~If a little romance and rekindling a flame doesn't interest you, then you best be quitting my story. LOL! The angst train has come to a halt for now, I didn't say for good, but you'll have to wait and see. Of course, I was disappointed to see the guest review that read all 34 chapters and now regrets ever reading this story. To her I must say, "No Ragrets" Too bad I can't post pics on ff because "you know what I'm sayin?" Props for anyone that knows what movie reference that is.

Chapter 35: A New Hope

"You sure this looks okay?"

"For the last time, girl, you look amazing. We all gave you a thumbs up. It's the council, not the fashion police."

Bella was supposed to meet the entire tribal council for the first time. Rachel was going to babysit. She had practiced for hours with Billy and Sue, but they were like family. She had another seven people to impress. Collin insisted she was a shoe in to gain approval for his proposal. Bella, however, was not convinced.

Barry and Collin were her companions on the way back to Forks. Collin took the day off from his clinic. Jacob needed most of the others so he could move out in record time. It turned out Collin had a another dream of opening a healing and renewal center on the reservation. He was met with immediate obstacles and discrimination. Bella mistakenly assumed it had something to do with his sexuality, but Collin said that had nothing to do with the problems he encountered.

"I'm too young. They don't trust me. My grandmother taught me everything she knew, but the older generation doesn't believe that."

"Oh, well, that is a problem. I'm sure you must know, I won't do much better." The council had to approve any business for profit set up on the reservation. Collin first attempted it almost two years prior and was shut down.

"Nope, you're different. First off, you went to college and have hundreds of hours in tribal studies." Bella had even worked at several reservations in various states during summer internships. "Second and the most important denominator in our favor is you have been promoted to number one female of the entire Quileute nation."

She laughed out loud when he told her that. How was that possible? A white girl from the city of Forks? Those that knew the legends would also know said girl married a cold one. She was doomed before she ever went into the meeting.

"It's true. I swear it, you're the mother of the future chief, trust me on this. They'll be eating out of your hand."

Bella had a crash course in what Collin's center would accomplish and how such a place would benefit the tribe as a whole. The others were right about one thing, she knew her stuff. She'd studied every night in preparation. Hopefully, she could gain approval, because then she would be gainfully employed once again, but also making a difference. The second clinic was still in the planning stages, but Billy told her he thought there were others areas or projects she could work on and the council would back her the entire way. He said they had a surplus in the budget because nothing much had changed for years. It would take months for Collin to get the center off the ground.

She had just enough time to feed the baby before she was heading over with Billy. Rachel sent her to Willow's room because she had a comfy chair and it was quiet since Emily had the kids for the afternoon. The move to Forks had been fairly easy. Much to her surprise, her mother was moving out the very same day. She reigned in her relief because she didn't want to hurt her feelings. Renee actually volunteered to stay a few more nights, but Bella told her it wasn't necessary.

She bragged how fast Charlie found her a little efficiency over a retail shop on Main St. "I swear that man still carries a torch for me. He'll do anything I ask."

Bella got the actual rundown from her father when her mother was on one of her many trips to the apartment. She was working poor Brady to death. He was her personal moving boy and it shocked her to see her mother had every item she owned with her. She honestly didn't have a home anymore. Bella told her to stop ogling Brady several times, it was embarrassing. "He's too young even for me, Mom."

"Nonsense, he's legal. We're all consenting adults and I happen to know he's single." Bella made her scary face. "Quit looking at me like that. I can have a sweet peek, it doesn't make me an old perv. That dark and mysterious one first caught my eye, but I found out real quick he's Billy's son-in-law."

"Mom, stop it. Seriously, Paul?"

"My gosh, Bella. Sometimes, I question how you came from my body. Did you honestly not notice all this hot, Quileute meat roaming the forests when you lived here? What was wrong with you?"

"A lot actually, but no, not like you mean. They were just the guys... Jake's friends."

Her mother tried to start up another conversation about her progress with Jacob, but she stopped her since Brady was ready and waiting for their final trip to the apartment.

Her father could finally finish what he'd been trying to say. "Crazy. That woman was about to drive me completely insane. I've been working late, staying over at Sue's as much as possible. I can't go to Billy's, because she's always there."

"Wait, what? Mom goes to Billy's?"

"Yep."

"That's odd."

"Everything about your mother is odd, Bells. I mean no disrespect of course, but she has no boundaries. She was bound to come between me and Sue if I didn't politely get rid of her."

So he was finally admitting there was something going on with him and Mrs. Clearwater.

"Like a romantic rival?"

"No, hell no. That ship has sailed, but she got personal. I can't even tell you the questions she asked about how I was taking care of Sue?" Her father got all red in the face just like she so often did. Bella asked if she was going to cramp his style as much as her mother seemed to.

"I'm asking a lot. You just got rid of one houseguest and now I'm moving in with a baby."

"Bells, I'd take you and ten grandbabies over your mother any day. You can stay as long as you like. I'm afraid you'll leave far too soon anyway."

She wanted to know what made him say such a thing just as the first load of her stuff arrived. Ten babies. Good grief. Why did that make her blush almost as bad as her father had? Bella was so relieved that all her things made it safely. The crib was in perfect condition and was set up by Seth and Leah after a lengthy argument about who was right about where a mysterious screw attached. Leah read the directions, but Seth refused. He said he could eyeball it and take an educated guess where all the parts went.

Leah smacked him in the head. "Bella's putting her young son in this to sleep, no guessing allowed."

She found out from them everything survived Kaleigh's wrath except for one important item of Jacob's.

"Oh no, what did she do?"

Seth swore he got there as fast as he could when Jacob called him, but Kaleigh was already in full destruction mode. He and her cousin, Mack pulled her off. Mack took over for the night and all was quiet until they showed up with the moving crew. Of course, she called the cops like she threatened. She accused Jake of stealing. Jacob was still trying to sort out what was his when he told them to get out of there with Bella and Atticus's things.

The motorcycle.

"She wrecked it as bad as she could with what she had on hand which was a tire iron from the trunk of Jacob's car and maybe one other sharp object. He didn't like his car too much, she left that alone, but Kaleigh knew how special his motorcycle was to him."

"Can it be repaired?"

"Honestly, I don't see how. Lahote took one under the chin for suggesting they put it out with the trash. Jake has them loading the pieces up. He said he'll get to it eventually."

Thinking about Jake made her heart ache a little. She'd been back with her father a full week and she barely saw him. Bella didn't even know everything that had transpired with the soon to be ex-wife front. It made her very apprehensive. She asked Billy if he might show up today and he told her Jacob knew about the meeting, so it just depended on whether he could get away from work. He kept his promise about getting a job right away. She wasn't sure how he managed it so fast, but he was working at Dowling's which blew Bella's mind. She never thought he'd work for the Dowlings, but Charlie said Mr. Dowling passed away years ago and the shop was currently struggling to stay open. They changed managers about every other month.

Bella handed Atticus over to his aunt while Paul helped Billy to the car. They were off to face the council finally.

Once the introductions were out of the way, Bella didn't waste any time. She pulled out her notes and got started with the outline she and Collin had prepared. The council listened attentively and asked appropriate questions throughout. She was surprised how at ease she felt with all of them. Bella was so nervous before, but as soon as she made it to the table her nerves died down.

Billy smiled at her when she concluded her talk. He shocked her by saying, "Shall we take a vote?"

Bella never expected a vote right away in her presence. She thought they'd want to study the handouts she'd presented to each one of them and maybe vote in private at a later date.

"All in favor, can I have a show of hands?"

Just like that, they all lifted their right hand. All nine of them voted to approve the new clinic.

"Motion passed. We look forward to working with you Ms. Swan." Billy went on to explain they usually meet once a month, but maybe if Bella could spare the time, they'd meet weekly for awhile. They were going to show her some other proposals that they would appreciate her insight. Billy had been pushing for a cultural center for years and no one had taken the reigns to head such a project. "Might as well share more than just our beaches with all these tourists."

She was most definitely interested in that project. Bella thought about Atticus and knew it was right to have him home with his tribe.

Quil's grandfather spoke up next. "Now that the business is out of the way, how's the little chief doing? We heard he was ill recently."

Bella's heart warmed at hearing the affectionate name for her son and that they were concerned about him. She told them he was doing great. She even passed her phone around so they could all see a current picture of Atticus smiling brightly.

"Oh, that's just uncanny. He's a carbon copy of his father."

She personally thanked every council member for their vote and and confidence in her. Old Quil offered her a reassuring hug. "I'm excited for new things. You being here is good for the tribe and that child should grow up on these lands. I can't wait to meet him officially. Why don't you bring him next week when we go over the rest of the plans. I'm sure Mr. Littlesea has some detailed plans for the construction site. We'll be interested in going out and surveying the plot of land where he wants to build."

Bella said she'd like that very much, that her son loved being around people. Everyone else at the table was engaged in other conversations when a new worry overcame her. Collin had laid out all the plans about the center's services and how it would help the tribe, but was he ready to show them building plans? He hadn't mentioned that part if he was. They only just got approval, did they really expect something concrete in only a week? She needed to get him on the phone ASAP.

A warm breath tickled the back of her neck. "Good thing you and Collin know a talented architect."

Bella turned around in a split second. "Jake! You came!"

"Of course, I couldn't miss your debut as an unofficial Quileute."

"Wait, you were here the whole time?"

"No, not the whole time, but I caught the last bits." He hugged her with one arm. "I'm proud of you, Bells. Not everyone is successful with these tough old birds. Hey, can you wait a few minutes? I have to make the rounds. I've skipped out on too many meetings to count. I'll be right back."

Bella watched Jacob greet the council. She slipped to the back of the room to make a call to Rachel. Emily had brought all the kids back so Atticus was completely entertained. Bella told them the good news, so they insisted they turn a simple family dinner into a celebration. "Tell that brother of mine to actually show up for a meal if you see him."

She said she'd do her best. Jacob was living there. She wondered why he was never showing up for dinner. Sue approached and told her she'd be happy to take Billy home, that Jacob said they were going to take a walk to catch up.

"He did?"

"Yes, so we'll go back. Leah said they need an extra set of hands. It looks like everyone's coming over, even Renee."

Sue sounded less than thrilled. "I'm sorry about Mom. She can be a bit much, but honestly, she doesn't mean any harm. She is definitely not looking to rekindle things with Dad, but I hate that she's a shameless flirt. It's so embarrassing, but that's the story of my life."

"Sweetie, it's fine and you're not responsible for your parents, so don't burden yourself. Actually, I'm a little worried about the time she's spending with Billy. He's not had the best experiences with women and he seems to be getting a little too attached if you know what I mean. I think we both know, your mother has no plans of staying here for any length of time. I think she really needed some attention in her life. I understand, the years were cruel to her when she thought you were dead, but according to your father, she has been wandering about and living off the kindness of others for a long time. It seems she's burned some bridges."

Bella regretted not spending more time with her mother yet. She tried, but it was not an easy task to get Renee to sit still and tell her what's been going on in her personal life. She was going to make a point to try harder. She tended to agree with Sue's assessment about Billy. That was just plain weird to Bella. This entire family needed some calming down not more drama.

Jacob asked if she had a jacket, so they stopped off at her car to grab one. He wanted to walk down to the beach if she was up to it. She told him she should get back to Atticus soon, but he reminded her, his sister was always looking to satisfy her baby fix. "You know he's in good hands there. Come on, you can spare another hour. Give yourself a break. You deserve it."

Bella and Jacob took a path that led them close to the ocean. She looked around for any familiar pieces of driftwood, but the landscape had changed some. They had a seat around a recently used fire pit.

He called to check every night, but he'd only seen them once since they all moved away from Seattle. Bella found that odd and she told him so.

"Sorry, of course, I miss him like crazy. I've been around. I always check up on the house at night just in case you didn't know."

"I figured but what are you doing that you stay so busy? Rachel says you aren't coming home for dinner most nights. I cook for Mom and Dad almost every night. You could come over, play with Atticus and have a decent meal."

Jacob told her the Dowling garage was a complete mess. Ashley Dowling inherited the business from her father and pretty much sucked at anything that didn't involve staring at herself in a mirror. She didn't know a damn thing about running a garage. She kept hiring these pretty boy managers who sucked worse than she did.

"So are you her latest pretty boy or are you just a mechanic?"

"I wanted to be a mechanic only, but yeah, I pretty much inherited managing the place. I negotiated a higher salary which I desperately needed so I can't complain, but I rarely get out of there before 7, then I have to meet up with the guys for a daily report, as well as do my own patrols every other day. I stay pretty busy in the evenings with my designs. I'm working on a side business venture, but I'd rather not say just yet. I don't want to jinx it."

"Where are you staying busy if you don't mind me asking?" Bella felt this weird sting of jealousy. She imagined Ashley Dowling was even more beautiful than she had been in high school. She'd hired Jacob immediately and made him manager even though he hadn't worked on cars since he was a teenager. That sounded a bit fishy. Compounded by the fact, she hired men for the shop based on looks didn't make her sound very professional. Just what was she expecting from Jacob? Was it just to save her business? Bella doubted it.

"No, you can ask. I go to the library."

"The city library?"

"Is there another?"

"Well no, not that I know of but that's not what I expected. Why?"

"They have the fastest wifi in town and I need it for my work."

"Oh, okay, but that's so close to Charlie's. You could stop by every once and a while."

He said he was trying to give her space. Ugh, she had insisted she needed time and space, but that didn't mean she didn't want to see him at all. She and Atticus were used to seeing him everyday before and most of this week, she felt extremely lonely without Jake's visits.

"They're making dinner. Rachel insists you show up. That is, if you're off for the day. I'm not sure why Ashley let you away so early, since she's apparently used to keeping you around until late."

He started laughing. She hated when he laughed at her, but she was so obvious with her jealousy, a random sea creature could spot it if he was listening in on their conversation.

"I assure you, Ashley does not control my comings and goings at the garage and she's rarely there. If she is, trust me, she's taking selfies and hashtagging it working hard at my garage. I work late so I can fix the shit she's messed up for the past five years. I would like to keep steady work. I don't want to see it go under. The answer to you and Rach is yes by the way. I'll be joining everyone for dinner tonight."

"Oh, well okay, then maybe you could come over to Charlie's a few times a week too. Your son misses you." Bella carefully hid her emotions, I miss you.

"I miss him too. I'd be happy to start visiting again. I can break away from the garage earlier a few nights a week. The library closes at ten most nights, but I'm there to eleven when they let me."

Jacob still wasn't sleeping much. She could tell. Bella wanted to know a little bit about the divorce proceedings. "Sorry about the bike."

He groaned out a frustration and rubbed his hands over his face. "I know. I haven't had a chance to go through the wreckage, maybe next weekend. Hey, you should totally stop over and watch some of the repairs. It will be like old times."

Bella thought about that broken girl in Jacob's garage. She wasn't in the same shape by any means, but maybe it was a good idea for both of them to be a part of the reconstruction. She told him she'd like that. "I'll bring the warm soda."

"Awesome. I'll have an upturned milk crate waiting for you. You always have reserved seating at my Taj." He winked at her and Bella felt tickles dance around her belly.

"How's Kaleigh?"

"A pain in my ass, but I don't want to talk about her. The lawyer's handling it."

"I'm sorry. I guess there's no chance of a simple, amicable split."

"Nope, not unless she miraculously changes her mind, but in all honesty, Bells, I don't want to burden you with this crap. I exposed you to her for far too long. You don't need to worry about it. My lawyer's excellent."

"Well, what about the cops getting involved? No one told me that whole story."

"Because they weren't allowed to."

"Jake, what's going on?"

"I might have done something I should have never done and it's bringing more trouble that I most definitely don't need."

"Could you please be more vague? I'm not sure if I'm totally confused or not."

"I hit Mack, okay. I should've let it go, but it had been building for years. He had it coming. Of course, it wasn't pretty. I'm freakishly strong so he ended up in the hospital and I went to jail."

Bella started slapping her hands against her thighs and she screamed, "JAIL!" She was trying not to have a mini freak out. No wonder she didn't see or hear from him that first night. "He pressed charges? What a douche?"

"Well, I made things worse by hitting him in front of that particular audience. They had no choice."

Audience? She was wondering what he meant. "Oh no, the police? They were your audience?"

"Yep. Don't worry about it. My court date's postponed for now. It'll all work out. The lawyer is hopeful to get the charges dropped. I've learned my lesson, no more losing my temper. It was all a setup. It's so obvious now. They called the cops, Kaleigh's parents were there and then Mack started goading me. He pushed all the right buttons and I lost control for a split second."

She couldn't help but worry, her son's father was in the middle of a nasty divorce, he worked non-stop and he had potential assault charges hanging over his head. A cool mist started pelting them in the face so Jacob suggested they get back to the house. He offered to drive her car. That gave her the perfect opportunity to think positive thoughts. She called Collin. He put Barry on speaker. She told them the good news. "You are getting a second clinic, Collin. I predict one day the entire state will know about your alternative healing successes."

He couldn't stop thanking her. Jacob told her he was proud of her again as soon as she hung up. "I'm still a little worried I can pull this off. I know bupkis about healing and herbal remedies."

"Yeah, but Collin knows a ton, he'll hire the right staff to help you. You know people and that's what stood out with the council. Just be yourself, Bells. It's going to work out."

Bella was thrilled how everyone piled in the Black's house and they had a big pack, family dinner. Jacob spent a good portion of the night with their son. That made her happy and he seemed at ease, but she was still pretty worried about him. Also, this 'space' business was a crock. Bella missed him and she was sick of him being standoffish. Jacob better start making some time for her or this idea she had of repairing their relationship was merely a pipe dream.

Bella carefully stepped down the stairs the following morning. Her father was in the shower and running late, so she promised to make him a quick bowl of oatmeal. A travel mug and paper bag caught her eye immediately. Bella always made sure the countertop was clean each night before turning in. She sat the baby in his swing so she could study the items a little closer. She immediately noticed the stamp on the white bag. Kim's sister had a bakery/sandwich shop at the edge of the reservation. Bella had visited there several times over the past few days. It was kinda the unofficial hangout for the pack women. Kim actually worked there full-time and her sister offered Bella part-time fill in work if she ever wanted some hours. She wrapped her hands around the stainless steel coffee mug to find it was still warm. She flipped the top and took a sip. It was just right, not only the temperature, but also exactly how she preferred her coffee. The bag contained a blueberry scone. "Oh, my favorite." She took a bite off the corner.

There was a small folded piece of paper in the midst of her morning treats. She opened up the note.

Hey Bells,

Sorry, my handwriting never got any better. Hope you can read this. I had fun last night. Kim said this was your favorite. I felt like an idiot ordering something called a scone, but she swore not to tell Jared. Blueberries, huh? I'm not sure if you remember trying to teach me to make blueberry pancakes? I burned one side to a crisp but the inside was still raw. How'd that happen? You bumped me with your hip and took over. Of course, yours were perfect. The warm blueberries burst on my tongue and we washed them back with real maple syrup. That was fun. I found this too.

Anyway, I'm sure I know the answer to this, but you wouldn't by chance still have the wolf charm bracelet? I'll stop by this evening. Don't feel like you have to feed me, but if there's food, I won't turn it down.

Wink wink.

Later, Jake

She put her hand over her chest. Her heart was about to pound out of her chest. It was a scone and coffee, but why did it feel like he gave her a pot of gold? Bella held up the picture that had seen better days. Where did he find that? She had a big blueberry stain swiped down her cheek, but she was grinning like a fool. She remembered the purple streak stayed with her the whole day. Soap and water didn't wash it away. Charlie came in for lunch yelling about the smoke smell and that Jacob had dismantled his smoke alarm because he couldn't get it to shut off. That was a good day right in the middle of so many dark days she was having. Jacob just thought he knew about the charm. Maybe he thought she carelessly discarded it because she married Edward or that she lost it in one of her many moves. Bella reached just under her neckline and pulled up the wooden wolf on a silver chain. She still wore it often, but the bracelet clasp broke a long time ago.

She rubbed the charm between her thumb and forefinger. "Yes, Jake. I remember."

~Thanks for reading.

If this made me you feel squishy, please drop me a message. I always appreciate the good vibes.