A/N: Guess who's back? :-) I had an awesome time in Cancun and one of the first things I did was turn on my computer to FF and start to work on my next chapter. This chapter name could not have come at a better time-I was NOT sober for most of my trip in Cancun. Sorry, but you are only in your 20's once so I had to make it worth my while. I was away from you guys for a week, after all.

Thanks to all those who reviewed, commented, messaged, & alerted me while I was away. I smiled, cried, and then smiled some more. Do it again! ;-)

Chapter Summary: Jacob's admission (and the help of a dream) enlightens Bella to the fact that vampires are not the only things taking over the small town of Forks, WA. Bella struggles to hold onto her best friend and his new secret while testing the boundaries at the same time. Will Bella accept her new relationship with her best friend or is she bound to Edward still, though it's clear that he is not coming back? Bella also finds her own way of coping with her best friend's new secret, threatening her denial of her own interest in Jacob. No longer can she pretend that there is nothing going on between them.

*Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight and I don't need a drink to see just how sexy and cute my two favorite boys are.

Chapter IX Title: 'Sober,' by P!nk

My hands caressed my wonderful wolf-hero and his warm eyes no longer held contempt or fear for what I might do to him. I wouldn't hurt him. I wouldn't do a thing to him. I cared too much about him. We were inexplicably linked to one another now. He was mine and I was his. Who would dare separate us? What could possibly tear me away from those sweet, understanding eyes?

"Bella, you're ignoring me."

I turned at the sound of a beautiful, melodic tone. "Edward?" I was surprised. What was he doing back in Forks?

Edward stood there in front of me, his skin glowing in the modest sunlight. It would only be a few more minutes before the sun would ravish his stunning Adonis-like body, making him sparkle prettier than a thousand girl's best friends.

"Bella, don't go. Stay with me." Another voice cut through the forest, shedding the remainder of light from the trees and added to the weight of my heart.

I moved closer to the other sound, without realizing it right away. Instead of my wolf, there laid Jacob shivering and naked. I touched his cheek and he was cold. This wasn't the Jacob I knew. My Jacob was never cold.

"Don't you remember me? I saved your life. I saved you." A tear left his eye.

I couldn't remember. I didn't remember seeing him. He had abandoned me, hadn't he? He must have. Why else would I be so mad? He broke his promise. We haven't spoken since the night of the carnival. Since the night he got sick. Since the night we almost—

"No, Bella. I came back for you," Jacob's voice cut swiftly through my thoughts. "I came back to be there for you," he soothed and then his attitude turned hard as he viciously pointed at my true love, "He's the one who left!"

Edward snarled on my other side, "Dog!"

"Leech!" Jacob fell to the earth and his hands turned to paws. His eyes lost their warmth and turned as black as a hungry vampire and his skin exploded, red fur replacing it instantaneously. Jacob was my wolf. Jacob had saved my life.

"Did you know Quileutes were descended from wolves?" Jacob's voice echoed in the background.

I was skeptical. "Wolves?"

"That's the legend of our tribe." Jacob, as a wolf, howled back at me as I reached for him. Edward had faded back into the tree lines, but Jacob had remained. He was still there just as he promised. I reached toward his body, but something pulled me back.

"Jake? Jacob! Jacob!" My voice broke the silence, becoming a scream, and my vision didn't clear quickly enough. I finally woke when Charlie, frantic, shook me awake.

"Bella? Bella! Honey, Jacob's not here. You have to calm down. Calm down." Charlie patted my head and my back.

My voice became recognizable again as I spoke, "I have to see Jacob. I have to go and see him." I didn't know when Jake had snuck out after our kiss. I thought my eyes had closed only for a brief second as I felt the security flow from his arms rendering me safe again, but the dawn had finally caught up to me and had let me fall asleep. I wished Jacob hadn't left. I wished he had stayed in the room with me. Maybe that's why I had had that dream. Maybe that's why I had had my horrible dream. My stupid dream catcher, a birthday present from Jake, didn't work. No, Bella! You figured out Jake's secret. You figured out that he was a wolf. A wolf? That's right, a wolf. My mouth hung open for what I thought was a brief moment, but my throat was dry and hollowed out. It felt like someone had scraped the walls of my throat similar to the bottom of an empty plastic container. Where was Jacob? I had to see him. I had to know if my dream was real. Was he really what my dream said he was?

"It's nearly seven in the morning, Bella. I think you may want to wait until other people wake up first."

I nodded solemnly. "Okay. Sure, sure."

Charlie looked at me and chuckled. "You guys hang out too much. Try not to give him too hard of a time. You haven't seen him in a week and I'm sure you'll let him have it when you guys meet up."

That's right. Charlie didn't know that Jacob had snuck into my room and that I had been with Jacob late last night until this morning, but I knew that I had seen him. The warmth he had graced my skin with. The raised hairs on the back of my neck he left standing. The rush of his reverent lips colliding with mine. I was completely intoxicated by the unexpected and irrefutable new feelings that I had for him. My lips found a way to smile, remembering the memory.

"I have to go to work. Remember what I said about letting the boy sleep." Charlie didn't wait for my answer and he excused himself quietly from my bedroom. My head fell on the pillow and I anxiously watched the minutes creep by until I could see Jacob and ask him about everything. He had said I hadn't been ready, but I was now.

"Come on. Come on, please."

My truck and I groaned simultaneously as I pushed it past the 65 needle mark on the way to Jacob's house. My truck was getting better. It was usually 55 that I had had problems with in the past. I barely put it in park before I ran out of the truck and banged on the Blacks' door. I peered inside. It looked like neither Billy nor Jacob was home again. Catching these two at home was proving to be hopeless. Where did a wheelchair-bound, elderly man and a young teen (and was apparently a werewolf) could have gone during the day? I sighed and paced twice on the tiny porch before I barged in. I was in no mood to have a replay of what happened yesterday on the cliff. I was sure that Laurent had gotten away, which did make me nervous since he would surely report back to Victoria, but I was also relieved that at least my wolf, that Jacob, had not been hurt.

I knocked more quietly this time on the door again, more so out of politeness than anything else, and then just pushed the door open after a few safe seconds. I straightened my red-plaid shirt for the thousandth time since I had put it on an hour ago. I called out to Jacob and Billy to let them know I was in their house.

I heard nothing.

The door to Jacob's room was slightly ajar. I held my breath to listen for a sign that he was in there, but still heard nothing. If Jacob was still asleep, he should be up by now. We needed to talk.

"Jake? Billy? You guys in there?"

I doubted that Billy was in there. Jacob's room barely had enough room for Jacob, much less Jacob, Billy, and Billy's wheelchair.

I pushed the door open.

The small bedroom hadn't changed much since Jacob had picked up on his new night activities; a dresser, a small desk with chair, his humongous bed, and a small closet adjacent to it. That was all. The window took up a big part of one of his bedroom walls and it was left wide open. My hands listlessly fingered the desk as I headed toward the window. There was something out there, turned almost completely away from me.

The same russet wolf from my dream had his side facing me as he stared at something ahead of him. He suddenly shook his furry head and took a few soundless steps forward and changed…to human.

Jacob stood before me in all of his glory. I couldn't stop my eyes from focusing on his hard, streamlined body. I clutched my stomach and chest as my eyes went ahead of my mind and I started trying to figure out exactly what body part went where and why those textbook editors never discussed or modeled anything about La Push boys' anatomy in high school biology. Jacob's chest was bare, and it looked like the heat of his body was drying the light dew drops from the forest shrubbery even though he had to be freezing. Wasn't he freezing? His back muscles twitched as his head turned. He looked unabashed but surprised that I was in the doorway of his room. His room.

I was staring at my best friend—naked—from the doorway of his room.

"Bella?"

"Jesus, Jacob!" My hands flew to my eyes and I turned as red as my face would have probably allowed. I didn't know why I was so mad at him. I had been the one staring at him. Why hadn't he heard me? Wait—was this a trick?

I kept one hand covering my eyes and then yelled at him, "Jacob Black, put some clothes on!"

"Sure, sure. Sorry." I could have sworn he sounded amused. See anything you like, Bella? *snicker, snicker. Oh God, no! I gulped loudly, almost able to block out any other bad thoughts my mind could create.

I heard the glass window creak a little as he opened it, but I heard nothing else. His feet were silent as they moved across the hardwood floors of his house, in his room. In his room, naked, with me? I imagined his powerful body slipping through his bedroom window just as he had climbed the tree and entered my bedroom's window last night. His massive size was sure to make any girl feel welcome next to it. Underneath it. On top of it.

Then I felt squeamish. His size? Oh gosh, had I really seen his—?

I backed away so hurriedly that I slammed back into the doorway, nearly knocking myself out from the force. I felt hands on my face as I slid a bit toward the floor.

Jacob's voice was frantic. "Bella? I swear! Are you okay?" I pushed his hands away, afraid that he was kneeling beside me without any clothes on. My best friend was kneeling next to me without any clothes on? Jacob swatted my hands away. "Let me check your head."

"I'm fine! I'm fine! Get some clothes on!"

"Bella—"

"I am so serious! Please, Jake!"

My vision was slightly blurry, but he looked as though he finally understood and made a move toward the right of his room. I heard some things being shuffled around and then he was back by my side.

"Jeez honey, you hit your head there pretty good. Doesn't look like any blood though. Can you see me okay?"

I allowed my eyes to focus after I opened them. The concern on Jacob's face was almost as stunning as the smile that he had inherited from Billy. I felt the throbbing begin to dull as I looked at my savior a moment longer than necessary. I wasn't sure if I was smiling before, but I knew I was now. I was feeling too grateful toward him not to. I was feeling too much for him, period, not to.

"You know, you're sort of beautiful."

Jacob blinked before my words actually sank in and a coy smile graced his lips. "How hard did you hit your head?"

He helped me up…or tried to. I stumbled and tried to catch my balance. I reached out and grabbed Jacob by his waist. He had slipped on blue jeans, but he was still shirtless. His pants gave way a little and my hand tensed as it draped across his stomach.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" I pulled my hand back so quickly that it looked like I had just finished slapping him with it.

Jacob was understanding, once more. "It's okay. It's all right."

Jacob grabbed my hand back and swallowed it into his two hands. He then turned one of my palms outright and placed it on his chest, letting it go. I realized that he wanted me to touch him. He didn't mind if my hand memorized his body, let my eyes take in his beauty, or allowed my tongue to taste the scent of his citrus shampoo and spring soap that still lingered on his skin even after being a huge, seven foot werewolf. My Jacob wanted me to feel comfortable. He didn't want me ashamed of being a walking calamity. He seemed to like me just as I was and as only I could be.

My fingers played across his chest for a few minutes before I felt the courage to look into his eyes. I began to feel the euphoria in my stomach, jumping several degrees in body temperature. I automatically tightened my inner thigh muscles, enjoying the sensation.

He gently kissed the tip of my nose and turned my face a little before kissing my bottom lip. That warm sensation. That rush of air. That increased tempo of a heartbeat. I wrapped my arm around the back of his head as he deepened the kiss and he tugged on my pants to pull me to him. I couldn't believe the tenderness of his unmarked flesh. I would never distrust my eyes again if it had anything to do with Jacob. Kissing him and feeling his soft lips was like no more pressure than kissing the light spring wind. The feeling of his hands on my body, even through the shirt, made my chest want to soar higher into his. I pushed my hips further into him each second our kiss progressed. He let my tongue lead his and I felt his lips curl into a small smile. I felt the aura of his cockiness, but for once I was impressed. He simply felt that good. He simply felt made for me. My small fingernails dug a little into his skin.

I wanted nothing to get between us. I wanted nothing to pull us apart.

"Yo, Jake! You in here? I see Bella's truck outside—Whoa!" Quil's voice called.

"Whoa." Embry repeated quietly as he came up right behind him.

And I tore my lips away from Jacob. It almost physically hurt.

"Oh!" I pushed past the two Quileute boys whose mouths were agape with surprise. I couldn't even look them in the eye. Or be plagued with guilt at seeing the hurt look on Jacob's face as I cut our passionate kiss short, once again. I ran from Jacob's room and to outside, fumbling toward my truck so that I could sit in it without being watched right away. I heard Quil break the silence first.

"What the hell was—?"

"DON'T YOU TWO KNOW HOW TO KNOCK?" Jacob's voice hollered.

If my face had been any redder at the moment I would have sworn that I had turned into a tomato.

Jacob eventually found me outside beating my fingers against my truck dashboard. He was fully dressed. He knocked lightly on the window and I shook my head 'no.'

"Bells, come out here."

Again I shook my head and gestured toward the house, thinking of Quil and Embry.

"Its fine, Bella. They're cool with it, you know. It's not a big deal."

Not a big deal? Not a big deal! Here I was feeling all of these different emotions and feeling as though the heavens were shifting the two times we had kissed and Jacob was standing on the other side of my truck door shrugging that it had not been a big deal.

My face turned deeper than the color my Chevy had once been and I grabbed the door handle, flinging it wide open, and attempted to hit Jacob with the door on the way out.

"Whoa, Bella! What is it?"

"Not a big deal?" I repeated, shrieking.

Jacob shrugged. "What do you want me to say? Do you want me to sweat it or are you still determined to pretend that nothing's going on between us?"

I got indignant. "There is nothing going on and there never will be!" I huffed and walked away from him. Quil and Embry had walked out of the house at that time and gave me two matching quizzical looks. I turned on them in a heartbeat. "And you two definitely need to learn some manners! Jacob is right! You two do need to learn how to knock!" I slammed my truck door on them, but not before I heard Quil snicker.

"Wow…so Jake, did you by chance get to tell Bella that she just kissed a werewolf?"

I screamed again and pulled at my hair.

"Yup, she knows," Jacob said humbly.

A/N: You know what I like. Read, review, recommend.