*A/N: I loved your reviews. Every single one of them. I never thought a last minute chapter (literally) would receive so many good reviews. Thank you guys so much! Best overflow of emails ever! :-)

Chapter Summary: Bella gets her own taste of how others view her and Jacob's relationship status that is outside of the pack and it doesn't help to settle the ambiguity in her heart.

*Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I am gagged and bound by Taylor and Jacob almost every night…okay, I only wish that I were.

Chapter Title XX: 'California Bound,' by Carolina Liar

(BPOV)

Airport traffic was horrendous. With the other area high schools still putting on graduation ceremonies for the high school seniors and all the post graduation trips Saturday afternoon at the Port Angeles airport was just unreal. Mothers were clutching their small children, boyfriends held onto their girlfriends, and other young teenagers pointed and gawked at the staggering numbers filing into the small glass-enclosed airport. It was quite a sight.

Jacob and I arrived together with Charlie giving us a lift. Charlie was insistent about it and replied that it was the least he could do to celebrate me graduating.

I linked arms with Jacob, actually reaching for him first. Charlie came around the car after unloading our stuff, stating something between a, "I'll miss you," and "Don't have too much fun," to me and a firm handshake for Jacob. "You'll watch out for her, right? I don't want her to bring home any strays."

I elbowed Jacob at the remark as Jacob struggled to answer through his amusement. "I'll keep her in line, Charlie. Are you okay with checking up on my Dad?"

"You bet. I'll keep the old man in line too. Just make sure nothing hurts Bella. Who knows what kind of trouble she could get into in a different state."

"You know, that's the same thing Sam had said when I told him about the trip. All the guys have a bet going; they think Bella will spend about ten hours down in Florida before she breaks something."

They laughed.

"Hey, I am standing right here. I can hear everything." I shook off Jacob, hugged my father, and reached for my sun again while he shouldered our luggage on one side, wrapping his other arm back around me.

Sam had been willing to let Jacob off the hook for patrols for the week that we would be down in Florida. Sam had actually considered it a job. Apparently, watching me was driving the pack wild and me leaving for vacation would allow them a little more freedom and slow down in patrolling the vast land they now had to cover. I was both annoyed and relieved by the back-handed compliment. Paul had actually hugged me (again) and replied, "Thank you. I get a week off from that vermin you call a friend."

Jacob had almost phased at the term.

Since this morning, I had been smiling so much that my face begun to hurt. I was trying the whole "We're here as friends. We're here as friends," chant in my head the whole walk to the proper airport terminal.

The truth was that Jacob was really stunning. His skin already looked perfectly tan, his muscles were slightly stretching the light blue V-neck shirt he was wearing and though he claimed it was a Men's XL, his black jean shorts hung casually over his hips without the use of a belt, and his matching white gold bracelet set off his white teeth and the whites in his wonderfully warm, auburn eyes. They burned with so much more intensity since we had been seeing each other on a regular basis, regardless of whether he had patrol duty that night or not.

His white gold bracelet was the exact male version of the anklet that I now proudly displayed for all to see, wearing my blue jean cut off shorts and white tee. He had bought the matching pair in one of the reservation jewelry shops and had saved for two months to be able to buy the set together. He had been elated that night when I had told them that I never took off my anklet.

The airport crowd was overwhelming, but Jacob had most people steer from our path without so much as a bad look. Terminal 27 was ours and we waited calmly for our plane to board. I couldn't believe Jacob was really going with me (as a friend, as a friend) to see my mother, to see another part of my family. He already knew so much about me.

"It's weird; I always wanted to visit outside of Forks," Jacob said suddenly.

"You visit Port all the time. And you just went to Seattle." I chuckled, but then cut it short when I remembered how he left Seattle.

Jacob noticed and kissed my forehead. "Yeah, but I always wanted to visit other places too sort of. I love Forks, but I like sun too. It'd be nice not to have to provide it all the time." He nudged me at our private joke. I had been telling him for weeks that it was his duty to provide me with his warmth and sunlight. We called it a "Jacob thing."

"Well, Florida is sunny. There's plenty of sun."

"We should go to California. There's nice sun there too."

I gave him a look. "Let's just see how this trip goes first before you obligate us to another trip."

He smirked at me. "Trust me, Bells; you are going to have so much fun with me, you'll want to pack me in your suitcase wherever you go."

"I don't think I could find a suitcase big enough."

"Ah well," and he dramatically paused, "just hold me in your arms instead."

I laughed as he batted his eyelashes and gave me a smile.

"Bella? Bella? No way—Bella's here! Hey guys!"

I turned and faced Mike. My mouth gaped as I saw Mike, Jessica, Lauren, and a girl I didn't remember. I knew her face, but couldn't recollect anything else.

"Wow, what a coincidence. What are you guys doing here?" Jessica looked from Jacob and me and smiled, but it wasn't terribly friendly. Lauren and the other brunette looked at me as well, but then their gaze strayed to Jacob. Their stares became too friendly.

"We're actually going on vacation. We're visiting Bella's mom in Florida for the week," Jacob easily replied.

I gave him a horrified look and started to give him a little jab to stop him from saying any more before I was cut off by Jessica. "We're visiting Florida too. Sort of like an after graduation party. With all of us going away to college this upcoming semester we figured this would be the last few times we could get together. We never expected to see Bella here."

"She did seem rather taken with the wild animals and the rain here in the Washington area. It was quite a mystery as to why she had been doing so well these last months, but now we see why. How did you manage to bring her out of her shell?" Lauren smirked. I felt my flush beginning to surface.

"Katie's parents own some land in Florida and we all just wanted to have some fun with everything that had been happening lately." Mike's eyes were downcast, looking ashamed that his company was being so rude.

"Understandable. Us too." Jacob smiled and I thought I heard the brunette, Katie, wheeze in a reasonable reaction. It still made my stomach turn over.

I stepped away from Jacob a little, feeling claustrophobic under my former classmates' scrutiny. "I'm just going to get a drink from the stand." I walked toward a kiosk, grateful for a distraction. After some seconds I peered over my shoulder quickly as I heard abrupt giggling and decided to hit a vending machine instead. I opened and sipped my soda silently after my purchase. The taste did not register and it didn't soothe my anger either, but at least I was being provided with a tiny diversion. I couldn't believe that my day had been going so well. Jacob and I had been having fun. We were going to visit my mom and we had been happy. You can still be happy, Bella.

"Hey, Bella. Hey."

Or not. I resumed to thinking sourly.

I turned and saw Lauren and Katie walk side by side up and stood on the other side of me. This couldn't be good. Lauren had addressed me personally. The soda can made an odd crushing noise in my hand. If I wasn't careful it would surely cut into my hand and Sam and the pack would have won the bet. Oh wait, I hadn't gotten to Jacksonville yet.

Neither Lauren nor Kate seemed to notice the self made assault on my soda can as they paused for a second or two. Lauren addressed me. "Could you do me a favor? You and that Jacob kid are like really good friends, right?"

"Yeah. Best friends." I added defensively.

"Great! Could you introduce us? I mean, like formally introduce us? Katie here really likes him and I just never had the chance to talk to him personally myself so I figured that you could do it for us. What do you say?" Lauren chattered excitedly.

I saw colors. I couldn't believe that I was getting angry that Lauren and this Katie girl would be sinking their hands into my sweet Jacob. How could I stop them? How could I warn Jake?

"Hello, Bella. Still waiting here." Lauren persisted. "Come on. Be a pal."

The brunette, Katie, chimed in. "Oh please, Bella? Please? He is so cute. "

"He's only sixteen."

The two girls giggled even louder to each other. "Who cares? Would you care with a boyfriend looking like that? I mean I realize that you had the Cullen kid and all the other guys in high school were just ordinary in comparison, but come on—that Jacob kid is HOT!" Lauren and Katie looked like they had came together on that last sentence.

I couldn't see a way out of it. I knew I was mad, but I didn't really know Katie enough to think that she would be bad for Jacob. And I did want him to have a good time too. I couldn't actually think that Jacob and I would be spending the whole week in Florida together even as best friends.

"Sure. Come on." Lauren and Katie latched onto me and I felt even heavier as I approached Jacob. He looked at me concerned for a moment and then a small smile played on his lips. I was getting madder by the second. I guess his wolf instincts picked up on the girls' excitement.

I introduced them formally, though Jacob had already seen them minutes before. My voice came out brusque and slightly drained. "Jake, this is Katie," pushing the brunette toward him a little (not that she needed help flying out of my arms), "and this is Lauren." Lauren had already dropped her arm around me and moved to replace it with Jacob before my sentence finished.

Jacob glanced back and forth between his two new "accessories" and his grin got a little wider. It still wasn't the same smile that he had been giving me, but at that moment my eyes couldn't tell the difference. I bit my lip and turned away before I could make a fool of myself.

"Thanks, Bella! You are a doll!" Lauren screamed at my back. I was sure when was still looking at Jacob when she said that, not wanting to break eye contact.

"Sure, sure." I muttered to no one in particular.

On the plane, I sat next to Mike and Jessica. Katie and Lauren laid claim to Jacob and had him settled in between them. I was annoyed. The attendants had actually allowed them to change their seats without so much as a nod. My anger was seething.

"It was so nice of you to let Katie and I borrow Jacob like this for the plane ride, Bella. What could we have done on the plane without you with us?" Lauren's voice was syrupy, but it fed into my annoyance.

I turned angrily, "Jumped out of it."

Lauren pretended not to hear me and began lifting the arm rest to make the three-seater across from us into one big seat for her, Katie, and now Jacob. Jacob was placed in between the two girls and I moved my eyes to stare out the window.

"Bella, you alright?" Jacob's deep voice still sounded the same from that morning, the morning that felt so long ago.

I was still fighting back tears when I replied, "I'm fine, Jacob. I just don't like the flying part too much."

"Well, isn't that point of an airplane? To fly?" Katie stated.

I decided that she and Lauren were two twins cut from the same womb. I crossed my arms and legs to prepare for the flight. If Jacob and his pals were going to be this close to me, I was going to need a lot of daydreaming to block out their noise and a pair of headphones.

After a few minutes in the almost fetal position my legs started to get cramped and the plane hadn't even taken off yet. I tried rubbing my legs without trying to draw attention to myself, but Mike noticed.

"Yeah, plane seats are like major uncomfortable. I don't know how people do traveling as part of their business arrangements. I am not that fond of the small spaces either."

"They're great for intimate moments, I think. Don't you think about the 'mile high club'?" Katie grinned at Mike and then back at Jacob after her suggestive remark.

I bit back a comment. It seemed fitting that Katie (or Lauren) would always shift the conversation back to themselves. This plane ride was going to definitely be too long.

I continued to rub my sore legs when Jacob turned to Katie and asked her, "Kate, can you do me a favor and switch seats with me?"

Katie shrugged and then moved almost immediately after Jacob had asked; Lauren looked as though she wanted to strap a bomb under Katie's newly acquired seat.

Jacob reached across to me and gently touched my knee with his hand. "You okay, Bells? Want me to rub your legs or something?"

I looked at him and quickly shook my head. I didn't need these two girls making my whole plane ride (and possibly a part of my trip) miserable if they saw me monopolizing Jacob's attention.

"Bella, come on. You've been rubbing your legs for almost ten minutes. I'm really good at it. I do my Dad's all the time." His eyes pleaded with mine.

Again I shook my head, but he reached for the leg that was closest to him, placed it on his lap, and began to rub. And against my better judgment, I allowed him to continue.

He was right. He was good. He had started first at my ankle where my anklet was and carefully massaged around the charm and links so that he wouldn't break it. The anklet was pretty strong though. I hadn't had to replace the clasp yet and I had already snagged my leg a couple of times getting out of bed. My leg would be red, but the anklet was always in tact. It was just me. It was just Bella.

Jacob then lifted both of my legs to place on his lap while he stretched out his legs to go under my chair. He now had more space to give his own legs a chance to breathe. He removed my sandals and started to rub my feet before moving back to my ankles, legs, and then upper thighs. My eyes widened at first, but he gave me a small smile and "sshhed" me. I bit my lower lip and leaned my head back enjoying his touch. Enjoying the feeling.

I imagine Jacob's hands roaming my body, free from holding back. Free from my voice pleading with him to stop. Free from the eyes of all those horrible girls who gladly would take advantage of him. I knew that Katie and Lauren wouldn't be the last. I was also almost terrified that they were watching us, watching me enjoy Jacob's hands on my legs, but I couldn't stop him.

Then I was suddenly wishing that he would keep going. Wishing that he wouldn't ever stop.

"Everything okay here, guys?"

My eyes flew open to two flight attendants. I blushed when I realized that they might have been there for awhile, watching my reaction and my "day dream" while I sat completely unaware. I had also noticed that Jacob's hands were still on my thigh, with my feet still in his lap.

"I had a…cramp?" I finished lamely. Jacob grinned at me. If his nose picked up anything, he didn't let on; it didn't seem likely, but I was sure he could read my expressions well enough. I then looked out the window again, still embarrassed. We were already in the sky and above the clouds. I hadn't even noticed that we had left the airport. I covered my face as best I could, but I could still feel Jacob's eyes on me. This bond that Jacob and I shared and his intuition about my feelings was starting to wane my last nerve, but excited me as well. My best friend was my soul mate? What a made-for-TV- movie. I dismissed the idea.

"Wow, Jacob. Care to do me next?" Katie held out her leg expectantly. Suddenly her already short yellow dress seemed shorter. Everyone in the group, except Lauren and I, laughed at Katie's bold manner.

Jacob focused solely on me again as if the other two girls didn't exist. Katie tried at first to get a little physical with him, but he shook off her advances quite skillfully. I wasn't even sure that it was a rejection until I would notice that he was still holding on to my hand or that we were still locked eye to eye as the flight went on. The rest of the flight wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but I was sure that it was because Lauren was biding her time trying to come up with a way to get back at me for stealing Jacob's attention.

Katie eventually just gave up and started talking across to Jessica and Mike. Lauren was suddenly not up for much chatter. Katie even switched seats with me and Jacob turned it two person 'love seat' after I was securely by his side. We watched one airplane movie together, "Sex and the City." It was horrible. I fell asleep and Jacob allowed me to sit almost fully on his lap and held my face close in between his chest and shoulder. I inhaled the familiar forest and musk scent and felt his lips lightly brush my nose as I slept. I wasn't sure how I felt it, but I knew it was him who did it.

I was still sleeping against him when the plane was making its final descent into the Craig Municipal airport. Jacob nudged me awake with his fingertips and whispered in my ear, "Bells. You don't want to miss us landing in Florida, do you?"

I yawned at him, smiling. "I've been on a plane before, Jake. Maybe we should switch so you can see the view."

"I like the view I have already."

I rolled my eyes, but I could already feel the pink starting to show on my face. Jacob carefully turned me toward the window so that I could see the buildings, the trees, and the rapidly approaching runway. I smiled at him and he squeezed my shoulder. I could already feel the beaming sun through the window glass and Jacob's arms reemitted the feeling of paradise that had existed from that morning. I suddenly couldn't wait to see what more Florida had to offer us.

Renee and Phil were waiting for us at the airport. My mother couldn't resist seeing us arrive together though I had explained to her that we could have easily just arrived by cab.

"There's my little girl! There's my graduating senior!" Renee hugged and kissed me a few dozen times before she smiled warmly at Jacob. "Jacob Black, how are you? It's so good to meet you! Have you been keeping Bella out of trouble or helping her get into it?"

Jacob grinned. "No ma'am. I've been a great influence on her. Right, Bells?"

"Isabella, what a striking young man. I mean really, keeping us from meeting him for all this time—"

"Mom!" I flushed. "Jeez, Mom. He's my friend."

"She's shy. What she really means is that I'm her best kept secret." Jacob threw his arms around me and Renee giggled in delight. I could see it then; Jacob had charmed my other parent.

"Ugh." I threw his heavy and hot arm from my shoulder. "This is Phil, by the way," looking at my mother as I said it.

Phil and Jacob shook hands and smiled pleasantly enough to each other. My mom clasped her hands together and got in between us to start pulling us along toward the exit. Jacob grabbed both of our suitcases easily with one arm and started to walk. My mom and Phil both looked impressed at his display of strength.

"I don't just fill out pretty in shirts, you know." Jacob's personality shining through.

"I see that." Renee squeezed my arm tighter and I rolled at my eyes at both of them. "Oh Bella, you will love the new house! We live in Cobblestone County and there's a beach a few blocks from us called Beacon Hills. It has its own harbor—it's beautiful. There's always something to do at that place. Simply gorgeous." I was sure Renee would have gone on and on as she clung excitedly to Jacob and I had it not been for another female's voice interrupting my Mom's friendly chatter.

"Jacob! Hey, wait!"

I chagrined as I saw Lauren approaching again. If I never saw her walking toward me in my natural life, it would have been too soon.

She stood close to Jacob. "We'll be in town for the whole week too. If you guys want to get together or something to hang out, we could do that. Just give me a call." Lauren slid a piece of paper into Jacob's shirt pocket, lingering on his top pecs that showed through his shirt and casually bit her lower lip. "See you around. You too, Bella." Lauren didn't even glance at me.

Jacob nodded, too polite to say much else, but his eyes didn't linger on her as she walked away. They met mine.

"You hungry, Bells? Anyone else here hungry? I feel like I can take down a moose." And his stomach growled for emphasis. And just like that everyone's good mood returned.

*A/N: Aahh! Sorry, I just had to write something scary right here.