Old Quil says he believes I'll only age if you are no longer phasing. Do you think that's right?"

"Makes sense, does that make you feel better?"

"Yeah, not that I want to be young indefinitely, been there, done that, but I'm glad. I asked him if we should wait on starting a family?"

"Do we really need his input on that?"

"I don't know, but I asked anyway."

"Don't leave me hanging. What did he say?"

"He said we better not, the alpha is long overdue providing the tribe with an heir. "You hear that mister? I need you to get me knocked up asap."

He pushed her hair out of the way and described exactly how he planned to go about that as soon as they got back home the following day.

Jacob had threatened to pull over if she didn't stop. She couldn't help it, Bella couldn't keep her hands off of him. The weekend had been just as much of a challenge for her as well. They slept in that small bed and had to spend a great deal of the time describing their incredible bond.

"Knock it off, or we're going to run off the road."

"You know I can take care of your little problem while you're driving. I've done it before."

"I remember, but Tiki's in the backseat, so let's wait until we're at home."

She reached back and tickled under their dog's ear. She loved to be scratched on her head. "You make Daddy shy."

"Daddy? Come on, honey. Tiki knows I'm the master, not her daddy."

Bella walked Tiki around the yard while Jacob unloaded the car. Once she'd done all her business, they came inside. She offered to make them some lunch, but he shook his head.

"Tiki, go to your bed," Bella recognized the alpha tone.

The dog ran over to her sleeping spot in the living room. He bent his finger and motioned for her to follow him. She knew he had other appetites that needed satisfied first. Jacob pulled her in their room and got right to it. He spun her around and she flattened her hands against the door. He lifted her hair, put his hot mouth under her ear and spoke against her skin all the things he planned to do to her.

She felt desire pool in her center. He lifted her top off and sucked his mark.

"Oh baby, yes...that feels so good. Touch me, when you do that, Jake."

He growled and pressed her more into the wall. His expert fingers opened her jeans. They didn't stop there, he slid them inside her panties.

"So fucking wet for me," he purred in her ear.

"Uh huh," she was losing the ability to think straight. He pushed two fingers inside her and resumed sucking the mark.

She was so worked up from all the dirty talk in the car, it was going to be easy for her. He only had to flick her clit a few times before she declared, "Oh God, I'm coming."

"I know...that's it, come hard...squeeze your sweet pussy on my fingers."

Dirty talking Jake got to her every time. She couldn't wait to get completely naked and enjoy every part of him.

He walked her over to the bed. They finished undressing. She fell on her back and spread her legs so he would know how badly she wanted him. Jacob stood in front of her and moved his hand under his nose.

"You're ripe, honey. That's what's been driving me crazy all weekend." He licked the fingers that had been inside of her moments before, "Um...so good."

She thought about his statement. She knew what it meant and it made her want him even more. There were no guarantees, but how special would it be to make a baby with him after all they learned over the weekend? She and Jacob were so strong together and they would forever be together, in life and in death. They had a common mission, the pack looked to them for everything.

He fell to the floor and pulled her to the edge of the bed. She knew how much they both loved what he was about to do to her. His tongue flattened out and swiped over her. She was still so completely sensitive from the orgasm at the door, it felt exquisite. He was gifted, there was never anything tentative about it. Jacob consumed her, only pausing occasionally to take a deep breath or tell her how good she tasted. When he added his fingers, she came unglued.

He took extra time down there. She was worried it was almost time to beg, but he knew her so well. Just when she couldn't take anymore because she was so sensitive, he replaced his fingers and tongue with his magnificent cock. Jacob slammed into her. His knees were on the edge of the bed and he held her up to meet all his thrusts. She could still taste the remnants of her nectar on his lips. She was incredibly turned on by it. They shared everything: physically, emotionally and spiritually. He easily coaxed another orgasm out of her that way. They moved back to the headboard and she assumed a position reminiscent of the marking night. She began to wonder if he needed to bite her again.

"You can...I mean, I want you to."

Jacob angled her ass so he could slip back inside her. He didn't say anything but he reached her mark with his mouth again. He didn't bite down but licked and sucked over it again while he fucked her from behind. She reached down and he guided her hand. They stimulated her clit together until she was on the brink. Jacob took over knowing exactly what she needed.

They went on for awhile longer until she was sure her legs and hips would give out, but his deep husky bass, grunted out..."Mine." He sunk his teeth into her mark. It wasn't painful like the first time, all Bella felt was pleasure as he held her with his mouth and spilled his seed deep inside her.

They fell onto the mattress together. "Holy shit, baby. You're amazing. My vagina is a quivering mess. I bet I can't do it again for at least a week."

A deep throaty laugh followed, "I hope not, I want some more of that action...real soon."

"Did you? I mean is it the same or different? What's it look like?"

"It looks the same, honey. It's just a little swollen and redder this minute. The wolf knows, it's exactly the same spot, just not as deep." He licked over it and she quivered down below again.

"I love you so much, Jake."

"Love you too."

"What if we really made a baby?"

"It was a lot of...you know what I'm saying?"

"Yes, I think so...tons of virile, wolf spunk. I already feel pregnant."

They both had a good laugh, "That's hysterical. Let's wait and see...no worrying, we promised."

"I'm not worrying, I'm confident."

~Thanks so much for reading.

I think it's obvious I'm giving you all a few chapters of sweet and happy before I pull the rug out from under you. Things will soon get real dramatic, so prepare yourselves.