Jacob's jaw was so tight Lily feared for his teeth. She touched the side of his face gently. "Talk to me, Jake. It's killing me, seeing you suffer. Not knowing what you're thinking. Please, baby." He rolled away from her, onto his side. She wrapped an arm around his rigid body and lay awake for a long time before she heard his breathing ease up and realized he'd finally dozed off.

He would sleep for maybe an hour, she knew. And she had to work tomorrow. This had been going on for three days, and he looked like hell. Dark circles smudged his eyes; he looked haunted. Lily got up quietly and grabbed her pillow. She flopped down on her couch, hoping she could sleep for a few hours.

"Jacob Black!" The pounding wouldn't stop.

Jake slammed his half-full coffee mug into the sink, smashing the cup and slopping coffee on the floor. Muttering something about Lily killing him if he didn't clean it up, he yanked the door open with a murderous snarl. "What the hell do you want?" he demanded, blinking in the bright sunlight.

Jonah shoved past him and closed the door. "We need to talk."

"No. We don't." Standing in the living room, naked except for a ratty looking pair of blue plaid boxers, Jake re-opened the door and Jonah pushed it closed.

"I'm not leaving, and don't try that alpha shit on me. Do you even have a plan, Jake? Are you thinking you can wait it out? Surely you know better than that."

Collapsing onto the couch, Jake expelled a deep breath. "Who are you again?"

"You know damn well who I am. We've been reading each other's thoughts for two months now. It's time you figure out where you're going with this imprint. You're the one who explained it to me, for cryin' out loud!" Jonah sat on the edge of Lily's rocker. "Seems to me there are at least SOME choices involved."

"I don't do alpha shit." Jake scratched at his crotch, and Jonah wondered when he'd last showered.

"I know. If you were Sam I wouldn't have bothered beating down your door. But you're Jacob Black, the level-headed rightful heir to this giant cluster fuck. You're the other guy. It sounds like you need a plan."

Jake looked at Jonah for the first time. "I kinda had a plan, but it looks like the ceiling isn't cooperating. I was hoping it would cave in. Put me out of my misery."

Jonah smiled. "That's more like it. See? You're joking." He turned serious. "You told me an imprint isn't necessarily romantic. That you can be anything she needs - a friend, a brother, even a father figure."

"Look at us, man," Jacob said with a sigh. "Does she look like she needs a father?"

"I don't know, Jake. Have you even met her?"

"Well, YEAH. That's when the trouble started. But I've never exchanged a word with her. How about this - 'Hi, I'm a Quileute wolf man and I imprinted on you. Would you be my friend?' That should work…" He shook his head in disgust.

Jonah ran a hand through his short dark hair. "Okay, so your approach needs a little work. I don't pretend to know all the answers, but you're not being fair to Lily." Jacob had the good grace to wince at this. "She's committed to this relationship, Jake. Are you? I know it's none of my business, but somebody has to wake you up."

Jacob stood suddenly, towering over Jonah, his fists clenched at his sides. "And you think you're man enough to wake me up?"

Jonah stood. "If I have to. But I didn't come here to…" The sentence remained unfinished as Jacob's fist connected with his jaw. It took him by surprise, and he spit a tooth into his hand, shaking his head to clear it. What Jacob didn't know was that Jonah had boxed in college for spending money.

There was a loud crack as Jonah's left fist connected with Jacob's jaw and his right scored a direct hit in his solar plexus. Jake went down like a sack of flour. Jonah had never thrown a punch with his newly acquired strength, and he gasped. "Shit! Jake, talk to me! Is your jaw broken?"

Jacob rose to his knees and nodded. "Don' worry about it," he said, his hand cradling his injured jaw. "Mends quick." Feeling with his tongue, Jonah realized his missing tooth had already regenerated. He reached out and helped Jake to his feet.

"Sorry…"

"No, I asked for it." Jake sat down again. "Just don't try it when I've had eight hours' sleep. I didn't think you could deck your alpha. Lesson learned." He seemed to regroup. "Okay, let's talk. Maybe I'm too close to the situation, but I've got nothing. I've seen what this kind of thing can do, Jonah. Leah's a good friend, and I watched her...I can't do that to Lily."

"Then don't. Let's figure out your options."

Lily came home from work and found Jake in the kitchen. The house smelled wonderful, like garlic and tomato sauce. He had obviously showered and shaved, and the table was set for two. She walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his middle, inhaling his scent. "Who are you, and what did you do with my boyfriend?"

He turned to face her, kissing her soundly. "Jonah came over and broke my jaw. It kinda woke me up."

She gasped. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack." He laughed at the expression on her face. "It's okay, though. I knocked out one of his teeth."

Lily wiggled out of his grasp. She grabbed a hunk of garlic bread and leaned back against the counter. "Perhaps you should start at the beginning."

"Okay, I will. But first, do you want to know what we're celebrating?"

She nodded. "I do."

"My new job," he smirked. "Meet the new manager of Penney's men's department."

Frowning, Lily stopped chewing. "Jake, you've never sold men's clothes before. You're a mechanic."

He grinned sheepishly. "I know. It's weird. The manager said something about whatever I'm wearing will fly off the shelves." He actually blushed. "She hired me on the spot."

Laughing, Lily looked at him closely. "She?"

Turning off the stove, Jacob scooped Lily up in his arms. "I think dinner can wait a bit," he said with a leer.

Lily giggled. "Okay, but you have some explaining to do. Later."

As he crossed the threshold into the bedroom, Jacob announced, "I already have a new BFF at work. I think you know her."

Arms around his neck, Lily nibbled at his earlobe and whispered, "You know this isn't a permanent solution, right?"

He tossed her on the bed. "It'll do for now."