Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the authors. The authors are in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
A/N: I apologize for late updating and sparcely responding to your reviews. My computer is acting strange. I often don't even receive notification that I have a new review. I don't know why that is. Please, know that I appriciate each and every one of your reviews.
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Just a brief clarification on the time frame of our recent developments. Please keep the following in mind:
* Bella comes to Forks for a visit at Christmas, 2 ½ years after she left. Yuma's 3 months old at that time.
* During mating season (1 ½ years after Bella's wedding) Jacob gets Leah pregnant, and Yuma is born.
* The last chapter ended 3 months after the fateful encounter between Jake and Bella. Jake went into depression for about 3 months until Leah finally intervenes and apologizes to him.
* This chapter is another two months later. Yuma's now 8 months old. It's five months since Bella ran away again.
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Hostage of Love
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Chapter 13
New Developments
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I am moving on
reaching toward my hopes and dreams
It has taken me far too long
to reach this place, it seems
My fears may try to hold me back
To try and block my way
But with courage and faith in my heart
I will get there come what may
The road will be a long one,
And it may be rocky, too
But when I reach this place in time,
My dreams could all shine through
I am coming nearer to my goals
And my excitement grows
The plans I have made will soon be real
Along with the destiny I chose
Though I have been tossed and turned in life's storms
I will surely see a brighter dawn
I'm no longer held back by my fears
I'm finally...Moving On
by Alan Murray
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She closed and locked the door behind him, and hesitantly put the phone to her ear. "Hello?"
"Hey," a female voice at the other end of the line said, causing Bella to instantly feel dizzy as she felt her blood draining from her head. She knew that voice all too well.
"It's Leah. I think we need to talk!"
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~oOo~
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[…scene taken out…]
He lay there for a while, waiting for his hammering heart to calm down. From the window, he saw the first rays of light. At least he had gotten six hours of sleep before he had to start patrolling. He got up and took a shower, washing away the remnants of his dream.
"Five fucking months!" He angrily scowled at his reflection in the mirror, while running the razor over his chin. "Five. Fucking. Months, Black! This has to stop!" His hands started shaking and he grabbed the razor too tight, nicking his skin. "Shit!" He was too damn agitated once again. How in the world could he stop his dreams?
His skin was healed seconds later. He washed the remaining shaving foam off his face and went to get himself some coffee. Then he grabbed a shirt and his cut-offs, tied it around his ankle and phased, relieving Jared and Seth from their patrol duty.
Jacob would be alone until Embry shared this shift with him in about half an hour. It felt good to let his wolf out again, but patrolling had become dull as vampire activity was sparse these days. It used to distract him from his brooding, but now there was nothing that would stop his trail of thoughts for long.
Damn, Jake, Embry grumbled as he phased in and was greeted by his Alpha's bad mood. You need a woman and fast. You haven't had a real fuck since Leah and...
Jacob caught a glimpse of his own memories in his brother's head. Bella writhing under him, her head thrown back in ecstasy.
Jacob growled. Stop thinking about her!
Sorry, bro. Embry apologized good-naturedly. Actually, we're hitting that new club in Port Angeles tonight. You want to come?No, I take that back, you neeeed to come, Jake! I promise you'll have a good time and I'll make sure that you get a little eh...distraction, as well. Embry thought of heated kisses, and a woman's legs wrapped around his waist.
Jacob rolled his eyes and ran faster. How many times have you asked me to hang out with you already, Em? And how many times do I need to tell you that I have no interest in hanging out in clubs or bars? Get it into your head! You don't give up do you? Besides, I don't drink anymore, remember?
He was annoyed. Couldn't they all just leave him the fuck alone?Today he had something much more important on his agenda than going out and getting laid. Look, Embry, I'm spending time with Yuma today and I have been excited about this all week. I can't wait to spend some quality time with my little fella. There is no way I'm going anywhere today, so stop bugging me.
Okay, okay. Embry relented, and Jacob sighed with relief - too soon. He wasn't off the hook just yet. How about tomorrow? Jake, didn't I tell you that this is a veeeery special weekend! –Embry showed him visions of legs in heels, red-colored lips wrapped around a straw, sipping on a milky-white cocktail- I promise to leave you alone if you come this one time. Come on, Jake! I swear to you, you won't regret it. Just join us on Saturday and you can even sip your Coke, I don't care, alright? Embry said, trying to catch up with his Alpha.
Jacob ignored his brother and continued patrolling the area. There had to be some leech somewhere...
Embry bumped into his side.
Listen, there is this special All-Girl band playing this weekend –Embry thought of a slender blonde singer breathing into a microphone- They have played there before and I am not kidding you, they want to fuck me and Quil. You HAVE to come!
Last time they performed, Quil almost lost his shit right there at our table, I swear to you! You can't even imagine how hot and ready these chicks are. –Jacob got to see the singer's hand running through Quil's hair. Her leg propped up on his chair. Her knee grazing his chest-
Besides, your frequent 'dreams' drive all of us crazy. Embry grunted, jumping aside when Jacob pushed his muzzle hard into his flank.
This is none of your beeswax, Call! Jacob growled, starting to get irritated.
You need to get laid and that's that, Jake! Embry responded, totally unaffected that he was pissing his brother off. Hey, look at it this way, I am taking care of your health! You need to fuck someone. You need a real woman under you. That's all I am saying!
Alright! Just shut up now, I am going this one time only, but don't you dare tell me that I need to fuck someone! You better promise me to leave me the hell alone after tomorrow night, Em. Jacob turned around and blocked his brother's path. Staring him in the eyes, he threatened, And if you won't I'll Alpha order you to shut up. We clear?
Embry nodded, alternating between feeling smug and intimidated, and they continued their patrol without exchanging another word or thought.
As soon as their patrol had ended, Jacob hurried over to Leah's and Sam's place to join them for their weekly Saturday breakfast. It became a regular routine, spending time with Leah, Sam and Yuma every Saturday and he really enjoyed these few hours.
He had to meet up with a customer in about two hours, showing him around a house, and he had promised Leah to take Yuma for the afternoon.
This was his most special time. Leah only recently had allowed him to spend time with Yuma alone. He totally understood her hesitation before; he had been such a prick. He would never allow himself to stoop that low again, not ever. His son meant the world to him and he had lots to prove to him and to Leah.
He was really looking forward to his afternoon with Yuma. He had planned on taking a long walk with him along the beach and he wanted to take him over to Billy's place. He had to smile thinking about the Rocking Horse he had started to make for his son. He couldn't wait to see his face once he completed it. He wished he had more time to work on it, but his work schedule was pretty crazy. Not that he was complaining. He had made some good commissions lately.
As they were gathered around the kitchen table, Yuma was sleeping in his room down the hall, Leah eyed Jacob constantly, which made him a bit nervous. He better just get over it and let her know the "news." "I am going out tomorrow night," he told Leah hesitantly, while chewing on a huge forkful of Leah's delicious omelet, only to notice a huge grin on her face.
"What?" he said. "It means nothing. It's only for one night anyway. I just want to get Embry off my ass is all."
"Sure, Jacob, I heard all about that." Leah bit her cheeks to keep from smiling; trying to look all innocent while he knew exactly what she was referring to.
Damn, she actually dared to snicker now, Jacob thought as he watched Leah intently scrubbing a pan. Sam pretended to read, but Jacob saw his shoulders shake with silent laughter. Don't play with me, Sam. I can see you trying to hide that idiotic smile behind the newspaper.
Damn pack mind! He was sure Sam had a look into Embry's mind again. Not that Embry ever tried not to think about his misery.
Jacobgrew more uncomfortable by the minute and decided that he was full, just to get out of this kitchen. "Thanks for the breakfast," he muttered and went down the hall to check on his son. Yuma's room seemed to be a much safer place right now he was sure.
Damn these dreams to hell and back! Why can't I get her out of my head? he fumed, but then he heard Yuma call out.
"Hey, you're awake!" Jacob said, and opened Yuma's door, greeted by the hugest smile ever. His heart leaped up into his throat. Yuma rolled around and sat up in his crib, stretching his chubby arms straight at him. Clearly he was happy to see his daddy and wanted to get out of his bed as fast as possible.
"Come here, champ!" He hurriedly picked his baby up, peppering several kisses on his sweet face, then bubble blowing kisses onto his neck, causing Yuma to laugh out loud and wiggle in his arms happily. Now, this is the best sound in the world, he thought with love swelling his heart.
"Guess what we are going to do today?" Jacob asked, throwing Yuma up in the air, causing more laughter from him. "We are going to visit Grandpa Billy," he announced. "I'll be back in about two hours, and then, off we go."
He placed Yuma on his arm, letting him hop up and down, while supporting his back. "Now let's get you something to eat and tell mommy to pack some of your things." Yuma squealed and showed off his four small teeth, which made him look cute as a button.
His heart swelled immediately with pride and love for his son. "Let's get you some food, champ," he cooed to Yuma while slowly walking back to the kitchen.
At 2:00 PM on the dot, Jacob was at 200 Willow Ave, waiting for his customer to show up. He was dressed in his usual job attire, white dress shirt, black jeans, and black boots. Minutes later, a white Mustang turned around the corner and a young man, not much older than himself, climbed out. They shook hands and he led the man inside the house. During the tour through the house, the man told him that he was planning to move in with his girlfriend who was finishing college by this summer.
Must be nice, he thought, feeling a sting in his heart. He wondered if he would ever be that lucky again to find someone he would want to spend his life with. He seriously doubted it. He clamped down on that thought, not allowing himself to go there again. He had a job to do right now and later he'd be with Yuma. There was no time for brooding.
As soon as the meeting was over he drove back to Sam and Leah's. He was relieved that his client had liked the house, and it looked good that he would close another deal this month.
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~oOo~
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"You can call me any time, Jake," Leah said as she gave him a bag with several sets of spare clothes, diapers, some toys, and two bottles of milk. "I pumped some of my milk again, when Yuma gets hungry, and doesn't want to eat his cereal. He's a little picky sometimes and prefers my milk. Remember, you have to put these into the fridge as soon as you get home, Jake, so the milk won't spoil."
"Leah, you explained this to me the last couple of times already. I still remember, okay." Jacob called out starting to feel annoyed. He wouldn't let Yuma starve for God's sake.
"And don't heat it in the microwave," she went on regardless. "Just place the bottle under the hot faucet for a couple of minutes; and do remember Jake, you have to check the temperature before you give it him, you got that?"
Jacob nodded and decided to just stay quiet, as long as she just would leave already. Finally, Leah was done explaining to him everything in the slightest detail.
Carefully, Jake put the car seat in his truck and buckled Yuma in. Leah and Sam both kissed Yuma one last time as Yuma looked around with wide eyes. As soon as Jake drove down Leah's driveway, Yuma started to squeal and laugh.
Jake knew how much his son enjoyed going out and so he was starting to sing some nursery rhyme to him. "The Itsy Bitsy spider went up the water spout...down came the rain and washed the spider out...up came the sun and...," Yuma's eyes focused on his face intently now, cracking a huge smile with clear recognition, as he immediately tried to sing as well.
Naturally, nobody would be able to understand anything he said, but his cute baby-squeals were adorable. Jacob enjoyed every moment of it.
As he drove home, all the while animatedly singing and telling Yuma what he was seeing outside, "Look, birdies, oh, biiiig trees... Oh wow! Yuma, look, I see a bunny rabbit," he kept telling Yuma. He had to laugh when he noticed how excitingly Yuma was swinging his arms around and how cute he sounded trying to talk, as he was pointing his chubby finger in all directions.
Gosh, he loved entertaining him, but truly, Yuma was entertaining him a great deal. Today, he felt happier than he had in a very long time.
"Now, let me quickly change my clothes and then we will play a little," Jacob said when they arrived at his house.
He walked into his bedroom, sat Yuma down in the middle of his large bed, gave him one of his wooden toys, and went to his dresser, pulling a fresh tee shirt and a fresh pair of jeans out of his closet.
By the time, he'd slipped out of his dress shirt Yuma had crawled towards the edge of the bed. Jacob leaped forward, saving his son from tumbling of the bed. "Whoa, easy there, Yuma. Didn't know you were that fast already."
He put Yuma down on the floor, which seemed to be a much safer place at the moment. "There, now you can play a little." There was not much of a chance that something could happen to him on the floor.
Jacob turned around to fetch his jeans. As he pulled them on, he heard a crash. He whirled around and found Yuma sitting by his nightstand, the cable of the bedside lamp still in his hand. Yuma had yanked on the cord and caused the lamp to crash down. Yuma looked at Jacob in shock. He took in a huge breath, opened his mouth and started to cry.
"Oh no, Yuma... Did you get scared?" Jacob picked up his frightened son and pulled him to his chest, hugging him comfortingly. "It's okay, honey. Ssshh, come on... Don't cry." He walked through his room, caressing and rocking Yuma gently.
Slowly, Yuma's crying subsided, and Jacob realized he had to make his house baby safe, now that Yuma hopefully would come over more frequently and since he had gotten so active.
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~oOo~
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Once he arrived at Billy's place, he parked his truck and carried Yuma inside. "Here we go, young man. This will be a blast, what do you say? Your grandpa will be so happy that I brought you along for a visit," he cooed, while kissing Yuma's hands gently.
"Grandpa, we're here," Jake called out towards his dad, who sat on the porch already, waiting for them.
"Where is my big boy?" Billy said, while grinning from ear to ear. He stretched his arms out, waiting for Yuma to get close enough so he could pick him up from his car-seat.
Jacob noticed how happy Yuma looked seeing his granddad.
Yuma didn't hesitate for a moment. There was no stranger anxiety; he immediately wanted to go to Billy. Jacob knew that Billy had been around Yuma regularly, and he was very happy about that. Unlike himself, Billy had not flaked out of his Grandpa duties.
He shook his head. Nope, he was not going to go there right now. Things had changed, and he'd made sure to show his dad that he could be a good father to Yuma. Jacob pushed Billy's wheelchair into the house, Yuma riding on Billy's knees.
What a picture it provided; he couldn't stop smiling at the pair. Yuma's hands went straight to his father's face, grabbing him tightly with his chubby hands and Billy blowing on them, playfully shaking his head back and forth, causing Yuma to burst out in giggles.
"So, Yuma, what would you like to do this afternoon?" Billy finally asked his grandson. "Hmm... Let's see what our options are. We could play in the living room until your father is finished fixing us something to eat. Or, we could go into Forks. They have a small Town Fair going on today."
Jake smiled at his dad, knowing he was only joking about him fixing a meal. Damn, at least he hoped so. His cooking skills had never been great, and that hadn't changed since he'd moved out and into his own house. Most of the time, he simply heated up frozen meals or ordered pizza.
"The fair sounds great, dad," he answered. He was sure Yuma would enjoy a ride on the merry-go-round. Jacob had no problem squeezing his large frame into one of those horse carriages even when it would make him look like a fool.
"I thought so, son," Billy said with a smile around his lips.
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~oOo~
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Finally, after Jacob was laden with a big teddy bear, which he had won at one of the shooting booths, and after he acquired an arm full of candy and popcorn, they decided to call it a day. All three of them were exhausted but happy.
It had been an afternoon filled with love, play and laughter, and it hadn't taken long for Yuma to fall asleep as soon as was put back into his car-seat. They headed back to La Push to drop Billy off first.
Jacob helped Billy to get into the house, as he caught him yawning. He playfully elbowed him lightly and joked, "Time for babies and old men to go to sleep."
"I'll show you old man!" Billy laughed and pushed his wheelchair forward, ramming his son in the ankles.
"Man, why do you always have to do this," Jacob complained, but laughed as well, and bent down to give his dad a hug. "Thanks, dad. I had a great day. Feels good to be back..." He said when he felt Billy's knuckles on his head. "Ouch." He laughed. "That's it. I'm out of here, and hey, don't eat all that candy at once!"
"Sure. Sure." Billy said. "Go and get Yuma home. Hope to see you around soon, son. I really missed you, you know? Tell Leah and Sam I said 'hi' for me will you?"
"Will do," Jacob promised Billy and hurried back to his truck, smiling. As he climbed into his truck, his cell phone rang. "Leah, I'm on my way," he said, answering his phone, and started his truck.
"We're stuck here, Jake. There was an accident and the road is closed," Leah informed him, sounding anxious. "I don't know how long it will take. Do you think you can keep Yuma for a little while longer?"
"It's okay, Leah. Of course I can keep Yuma. Are you alright?" Jacob turned to check on Yuma, who started to stir and stretch.
"We're okay. Don't worry about us. How's Yuma right now?"
"I think Yuma's about to wake up. We were at the fair in Forks, and he fell asleep on the way back to La Push. What do you suggest I should do with him now?" Jacob was confident he could entertain Yuma a while longer before Leah got home.
"Shall I phase and run home, I can do that, you know?" Leah sounded really worried, and Jacob heard Sam tell her to calm down.
"No. You really don't need to. We're getting along very well," Jacob answered, and then Leah instructed him to draw Yuma a bath, feed him his cereal and prepare him for bed.
"Jake, call me if need be. Or ask Sue to come over when he gives you trouble."
Suddenly, Sam was on the phone. "Jake, I'm sure you'll handle it quite well. Leah's just being a little paranoid. So don't worry, she'll be just fine, man." He laughed and ended the call.
Jacob snorted and shoved his phone into his jeans pocket. Then he said to his son, who was looking at him sleepily, "Hey, little man. Did you have a good nap? Mommy will come home a little later, but guess what? Daddy will stay for your bath." Bathing Yuma would be interesting. He felt slightly nervous about it, but was determined to complete this task just perfectly. After all, how hard could it be to bathe a little baby anyway?
The evening then turned out...interesting. Jacob brought Yuma inside and played with him for a while. When Yuma got cranky, he'd tried to feed him, but the cereal landed everywhere but inside his son's stomach, and a bath was now desperately needed - for both of them.
So Jacob had filled the big tub instead of Yuma's tiny one and they took their bath together. First he stripped all of his clothes off then he took Yuma's off. The warm water definitely seemed to sooth both of them. It felt so good being submerged in the water and watching Yuma all happy. In fact, Yuma got all hyper and made quite a mess, splashing the water all over the place. Of course, Jacob might have helped him a little with the splashing.
When they were finished, they had gotten water all over the floor. There would be a lot of cleaning up to do once Yuma would be asleep. He'd better hurry with that before Leah and Sam got back.
Jacob wrapped his son in a big towel, slipped into his jeans one-handed while balancing Yuma on one hip, then carried him into his room to find him his Schlafi (PJ's). Yuma was really cranky by now. He wiggled and squirmed around, clearly announcing his displeasure on the top of his voice and making his father break out in sweat.
"Are you hungry? You want me to warm up your milk? Mommy said you'd prefer her milk over the cereal..." With Yuma situated on his hip, Jacob went into the kitchen to get the milk out of the fridge. Luckily, Leah had some extra milk stored on the top shelf. He heated the milk under the hot stream of water from the faucet, just like Leah had told him he should.
Jacob made himself comfortable on the couch with his still protesting son in his arms. He leaned back and smiled, when Yuma reached for the bottle and greedily pulled it to his mouth. "Boy, you sure are hungry," he spoke softly, getting a little sleepy as well.
Once Yuma finished drinking, Jacob remembered that he needed to burp him, and he placed Yuma over his shoulder, gently rubbing his back.
With a sigh, Yuma softened against his body, his tiny fingers playing with the neckline of his daddy's shirt. Then came the burp, and Yuma contently snuggled against him.
"There... Good job, son," Jacob told Yuma lovingly and placed him back onto his chest. He grabbed a blanket from the foot of the couch and spread it over both of them. Yuma almost instantly fell asleep, his father's heart beat providing Yuma with comfort and security.
Kissing his son good night, Jacob reflected back on the great day he had shared with his dad and Yuma. He was determined to continue on this very path.
His eyes drooped as he grew tired. It was just too comfortable laying here with Yuma snuggled in his arms. He told himself to get up and clean the bathroom and the kitchen, but he didn't want to risk waking up Yuma and he was so, so tired. A tiny nap wouldn't hurt, or would it?
His son's soft snoring slowly lulled him to sleep and when he drifted off, his last coherent thoughts were with Bella and how much he wished she could be here with him.
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~oOo~
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When Leah and Sam came home, they found Jake fast asleep. They weren't particularly quiet, but Jacob still didn't hear them. He had his arms protectively wrapped around Yuma, his long legs stretched out, his head lolled back at what looked like an uncomfortable angle.
Leah approached slowly, while her heart softened at the sight. Sam followed close behind her and Leah noticed that he was about to kick Jake's feet off the couch when Leah shushed him right away. "Wait, Sam, just look how peaceful they look," she told him quietly.
"He looks beat. And the house is a mess...It seems Yuma kept him quite busy." Sam walked into the kitchen and started cleaning up the mess Jacob and Yuma had left behind.
Leah went to the bathroom and found a similar mess. She quickly hung up the bathroom rugs and towels and pulled the bathtub plug, before going back into their living room.
She took another look at Jacob's face, recognizing that even in his sleep Jacob looked haunted and tense. She didn't like it one bit. She cared for him so deeply. She felt remorse bubble up in her chest once more for the unfortunate events that took place that fateful morning when Yuma had gotten sick and she discovered that Bella had spent the night with Jacob.
She had come to realize that she probably was overreacting that morning but she also remembered how hurt and mad she had felt that he had let her come into his life again, after everything that she had done to him over 2 ½ years before.
She sighed heavily. If only she could do something to make him feel better. She'd apologized and he'd forgiven her, but she felt it wasn't enough.
Leah was beginning to fear that maybe he was too hung up on Bella to ever fall in love with another woman. The day they she forced him to clean up and talk to her she'd suggested he call Bella and clear things up, maybe even try to see her to talk things out. He'd gotten mad again and started to yell at her. He'd never run after her ever again, he'd said. She'd leave it at that, for now.
"Are you ready, Leah?" Sam asked, pulling her out of her thoughts, and came to stand behind her. "Let's go to bed, darling."
Leah leaned into Sam's chest as he wrapped his arms around her. "Yeah, let's get some sleep. She bent down to pick up Yuma so she could get him fed one more time before she put him down for the night.
As soon as Leah touched Yuma, Jacob started to growl menacingly and his hold on Yuma tightened. "Ah, hush, Jake. It's only us," Leah said, but pulled her hands back. She smirked and leaned down to hiss into Jacob's ear, "Stop growling at your pup's mommy, you overprotective mutt!"
"What?...Who?" Jacob startled and opened his eyes, looking around him a little confused, while hiding little Yuma in his chest. Finally, he focused on Leah and Sam. "Oh. You're home," he said. "Did I fall asleep?"
He looked down at Yuma, stroking his soft cheek oh-so-gently. "Okay, my little fella. It's time for you to go to bed, and it's definitely time for me to go home now. It's been such a long day but don't worry, Daddy will come get you soon again, okay?" Jacob gently whispered into Yuma's hear, while kissing it softly, then he looked up at both Leah and Sam with questioning eyes.
"Okay, if you like," Leah answered. "Just call us in a couple of days."
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~oOo~
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On his drive home, Jacob remembered that he had promised Embry to go out with him the next day. The mere thought of it gave him the shivers, he really did not want to go. Better get it done and over with, he thought with a frown. But Em better stay the fuck away from me after tomorrow...
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~oOo~
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A/N: Please keep in mind the time laps between Jake and Bella at the moment. This chapter actually is before Leah calls Bella.
Bella already is within the 5 months after she left Jake again, Jake still needs to 'get there'.
We wish you all a Merry Christmas if you're celebrating it.
CU around.