Disclaimer - This is based off of the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. She created the characters and the basic plot, and this is my spin on it. These are my words about her world. Stephenie Meyer has all of the rights to her characters and the parts that were taken from her plot.

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Chapter Eight

Bella awoke the next morning and blinked against a stream of sunshine. She groaned and reached her arms above her head in a stretch, wiggling her fingers against her pillow. Once she felt more awake, she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and plopped her arms down onto the comforter that surrounded her. She leaned her head back against the pillow, prepared to take her good old time getting out of bed when she remembered –

Sam.

And Jacob.

But Sam!

She jolted upwards into a sitting position and scanned her surroundings. She was tucked neatly into her bed, wearing the pajamas her mother had purchased for her just before she moved back here – pink pajama shorts with little white flowers all over them and a white tank top. Bella bit her lip, glancing around. She didn't remember coming upstairs last night. The last thing she could recall was watching a comedy with Sam and Jacob on either side of her.

So how had she gotten upstairs and into her room, her bed? Her pajamas?

Bella reached her toes towards the ground and stood to shuffle over to the bedroom window that overlooked the front of the house. She peaked out, unsure about whether she wanted Charlie's cruiser to be out there or not. The driveway was empty, and Bella was prompted to glance at the clock on her nightstand. Eight thirty-seven in the morning.

So Charlie had left for work an hour ago.

Urged by a sudden surge of excitement, she threw on a nice pair of jean shorts and a T-shirt and ran a brush quickly threw her hair. Once she'd freshened up, she was out of her bedroom and hastily descending the stairs. When she reached about halfway, the scent of very-burnt bacon hit her and she crinkled her nose.

The sun made the kitchen just as bright as her bedroom. Jacob stood at the stove, one hand holding a spatula, the other shoved in his back pocket. He whistled a happy-go-lucky tune, oblivious to the fact that he'd killed his meat six times over. Gray smoke drifted off of the top of the frying pan. He actually wore a shirt to Bella's surprise, though it was tight enough to still show the outline of his abs. Bella suspected his sudden tendency to wear clothes had something to do with Sam.

Sam. Her heart automatically flew into overdrive. She hadn't seen him yet; had he left already?

Jacob turned his head and grinned his big . . . wolfish grin. "Hey, Bells," he greeted over the sizzling of the grease. "Hungry?"

Bella laughed. "You're as bad as Charlie. Maybe worse," she teased as she walked closer to peer into the bubbling pan. "At least Charlie knows his limits."

Jacob scoffed. "I have no limits," he bellowed. "I'm too awesome for limits." He lifted his arm to show off his giant biceps, standing tall like he'd just won the Olympic Games.

Bella elbowed him playfully in the gut. She nodded her head down at the pan. "You know, it was already dead when I bought it. You didn't have to kill it again."

His eyebrows pulled together. "What?"
"It's burnt, Jake," she said slowly, over-pronouncing each syllable. "How don't you see that?" She reached up to tap her index finger on his temple. "Or does this wolf brain of yours take away your ability to think?"

Jacob snorted, but his eyes were happy. He was pleased she was being so great about this – the entire situation. She was joking about it, not freaking out. She was handling it perfectly, and he was so proud. "It's not burnt," he insisted. "It's crispy."

"If by that you mean burnt to a crisp, then yes, that's exactly what it is."

Jacob chuckled and turned off the burner. "Okay, Miss I'm The Best Chef Ever, then you can make breakfast."

She snatched the spatula out of his hand. "I think I will, thank you very much."

Jake ambled over to the kitchen table in defeat and sat down, resting his elbows on the table. He watched with unembarrassed amusement as she scraped the charred bacon off of the frying pan and dumped it into the garbage can. She scraped roughly along the surface, frowning at the black chunks that wouldn't come off. "Jeez, Jake," she complained, "how did you not set off the smoke alarm?"

"I'm magic," he taunted. He cracked his knuckles loudly, propping his feet up on the chair next to him, perfectly at ease.

Bella turned back to the stove top and put a fresh set of bacon strips on a clean pan. Then she retrieved the eggs from the fridge and started on them. "So, did you sleep well last night?" she said conversationally.

He gave her an annoyed look. "I wouldn't call it sleeping. It was more of a nap. And don't think I didn't get it from Sam for keeping you from getting the necessary amount of sleep."

Bella stood straighter at the mention of her . . . wolf. "Where is he this morning, anyway? Did he decide we made too much of a commitment last night?" She'd meant for it to be teasing, but it came out sounding more serious.

Jacob shot her a look. "Please, Bella. Sam's not going anywhere."

As if on cue, the screen door squeaked as it opened and Sam appeared in the doorway of the kitchen. His eyes quickly swept the room, first landing on Jacob, then Bella, then the space between Jacob and Bella. He synchronized Jacob for a minute, but eventually must have decided he hadn't done anything inappropriate or unwanted to his imprint and his shoulders relaxed. When he met Bella's gaze, she felt her heart flutter in the way it only did when he was near. He smiled down at her and crossed the room, immediately bending to press his mouth against hers. Before she knew it, his hands were sliding up the back of her shirt and pressing her against his chest, his tongue ravishing her mouth. Bella reached up to wrap her arms around his neck and he bent to place his hands on her bottom and lift her so she could wrap her legs around his waist. Her fingers twisted in his hair and she sighed when he broke away and pressed kisses to the corner of her mouth and down her jaw.

"Ahem," Jacob huffed.

Bella immediately pulled back. "Oh," she gasped, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She'd forgotten all about her best friend sitting two feet away. Only Sam had the power to do that to her – distract her by clearing her mind of all thoughts.

Sam growled and shot Jacob a glare. "Jacob," he snapped, "you know better than to interrupt your Alpha. You have disrespected me and my imprint." There was something in his tone, something deep that she'd never heard before – control, dominance, and power. He stepped menacingly towards him, scowling.

Suddenly worried for Jacob's safety, Bella squirmed her way in between the two. She placed her hands on Sam's chest and rubbed soothingly. "Sam, he has a point," Bella pleaded.

His head snapped towards Bella. His eyes, flashing yellow and primal, glanced over her face, taking in the pale flush of her cheeks and she worried dip in her brow, and his fists relaxed. Though his shoulders remained tense, Bella saw this as a win – and silently wondered what other superpowers being an imprint would give her.

Sam's nose crinkled. "Are you making breakfast?"

"Of course," Bella breathed. She wobbled over to the stove where, thankfully, her eggs hadn't begun to burn. Twisting the spatula expertly in her fingers, she scrambled them more and added salt and pepper. "I can't have overnight guests and not feed them in the morning."

Jacob pounded his fist on the table. "And this overnight guest is hungry."

"Patience," Sam scolded, still sour about the interruption. Bella wasn't exactly thrilled either – she could kiss Sam all day, every day – but Jacob shouldn't have to watch them attack each other in the middle of the kitchen.

Sam took a seat across from Jacob and cracked his knuckles. "Jared was running patrols last night," he began seriously. "He was up by the river on the north side and he caught that scent again – the same scent from the night before."

Jacob sighed. "So wherever this leech is, it's not leaving anytime soon."

Bella started a pot of coffee.

"Pretty much," Sam sighed. Bella turned to see him wiping his hands over his face dejectedly. "We're going to have to deal with it. I'm hoping to get everyone together tonight and go hunting."

Bella spun to peer at them, curious. "Hunting?" she questioned. The plates clanged against the table as she sat them down, and Jacob's fork flipped over the side and clattered to the floor. Bella jumped back so it wouldn't land on her foot. Jacob leaned over to look at it, frowning, but made no move to pick it up. Bella rolled her eyes teasingly and retrieved another for him. "Be careful," she mothered, "they're hot." Her warning was in vain, as both men were already shoving huge forkfuls into their watering mouths without flinching or hesitating.

"Hunting leeches," Jacob explained poorly in-between bites.

Bella turned to Sam for more information. He swallowed audibly and said, "Vampires. One's been circling La Push for about two weeks now." He shoved another forkful of eggs into his mouth. "We think it's watching us, learning our patterns."

"So we've been switching it up a lot," Jacob muttered out of the side of his mouth, trying not to spit his breakfast back onto the tabletop. "Two of us are always on patrol at one time." His eyebrows shot up as if he'd just remembered something. "Crap. What time is it?" He frantically searched around for a clock.

Bella squinted at the tiny screen on the microwave. "Quarter after nine," she told him.

Jacob polished off the last of his eggs and jumped up. "I gotta go," he said. "I gotta relieve Jared. He's got some breakfast thing with Kim's parents." He chuckled. "Poor dude. Meeting the parents after a month?"

Sam shook his head at him, amused. "When you imprint, you'll understand." He stole a glance at Bella, gazing up at her under his eyelashes.

Bella's heart warmed under his stare. She bit her lip, fussing with the dish towel that was sitting on the counter. "You know, Jake, a month is actually an average amount of time to be dating when you meet the parents. Maybe even a little long, I'd venture."

He laughed. "Sam met Charlie on the first date, huh?"

"I wouldn't call that our first date," Sam's rough bass grumbled out. He was still finishing his breakfast.

The coffee pot let out a shrill ding and Bella jumped, having forgotten all about it. She scurried over to it and opened the cabinet with the coffee mugs. "Do you have time for a cup of coffee?" she asked Jacob over her shoulder.

"I better get going," Jacob responded. "I'm late already. But I'll definitely stop by tomorrow evening if you'll make that hot chocolate of yours? Will Charlie watch the game?"

"Is the sky blue?" Bella giggled. "Of course. He never misses a game, Jacob, you know that beter than anyone. Bring Billy with you – he'd love that."

Jacob nodded, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Sure. I'll see you then. Bye, Sam."

Sam tipped his chin to him. "Keep me informed – anything out of the ordinary, let me know."

Jacob bobbed his head again. "You got it," he muttered. He tapped his fingers against the kitchen doorway, hesitating to leave. He opened his mouth as if to say something, then seemed to rethink it. He must have decided to say it anyway because he added, "Hey, I'm really happy for you two. You'll be great for each other – and you'll be happy, so that's good." He looked specifically to Bella. "I'm glad you'll be happy."

Bella smiled at him. "Thanks, Jake.

He disappeared around the bend, and the door closed quietly behind him a few seconds later.

Sam finished his eggs and sat back, watching her. Bella strolled over and stood next to him, resting her hands on his shoulder. "You'll stay for coffee, won't you?" She didn't want him to leave yet – she wasn't ready to say goodbye.

He looked up at her, wide-eyed. His expression was sincere and eager; Bella had no doubt he'd do anything she asked just to make her happy. "Of course I will."

"And you'll come for hot chocolate tomorrow?"

He grinned. "Is that an official invitation?"

Bella scoffed. "Of course!"

"The chief won't mind?"

Bella pondered that. Charlie wouldn't be the happiest man on earth when Sam arrived, but it would give her the perfect opportunity to tell him of their relationship – with Jacob and Billy there on her side, he would take the news much better. "Charlie will be just fine."

"Then I'll be here." He smirked at her, then all teasing fled the scene and his lips thinned in seriousness. "So, we're okay, right?"

Bella frowned, confused. "What do you mean?"

"You . . . you're okay with, you know . . . everything?" He folded his hands on the table and stared down at them intently.

Bella caressed his shoulder. "It's going to take some time to really get used to everything, but I'm not going anywhere, Sam."

Relief washed over his face and he reached up to grasp her hand. "That's all I needed to hear."

"Hey, how did I get into my pajamas last night?" she asked out of the blue as she remembered how her morning had started. "I don't remember changing my clothes."

Sam lifted his shoulders bashfully to his ear. "I'm innocent, I swear."

After taking inventory in the refrigerator and the pantry, Bella came to the conclusion that a trip to the supermarket was necessary. She formed her list, carefully cut out her coupons, and was walking through the sliding automatic doors a few hours later. Deciding to leave the frozen food for last, she made her way to the deli and the vegetable section, et cetera.

Bella was deciding between brands of tomato sauce for the spaghetti she'd planned for dinner that evening when someone called out to her.

"Bella Swan!" The high-pitched, excited female voice rose above the general chatter that floated around the store. Bella turned to see the Carol, Mark's wife – one of the policemen at Charlie's station – waving at her from the other end of the isle. She wore a worn-in T-shirt and genuine "mom jeans" with short blonde hair that appeared to have been styled in a rush. She scurried over and wrapped Bella in a warm, motherly hug. "Hello, sweetie! How have you been? Oh, it's been ages since I've seen you! You were little then, shorter, with plumper cheeks!"

Bella pulled away before Carol could pinch her apparently-not-as-plump cheeks, smiling warmly, trying not to look annoyed. She hadn't been expecting to run into anyone she knew. "I'm good," she told her. "And you? Did you get settled into your new home alright?"

"Oh, yes, yes," Carol chattered. "We had a few troubles with the movers not being gentle with our glassware, but what can you do, really?"

The chitchat lasted for a few more minutes until finally Carol decided she needed to get going so she could pick her little boy up from soccer practice. She enveloped Bella in a bear hug again before leaving, promising she'd be in touch to get she and Charlie over for dinner soon.

Having already spent more time at the grocery store than she'd wanted to, Bella bolted for the checkout line. Of course, when Bella just wanted to get home, each cashier had at least four people waiting in line, and Bella sighed. She leaned her hip against her shopping cart and glanced over its contents one more time, just to be sure she hadn't forgotten anything – because she sure wasn't going to be waiting in these lines again after checking out – and concluded that she had everything she needed.

"Now, I'm sure I had those coupons with me," the woman at the cash register called out, annoyed, as she rummaged through her purse. "I know they're here somewhere. Just let me check . . ."

Bella bit her lip, impatient. She plucked a magazine from the stand next to her and started flipping through it, hoping for some sort of entertainment.

Five minutes of that nonsense went on before the manager finally approached the woman and forced her to pay without her coupons due to her holding up the line. A few comedians clapped when she finally walked away with her bagged groceries in tow, but Bella just grinned in amusement.

The line, however, did not move much faster than it had before, and Bella shifted her weight back and forth many times without moving an inch. Behind her, a little girl continually and repeatedly if they would go to get ice cream after leaving, and he refused to give her an answer.

Eventually, when the woman in front of her started to load her groceries onto the belt, Bella looked up from her magazine and placed it back on the shelf.

And came face-to-face with Leah Clearwater.

Well, not face-to-face. Leah was chatting with a girl who looked to be about her age, not having noticed Bella, either. And it wasn't like seeing Leah there was so strange – the Grocery Hut was the only fully-stocked supermarket around that didn't require a drive all the way to Port Angeles. It's customers were a blend of people from the communities of both Forks and La Push. Would seeing Leah be awkward? Did Leah know about Sam imprinting on Bella? Did Bella have an enemy she didn't even know about?

With a new urgency to get out of the store, Bella bounced on her toes and anxiously watched the lady in front of her as she decided which credit card to use. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, it was Bella's turn, and she quickly placed her items on the belt to be scanned.

"Forty-seven dollars and fourteen cents," the cashier told her when she'd finished packing the groceries into their plastic bags. She was an older woman, gray-haired and short, obviously working this job simply because she had nothing else to do with her day. Oh, to have so much free time that a job actually became a hobby, not a necessity.

Bella handed over the cash and debated taking the time to count out the change. She hated carrying the coins around, but she hadn't anticipated seeing Leah there, and the last thing she wanted as an awkward encounter. Just thinking about it made her nervous, so she decided to just round up and accept the jingling coins.

The elderly woman's smile reminded Bella of her grandmother, whom she hadn't spoken to in a little over a week. She made a mental note to call her that evening – she had much to tell her about now: Sam and the new skirt she'd bought last week with the money she'd sent her for her "back to school shopping" (even though it had been a little early for that) . . . and Sam!

Bella held back a dazzling smile that threatened to break out on her face and accepted her change and the receipt, shoving it all into her wallet hastily and turning to her cart. "Thank you," she called over her shoulder, not paying any attention to where she was going.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" A loud, angry voice complained. Bella's attention shot out in front of her, where – of course! – Leah Clearwater stood at the end of her cart, holding a gray plastic bag in one hand and a cell phone in the other.

Bella squinted against the light coming in from the giant floor-to-ceiling windows and gasped. "Oh, my gosh," she gushed, "are you okay?"

Leah closed her eyes as if she were trying to control her tempter. When she opened them, she gave Bella a small smile. "Yeah, I'm okay. Hey, Bella. I didn't – uh, see that it was you."

Bella hoped her anguish didn't show on her face as she smiled back. "Hey," she responded lightly. "How are you?" She carefully steered her cart out of the way to make room for the man and his impatient daughter, parking it also out of the way of the customers leaving the store.

Leah shuffled her feet, looking as if she also hoped this conversation would be short. "I'm good – you know, considering the drama lately." Her ponytail bobbed as she turned her head quickly to check her surroundings.

Bella cocked her head to the side, confused. "I'm sorry?"

Leah glanced around hesitantly. "The . . . um, the visitor. You know, in La Push." When Bella just continued to stare blankly at her, she emphasized further, "The visitor."

Realization dawned – the vampire. "Oh, oh, right," Bella gasped, nodding vigorously. "I'm sorry – my mind just isn't . . . attuned to that stuff yet."

Leah nodded. "Yeah, it can take some getting used to. Those boys are a handful."

Bella laughed, and rubbed her hands together nervously as an awkward silence fell between them. A strand of Leah's beautiful dark brown hair fell in front of her face and she tucked it behind her ear, apparently too short to be a part of the ponytail.

Bella accessed Leah carefully. She didn't seem to hate Bella. She didn't seem to have some sort of hidden evil agenda against Bella for stealing the man of her affections. Maybe Harry was the only one who really wanted Leah and Sam together.

But Leah had been clearly flirting with him at yesterday's bonfire . . .

"So, uh – you ran off quickly yesterday," Leah stated. A smile tugged at her lips – she was amused by this. With a jolt, Bella realized the rest of the group had probably gotten a good laugh out of her after she'd taken off like a jet, quaking in her shoes. But she couldn't be ashamed of her response; she'd done what her instincts had told her to do. However, she was embarrassed that they'd all most likely made a joke out of her and she probably would never live it down. Oh no – Harry would now have one more reason to think Leah was better suited for Sam than Bella. She wanted to smack herself in the face, but knew that wouldn't be wise – only another reason for Leah and the rest of the Reservation to make fun of her.

Bella cleared her throat and tried to respond with dignity. "Yes, well – when your best friend of fourteen years becomes something you'd not expected him to become" – she chose her words carefully, mindful of the oblivious and in-the-dark people around her – "it's a little shocking, and I went with my instincts." She took a deep breath. "But I'm good now. Sam and Jacob explained everything, and I'm good. Actually, I'm great." So go tell that to your father. I'm not that easy to scare off.

Leah grinned, but it didn't reach her eyes. "That's good."

Bella's cell phone started to ring in her purse, and she fished it out, happy to have an interruption from this conversation. Leah offered another smile. "Well, I should probably get going," she murmured, jabbing her thumb towards the sliding doors behind her. She started backwards a few steps, still facing Bella, waiting for the final goodbye that would put them both out of their misery.

Bella nodded kindly at her, but felt her smile fade away when she glanced down at the name on the screen of her phone. Leah paused in her movement, maybe worried by the expression on Bella's face. "It's Paul," she told her. She didn't know why she felt the need to clue her in, but instinctually, Bella could tell that something wasn't right. Sam had told her the night before, as he was entering the entire pack's phone numbers into her cell phone, that it was just for emergencies, just for his piece of mind, to know that she could be reached. Paul Lahote would not call Bella Swan if he did not have a good reason. And maybe, just maybe, having Leah there – Leah, who understood everything about this new world that Bella had only just been introduced to – would be helpful.

Apparently cluing Leah was a good choice because she immediately retreated the few steps she'd taken towards the door and stared at Bella, concerned and waiting for her to answer the call.

Bella did so. "Hello?" she said into the receiver.

"Bella," Paul rasped out frantically. "Where the hell are you?"

Bella frowned, but anxiety seized her stomach. "I'm at the Grocery Hut," she told him. Leah watched her hesitantly. "Why?"

"You need to get home right now," he demanded. His voice was wavering, as if he were running as he yelled into the phone. His breath blew loudly against the phone, making a fuzzy sound in her ear. "I'm coming to get you."

"What?" she asked. "Why? I'm fine, I have my truck."

Leah tilted her head to the side in a silent question. Her eyebrows pulled together and her fingers tensed around the grocery bag in her hand. It didn't help Bella's anxiety – she obviously thought something was very wrong as well.

"No!" Paul yelled. "Stay inside the store until I get there. I'm taking you home."

"Really, Paul, it's okay," Bella insisted, hoping he'd give in and tell her nothing was seriously wrong. She needed reassurance but the consistent raise in the panic of his voice was not giving her that at all. "I was actually just on my way out. I just stopped to talk to Leah for a few –"

"Leah?" he interrupted roughly. "Leah's there? Leah Clearwater?"

Bella glanced at her soft-of acquaintance. "Yeah."

"Put her on the phone," he demanded.

Yes, something was wrong. Very wrong. Bella didn't fight it anymore, handing the phone immediately to Leah, who took it and quickly pressed it to her ear. "Paul? What's going on?" She listened for a long moment. Her eyes widened and her mouth dropped open in shock – maybe fear. "Oh, my God," she whispered.

Bella felt her eyes sting with tears but she fought them back. This anxiety wasn't something she knew how to deal with. Surprise calls, sudden problems. It was all unexpected.

And Bella did not do unexpected!

"Okay," Leah said softly. "Yeah. Okay. We'll wait here. No, he went fishing with Ray this morning. Where is he? Paul," she scolded. "Where is my little brother? Just tell me he's safe! Okay." She handed the phone back to Bella, and the look in her eye was almost pity.

Bella pressed the cell to her ear again. "P-Paul?"

"Stay with Leah," he ordered. "Sam told me to get you to a safe place. I'm taking you and Leah back to her house on the Rez – you'll be safe there."

"Safe from what?" Bella whispered.

"You're going to be fine," he assured her not-to-gently. "I'm on my way right now, but I'd be quicker if I could phase. Are you good? Stay right where you are."

Bella nodded, then remembered he couldn't see her. "Yes, I'm good. We'll stay right here." She peeked outside, trying not to let her body quiver. The sun had disappeared and storm clouds were quickly forming. "Paul?"

"Yeah?"

"Is he okay?"

Paul knew exactly who she meant. "Don't you worry about Sam, Bella. He can take care of himself. Trust me, when it comes to you, he's a force to be reckoned with. Jacob, too."

That did little to sooth her fears. "What's happening?" she asked.

"Sam told me you know about our vampire guest?" Hearing the word vampire while she was standing in a supermarket made her heart jump with fear, but then she remembered Paul was probably rushing through the forest right then, not standing next to her.

"Yes," she told him.

"Well, we ran into her a little sooner than we thought we would," he spat. "Stay put – I'll be there in five."

So Bella stood, huddled in the corner of the Grocery Hut with her groceries and Leah Clearwater, waiting for Paul the werewolf to come and take her back to a house that's owner wanted his daughter to date Bella's boyfriend, all to protect her from the bloodsucking vampire that was roaming Washington.

Bella's life, it seemed, had been turned completely upside-down.

Next chapter, Bella will continue to learn more about the pack - this time, through Leah.

Once again, thank you for reading. I am amazed at the response I got from last chapter! I so appreciate all of the reviews! The feedback is my favorite part. Please continue to leave me reviews and tell me what you thought of this chapter.

See you in Chapter Nine.