Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: What if Charlie had confronted Bella two months earlier? What if Bella had taken Jacob to the movies instead of Jessica? Would Bella still choose Edward or would Jacob win her heart? Featuring a more involved Charlie, a nicer Leah, and more!

Chapter Two: A Dinner and a Nightmare!

"After you find out all the things that can go wrong, your life becomes less about living and more about waiting."

― Chuck Palahniuk, Choke

At breakfast, Charlie was being careful, too. He tried to hide his scrutiny, keeping his eyes on his eggs until he thought I wasn't looking.

"What are you up to today?" he asked, eyeing a loose thread on the edge of his cuff like he wasn't paying much attention to my answer.

"I'm going to hang out with Jacob again after work." I told him.

"That's good; I might join you guys later." He said.

I nodded and didn't look up from my plate. Charlie stared at me during breakfast, and I tried to ignore him.

I supposed I deserved it. I couldn't expect him not to worry. It would probably be weeks before he stopped watching for the return of the zombie, and I would just have to try to not let it bother me. After all, I would be watching for the return of the zombie, too. One afternoon was hardly long enough to call me cured.

I went to work and tried my best to concentrate but all I could think about was going to see Jacob.

"Bella, why don't you take off," Mike suggested, his eyes focused off to the side, not really looking at me.

I wondered how long that had been going on without me noticing. It was a slow afternoon at Newton's. At the moment there were only two patrons in the store, dedicated backpackers from the sound of their conversation. Mike had spent the last hour going through the pros and cons of two brands of lightweight packs with them. But they'd taken a break from serious pricing to indulge in trying to one-up each other with their latest tales from the trail. Their distraction had given Mike a chance to escape.

"I don't mind staying," I said but in truth I couldn't wait to leave.

I still hadn't been able to sink back into my protective shell of numbness, and everything seemed oddly close and loud today, like I'd taken cotton out of my ears. I tried to tune out the laughing hikers without success.

"I'm telling you," said the thickset man with the orange beard that didn't match his dark brown hair.

"I've seen grizzlies pretty close up in Yellowstone, but they had nothing on this brute."

His hair was matted, and his clothes looked like they'd been on his back for more than a few days. He looked like he was fresh from the mountains.

"Not a chance. Black bears don't get that big. The grizzlies you saw were probably cubs."

The second man was tall and lean, his face tanned and wind-whipped into an impressive leathery crust.

"Seriously, Bella, as soon as these two give up, I'm closing the place down," Mike murmured.

"If you want me to go…" I shrugged trying to act like I was reluctant.

"On all fours it was taller than you," the bearded man insisted while I gathered my things together.

"He was Big as a house and pitch-black. I'm going to report it to the ranger here. People ought to be warned—this wasn't up on the mountain, mind you—this was only a few miles from the trailhead." He said.

Leather-face laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Let me guess—you were on your way in? Hadn't eaten real food or slept off the ground in a week, right?" he said mockingly.

"Hey, uh, Mike, right?" the bearded man called, looking toward us.

"See you Monday," I mumbled rushing for the door.

"Yes, sir," Mike replied, turning away.

"Say, have there been any warnings around here recently—about black bears?" he asked.

"No, Sir. But it's always good to keep your distance and store your food correctly. Have you seen the new bear-safe canisters? They only weigh two pounds…" Mike trailed off.

The doors slid open to let me out into the rain. I hunched over inside my jacket as I dashed for my truck. The rain hammering against my hood sounded unusually loud, too, but soon the roar of the engine drowned out everything else. I had to drive more slowly than I wanted to; I could hardly see a car length in front of the truck.

But I finally made it through the muddy lanes to Jacob's house. Before I'd killed the engine, the front door opened and Jacob came running out with a huge black umbrella. He held it over my door while I opened it.

"Hey, Bella," he called.

I smiled in relief.

"Hey, Jacob," I said.

Jacob led me toward the house.

"Hey, Dad," he called as he ducked to get through the front door.

"Look who stopped by."

Billy was in the tiny square living room, a book in his hands. He set the book in his lap and wheeled himself forward when he saw me.

"Well, what do you know? It's good to see you, Bella." He said.

We shook hands. Mine was lost in his wide grasp.

"What brings you out here? Is everything okay with Charlie?" he asked and I shook my head.

"Yes, absolutely, I just wanted to see Jacob." I told him.

Jacob's eyes brightened at my words. He was smiling so big it looked like it would hurt his cheeks.

"Can you stay for dinner?" Billy was eager, too.

"No, I've got to feed Charlie, you know." I said not wanting to over stay my welcome.

"I'll call him now," Billy suggested.

"He's always invited." He said rolling over to the phone.

I laughed to hide my discomfort.

"It's not like you'll never see me again. I promise I'll be back again soon—so much you'll get sick of me." I said laughing.

Billy chuckled in response.

"I don't think so." He said glancing at Jacob.

"Besides I remember my dad saying he'd stop by." I said.

"So, Bella, what do you want to do?" Jacob asked.

"Whatever. What were you doing before I interrupted?" I was strangely comfortable here.

It was familiar, but only distantly.

There were no painful reminders of the recent past.

Jacob hesitated.

"I was just heading out to work on my car, but we can do something else…" he paused.

"No, that's perfect!" I interrupted.

"I'd love to see your car!" I said excited.

"Okay," he said, not convinced.

"It's out back, in the garage." He said heading out the door.

I waved at Billy as I followed him.

"See you later." I told him.

A thick stand of trees and shrubbery concealed his garage from the house. The garage was no more than a couple of big preformed sheds that had been bolted together with their interior walls knocked out. Under this shelter, raised on cinder blocks, was…what looked to me like a completed automobile? I recognized the symbol on the grille, at least.

"What kind of Volkswagen is that?" I asked.

"It's an old Rabbit—1986, a classic." He said proudly.

"How's it going?" I asked.

"Almost finished," he said cheerfully.

And then his voice dropped into a lower key.

"My dad made good on his promise last spring." He muttered.

"Ah," I said.

He seemed to understand my reluctance to open the subject.

I tried not to remember last May at the prom. Jacob had been bribed by his father with money and car parts to deliver a message there. Billy wanted me to stay a safe distance from the most important person in my life. It turned out that his concern was, in the end, unnecessary.

I was all too safe now.

He opened up the passenger door of the Rabbit so I could sit on the seat instead of the ground. While he worked, Jacob chattered happily about pranks he pulled on his friends Quil and Embry. I listened carefully enjoying the sound of his voice.

Just then a call echoed in the distance.

"Jacob?" someone shouted.

"Is that Billy?" I asked.

"No." Jacob ducked his head, and it looked like he was blushing under his brown skin.

"Speak of the devil," he mumbled, "and the devil shall appear."

I just looked at him.

"Jake? Are you out here?" The shouting voice was closer now.

"Yeah!" Jacob shouted back, and sighed.

We waited through the short silence until two tall, dark-skinned boys strolled around the corner into the shed. One was slender, and almost as tall as Jacob. His black hair was chin-length and parted down the middle, one side tucked behind his left ear while the right side swung free.

The shorter boy was burlier. His white T-shirt strained over his well-developed chest, and he seemed gleefully conscious of that fact. His hair was so short it was almost a buzz.

Both boys stopped short when they saw me. The thin boy glanced swiftly back and forth between Jacob and me, while the brawny boy kept his eyes on me, a slow smile spreading across his face.

"Hey, guys," Jacob greeted them halfheartedly.

"Hey, Jake," the short one said without looking away from me.

I had to smile in response, his grin was so impish. When I did, he winked at me.

"Hi, there," He said lowering his tone.

"Quil, Embry—this is my friend, Bella." Jacob said introducing me.

Quil and Embry, I still didn't know which was which, exchanged a loaded look.

"Charlie's kid, right?" the brawny boy asked me, holding out his hand.

"That's right," I confirmed, shaking hands with him.

His grasp was firm; it looked like he was flexing his bicep.

"I'm Quil Ateara," he announced grandly before releasing my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Quil," I said trying to hide my snickers.

"Hey, Bella! I'm Embry, Embry Call—you probably already figured that out, though." Embry smiled a shy smile and waved with one hand, which he then shoved in the pocket of his jeans.

I nodded.

"Nice to meet you, too." I said smiling back.

"So what are you guys doing?" Quil asked, still looking at me.

"Bella and I are working on the rabbit" Jacob explained inaccurately.

But rabbit seemed to be the magic word. Both boys went to examine Jacob's project, drilling him with educated questions.

Many of the words they used were unfamiliar to me, and I figured I'd have to have a Y chromosome to really understand the excitement.

They were still immersed in talk of parts and pieces when I decided that I needed to head inside and see if Billy needed help with dinner. With a sigh, I slid out of the Rabbit. Jacob looked up, apologetic.

"We're boring you, aren't we?" he asked.

"No." And it wasn't a lie.

I was enjoying myself—how strange.

"I just have to go help Billy cook dinner." I explained.

Jacob nodded and said he'd meet me inside in a moment. Billy was grateful for the help and let me take over the kitchen.

"The Clearwater's are coming over for dinner to." He said as he rolled out of the kitchen.

There wasn't much in the fridge so I decided to run into town and get some groceries.

"Where are you going?" Jacob asked once he came in the house.

"I'm going to the store to get something for dinner." I told him.

"I'll go with you" Jacob said.

The trip to the grocery store was quick. I decided to make Roast chicken with Apples & Onions. Jacob volunteered to help me in the kitchen.

"Okay Jacob we need 1/3 cup orange juice, 1/3 cup maple syrup, 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 1-1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon salt, divided, 3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided, 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil, or 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel, 6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (6 ounces each)." I told him.

Jacob stared at me confused. I repeated what I said and then Jacob gave me the items. In a small saucepan I combined the orange juice, syrup, vinegar, mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Then I brought it to a boil and cooked it until the liquid was reduced to 1/2 cup. That took about 5 minutes. I stirred in the basil and orange peel. Then Removed from the heat and set it aside. I turned around to face Jacob.

"Sprinkle the chicken with the remaining salt and pepper." I told him.

We grilled the chicken over medium heat for 5-7 minutes on each side and basted frequently with orange juice mixture. After that Jacob made dinner rolls and I got started on a cake.

"How did you learn to cook like this?" Jacob asked me.

I shrugged "I watched a lot of cooking shows and used to practice after school." I said.

Jacob laughed.

"Why?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow.

"If you tasted my mom's cooking you would have done the same." I told him.

Jacob shuttered.

I guess he Charlie told him about the meals my mom used to make, before they divorced, for dinner.

"So how did you learn to cook?" I asked him.

Jacob looked uncomfortable.

"After my mom died and my sisters left I had to make sure me and my father ate." He said then looked at his feet.

"After all, we couldn't survive on fast food and take out for ever." He joked.

I laughed but inside I felt bad. I forgot about that.

"How old were you when they left?" I asked.

Jacob turned his back to me.

"I was thirteen. Rachel ran off to Washington State and Rebecca went to Hawaii and got married." He said.

"They still visit right?" I asked.

I tried to hide the concern in my voice but it leaked through anyway.

"Rebecca hasn't been home once since she got married, though she does have a good excuse. Plane tickets from Hawaii are pretty pricey. Washington State is close enough that Rachel doesn't have the same defense. She takes classes straight through the summer semesters, and works double shifts over the holidays at some cafe on campus." He said.

"Oh Jake, I'm so sorry." I said putting my hand on his shoulder.

Jacob shrugged "It doesn't matter anymore." He said but he grabbed my hand and held it.

I was about to say something when I noticed four figures standing on in Jacob's backyard. I couldn't tell from the distance how old they were, but I assumed they were men. Despite the chill in the air today, they seemed to be wearing only shorts.

As I watched, the tallest person stepped closer to the house. I saw Jacob's dad wheel himself over to them and they started talking.

"What's wrong?" Jacob asked noticing my attention was elsewhere.

"Who are they?" I asked.

He made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.

"They are the La Push gang." He said.

"You have a gang?" I asked.

I realized that I sounded impressed.

He laughed once at my reaction.

"Not like that. I swear, they're like hall monitors gone bad. They don't start fights, they keep the peace." He snorted.

"There was this guy from up somewhere by the Makah Rez, big guy too, scary-looking. Well, word got around that he was selling meth to kids, and Sam Uley and his disciples ran him off our land. They're all about our land, and tribe pride… it's getting ridiculous. The worst part is that the council takes them seriously. Embry said that the council actually meets with Sam." He shook his head, face full of resentment.

"Embry also heard from Leah Clearwater that they call themselves 'protectors' or something like that." He explained.

Jacob's hands were clenched into fists, as if he'd like to hit something. I'd never seen this side of him. I was surprised to hear Sam Uley's name. I didn't want it to bring back the images from my nightmare, so I made a quick observation to distract myself.

"You don't like them very much." I stated.

"Does it show?" he asked sarcastically.

"Well… It doesn't sound like they're doing anything bad." I tried to soothe him, to make him cheerful again.

"They are just sort of annoyingly goody-two-shoes for a gang." I said.

"Yeah, Annoying is a good word. They're always showing off. They act like… like, I don't know. Like tough guys. I was hanging out at the store with Embry and Quil once, last semester, and Sam came by with his followers, Jared and Paul. Quil said something, you know how he's got a big mouth, and it pissed Paul off. His eyes got all dark, and he sort of smiled—no, he showed his teeth but he didn't smile—and it was like he was so mad he was shaking or something. But Sam put his hand against Paul's chest and shook his head. Paul looked at him for a minute and calmed down. Honestly, it was like Sam was holding him back—like Paul was going to tear us up if Sam didn't stop him." He groaned.

"Like a bad western. You know, Sam's a pretty big guy, he's twenty. But Paul's just sixteen, too, shorter than me and not as beefy as Quil. I think any one of us could take him." he said irritated.

"Tough guys," I agreed.

I could see it in my head as he described it, and it reminded me of something… a trio of tall, dark men standing very still and close together in my father's living room.

The picture was sideways, because my head was lying against the couch while Dr. Gerandy and Charlie leaned over me… Had that been Sam's gang?

I spoke quickly again to divert myself from the bleak memories.

"Isn't Sam a little too old for this kind of thing?" I asked.

"Yeah, He was supposed to go to college, but he stayed. And no one gave him any crap about it, either. The whole council pitched a fit when my sister turned down a partial scholarship and got married. But, oh no, Sam Uley can do no wrong." He said angrily.

His face was set in unfamiliar lines of outrage—outrage and something else I didn't recognize at first.

"It all sounds really annoying and… strange. But I don't get why you're taking it so personally." I peeked over at his face, hoping I hadn't offended him.

"Jake…"I hesitated.

"Yeah?" he said looking at me.

"What's really bothering you? About the Sam thing, I mean? Is there something else?" I asked and watched his face.

He grimaced, but he didn't seem angry. He looked at the floor and kicked his shoe against the counter again and again, like he was keeping time.

He sighed.

"It's just… the way they treat me. It just really creeps me out." The words started to rush out now.

"You know, the council is supposed to be made up of equals, but if there was a leader, it would be my dad. I've never been able to figure out why people treat him the way they do. Why his opinion counts the most. It's got something to do with his father and his father's father. My great-grandpa, Ephraim Black, was sort of the last chief we had, and they still listen to Billy, maybe because of that." He quiet for a second.

"But I'm just like everyone else. Nobody treats me special… until now." He said darkly.

That caught me off guard.

"Sam treats you special?" I asked.

"Yeah," he agreed, looking up at me with troubled eyes.

"He looks at me like he's waiting for something… like I'm going to join his stupid gang someday. He pays more attention to me than any of the other guys. I hate it." Jacob looked really upset.

"You don't have to join anything." My voice was angry.

This was really upsetting Jacob, and that infuriated me. Who did these "protectors" think they were?

"Yeah," he mumbled.

His foot kept up its rhythm against the counter.

"So what did you do today?" he asked changing the subject.

We talked for a while joking and laughing. Charlie's familiar voice echoed from outside.

"Bella?" he called.

Both our heads snapped up.

"Coming" I yelled.

Jacob followed me continuing the story of the time he stole Quil's underwear and replaced them with women's panties. So we were also both laughing when the house came into view.

I wasn't used to laughing, and it felt right and also very wrong at the same time. I hoped Jacob wouldn't notice the faint hint of hysteria in my tone. Charlie was standing under the little back porch, and Billy was sitting in the doorway behind them.

"Hey, Dad," we both said at the same time, and that started us laughing again.

Charlie stared at me with wide eyes that flashed down to note Jacob's hand around mine.

"Billy said you made dinner," Charlie said to us in an absentminded tone.

I nodded.

"Jacob and I made orange chicken and Jacob made dinner rolls. For dessert I'm making a cake." I told him.

By the time we finished making dinner the house was crowded. Harry Clearwater was there, too, with his family—his wife, Sue, whom I knew vaguely from my childhood summers in Forks, and his two children. Leah was a senior like me, but a year older.

She was beautiful in an exotic way—perfect copper skin, glistening black hair, and eyelashes like feather dusters—and preoccupied. She went and got on Billy's phone when we she came in, and she never let it go.

Seth was fourteen; he hung on Jacob's every word with idolizing eyes. There were too many of us for the kitchen table, so Charlie and Harry brought chairs out to the yard, and we ate chicken off plates on our laps in the dim light from Billy's open door.

The men talked about the game, and Harry and Charlie made fishing plans. Sue teased her husband about his cholesterol and tried, unsuccessfully, to shame him into eating something green and leafy. Jacob talked mostly to me and Seth, who interrupted eagerly whenever Jacob seemed in danger of forgetting him.

Charlie watched me, trying to be inconspicuous about it, with pleased but cautious eyes. It was loud and sometimes confusing as everyone talked over everyone else, and the laughter from one joke interrupted the telling of another.

I didn't have to speak often to anyone but Jacob, but I smiled a lot, and only because I felt like it. I didn't want to leave.

This was Washington, though, and the inevitable rain eventually broke up the party; Billy's living room was much too small to provide an option for continuing the get-together. Harry had driven Charlie down, so we rode together in my truck on the way back home.

He asked about my day, and I told the truth—that I'd hung out with Jacob and then watched him work on his car in his garage.

"You think you'll visit again anytime soon?" he wondered, trying to be casual about it.

"Monday after school," I admitted.

"I'll take homework, don't worry." I said in a rush.

"You make sure you do that," he ordered, trying to disguise his satisfaction.

I was nervous when we got to the house. I didn't want to go upstairs. The warmth of Jacob's presence was fading and, in its absence, the anxiety grew stronger. I was sure I wouldn't get away with two peaceful nights of sleep in a row.

To put bedtime off, I checked my e-mail; there was a new message from Renee. She wrote about her day, a new book club that took over the time slot of the meditation classes she'd just quit, her week subbing in the second grade, missing her kindergartners. She wrote that Phil was enjoying his new coaching job, and that they were planning a second honeymoon trip to Disney World. And I noticed that the whole thing read like a journal entry, rather than a letter to someone else.

Remorse flooded through me, leaving an uncomfortable sting behind. Some daughter I was. I wrote back to her quickly, commenting on each part of her letter, volunteering information of my own—describing the dinner party at Billy's and how I felt watching Jacob build a car out of small pieces of metal—awed and slightly envious.

I made no reference to the change this letter would be from the ones she'd received in the last two months.

I could barely remember what I'd written to her even as recently as last week, but I was sure it wasn't very responsive. The more I thought about it, the guiltier I felt; I really must have worried her.

I stayed up extra late after that, finishing more homework than strictly necessary.

That night I had a dream that I was in a brick maze, I couldn't find the end and as I ran people I didn't know stared at me through the maze walls. Something was chasing me. It was a large red/brown wolf chasing me.

It was much too big to be a wolf but, I knew it was a wolf chasing me. For some reason I wasn't really scared. I don't know why I was running.

"Bella!" I heard a familiar voice yell. I turned around and saw Jacob running toward me.

I looked behind him and saw Sam Uley—the man who had pulled me from the forest floor that night I couldn't bear to think of consciously—was standing behind him. The man's dark eyes were surprisingly unfriendly, filled with some secret he didn't seem inclined to share.

I stared at him, my frantic searching for a way to worn Jacob. Maybe that was because, when I didn't look directly at him, his shape seemed to shiver and change in my peripheral vision.

I screamed as in his place a huge black shape, quiet as a shadow, stalked deliberately toward Jacob. A large wolf stood snarling.

I tried to tell Jacob to watch out but someone's hand covered my mouth. The hand was cold like ice and hard as stone.

"You can't save him Bella" I heard the man say.

My muscles locked into place, froze me where I stood.

It was a familiar voice, a beautiful voice—soft like velvet even though it was irate. It was his voice—I was exceptionally careful not to think his name—and I was surprised that the sound of it did not knock me to my knees, did not curl me onto the pavement in a torture of loss.

But there was no pain, none at all.

Instead I felt anger.

Jacob needed me. I struggled trying to break free of his hold.

Jacob continued calling out for me and running. It was then I realized that he couldn't see me. The wolf was only inches away from him and he didn't know.

I felt tears run down my face when I realized I wouldn't be able to warn him in time. Just then the wolf pounced and I heard Jacob scream.

I woke shuddering, my scream muffled by the pillow. As the dim morning light filtered through the fog outside my window, I lay still in bed and tried to shake off the dream.

I needed to call Jacob. I didn't even glance at Charlie as I made my way to the phone.

"Who are you calling Bella?" Charlie asked.

"I'm calling Jacob." I said.

"At 6:00 in the morning." Charlie asked.

I hadn't realized what time it was. I dialed anyway, and then waited without high expectations.

It caught me off guard when Billy answered on the second ring.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Hi Billy, is Jacob there?" I asked nervously.

Billy was quiet for a second.

"Bella?" he questioned.

"Yeah it's me." I said.

Billy paused again and I heard whispering.

"Hi, Bella" Jacob said taking the phone.

I was surprised he could sound so chipper early in the morning.

"Hi… I…um" I stuttered.

I was in such a hurry to call and check on Jacob that I hadn't thought of what I would say when he answered.

"Hey Bella, how about I come over later?" Jacob asked breaking me from my thoughts.

"Ok" I said happy he didn't ask why I called.

"We could rent a scary movie and I'll bring popcorn and snacks." He said.

I smiled "That sounds great." I said.

"Alright, I'll see you at 6:00p.m" he said.

I nodded even though I knew he couldn't see it.

"You want me to pick you up?" I asked.

I could hear Jacob smiled through the phone.

"Sounds like a plan" he said.

"Bye Jacob" I hung up.

Charlie left for work after that.

I started cleaning the house trying to keep myself distracted. I ate my breakfast slowly, one Cheerio at a time. Then, when I'd washed the dishes, I arranged the magnets on the fridge into a perfect line.

Maybe I was developing obsessive-compulsive disorder. I was in the house much too much, and much too alone.

Without Jacob, or my dad, or any distractions, everything I'd been repressing started creeping up on me. I glanced at the clock routinely.

Something I did every few minutes around this time. I had been in the kitchen for Less than a half hour now.

Afternoons were going to be the hardest part of my day. I went and took a shower, changed my clothes, and still had a lot of time left.

Frustrated, I turned on the TV. Some romantic soap opera was on.

"William, you promised you'd stay with me forever" a dark haired woman cried holding a man, who I guess had to be William, by the arm.

The man snatched his arm back and picked up his suit case.

"I lied" he said before walking out the door.

The woman fell to the ground sobbing.

Quickly I turned the channel.

I wasn't ready for romance yet. And sad romance was the worse. I settled on the Spanish cooking channel and relaxed.

I just a couple more hours to wait then I could go see Jacob. I sighed, I really was pathetic.

Author's note: I just finished chapter two! Please review and pm your thoughts and ideas. Thank you! And I'd like to give a special thanks to my first two reviewers!

mrslisablack

GlassHeart1993

You guys are awesome!