A/N: I don't own Twilight. Thank you guys so much for your support, especially recently. I know today is probably a bad time to update, since it's a holiday, but I wanted to get at least one more chapter done before I return to school. I'm thankful for you guys and your kind words. They inspire me to keep going. We're so close to the end of the story that it would be evil not to.

This chapter actually contains a bit more than just Blackwater. It contains more than I planned, but I'm glad it turned out this way. There are more music and pop culture references than usual. This story and I are both products of our time, so what can I really say? There are also a couple callbacks to previous chapters and their respective dramatic episodes.

Enjoy.

LXXVII.

stuck in a wildfire, we could be perfect
sick of the heartache, under the mood of it
me, and it's only me
you, and it's only you
simple as it could be, too good to have you too

By the time the group made it to Houston, they had switched it up a bit. They changed as the scenery did. Since Albuquerque, the car configurations had altered. Leah, Kim, Emily, and Bella rode in one car now. Jacob, Seth, and Embry rode in another. Sam, Quil, and Paul were in the last. Bella was kind of a fish out of water with the other girls. The girls led the way, though, and while a few things had changed, Leah and Kim hadn't left each other's sides. Leah also hadn't given up the auxillary cord for as long as she had been in the passenger seat.

Bella was leaned forward in the backseat, taking in the wide view of bright downtown Houston through the windshield that morning in May. She leaned forward into Leah's seat, peering down at Kim's phone in her lap. "Can you play something other than Beyoncé?" she requested.

Kim and Leah burst into laughter. Bella rolled her eyes.

"You do know where we are, right?" Emily asked.

"H-town vicious, baby," Leah said. "It'd be disrespectful not to bump her music the entire time we're here."

"Oh, yeah, 'cause the locals don't get enough?"

"They're proud of her," Kim said. "If La Push ever puts out a star, we'll be proud of them, too."

"We just might get a star out of the rez," Bella replied, glancing down at her phone. "Paul says Quil's been on the same freestyle since we entered Texas. He says he had no idea the guy could keep going on about—"

"Pussy and weed," Emily said.

"Mm-hmm," Bella said. "And his mom, too."

"I swear," Leah said, "we all talk shit now, but I bet that's just what Quil's gonna do if he decides to stop being a fuckass all the time and put his creativity towards something other than selling and smoking weed."

"You think he's gonna become a star?" Kim asked Leah. "Like, actually. In reality."

"Nah," Leah admitted. "I can see him dropping a mixtape, though. Promote it on Vine."

"That's the most millenial thing I've ever heard," Emily said.

"I better get paid in royalities," Kim said. "I'm the reason why he even has so many followers."

"Well, you're one of two reasons," Leah corrected her. Kim's iconic line had only come about due to Bella fucking her over and, specifically, calling her a shark.

"What's the other reason?" Bella asked.

Leah and Kim exchanged a look.

"Do you have a Vine account?" Emily asked.

"No, just Pinterest and Goodreads."

That's so... Bella of you, Emily thought. "Then I honestly wouldn't even worry about it," she told her.

The four women sat contently as Beyoncé's warm voice crooned having big deals and little things.

Suddenly, Bella asked, "Kim, could you pull over?"

"We are seven minutes away from the park," Kim told her. The group was actually sticking to the itinerary—Kim was especially surprised since the occurrence of drama was almost a given whenever the ten of them got together. The soccer mom in her was pleased.

"Kim, pull over," Bella said severely.

"She's pregnant, Kim," Leah said.

"Oh, crap, you're right." Kim signaled and pulled over to the side of the road, where Bella nearly flung herself out of the car and threw up into a paper bag.

Leah sat in her seat with her eyes shut and the music turned way up. She covered her nose and mouth with her hand and tried to remember why they had even changed the car formations, anyway, besides the fact that Sam and Emily's breakup had made it necessary. Leah was proud of her cousin—so proud—but she couldn't help but think that in any ordinary situation, this would be Paul's problem.

As the retching seemed to come to an end, Kim's phone vibrated in Leah's lap. It was Paul.

"Put it on speaker phone," Kim said.

Leah did as told.

"You guys alright?" Paul asked. In the background was Quil's voice. The guy was still going with his freestyle. "Yo, Quil, shut the fuck—"

"Oh, yeah, we're fine," Leah said. "You baby mama was just throwing up her guts, though."

His voice was almost alarmed. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine," Leah told him, clearly annoyed. "Jeez, morning sickness never killed anyone."

She could practically see his facial expression now. Narrowed eyes and a tight mouth. "You know what," he began.

"She's just salty because we couldn't go to Selena's grave," Kim said.

"You would be, too," Leah said to her, "if you were a real fan."

"Shit, Lee, we already went over this," Paul said. "Corpus Christi is just hella out of the way."

Leah rolled her eyes, and she knew he could see that from wherever he was now. "You know how much Selena means to me," she told him.

"Yeah, everyone does," he said, his tone dismissive. "Is Bella good now?"

"I said she's fine," Leah replied. "We'll see you soon, okay?"

"Okay."

Leah hung up, and then she looked to Kim. Hate him, she mouthed.

Kim just put her hand on Leah's bare thigh and smiled sadly. Then she rolled down the window that Bella stood near. "You alright, girl?" she called.

Bella set the paper bag down on the ground and went back into the car. She dug in her purse for one of the many packages of gum that she had, and stuck a piece in her mouth.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

The girls caught up with the guys at Sesquicentennial Park, and it was like they had never left home. The six guys were all too consumed with the sunshine and the game of flyers up. Even Sam, who had been distraught since Emily had broken up with him, seemed to be enjoying himself. At least, that was what it looked like.

Kim and Emily went off to join them and go fully feel the sun, but Bella and Leah lagged behind. Bella wasn't quite revived yet—she'd really puked a lot that last time, and something about vomiting really took a lot out of her. The least that Leah could do was walk with her.

"What are you and Paul thinking of naming the baby?" Leah wondered aloud as they slowly approached the rest of the group.

"Paul wants to name him—or her, I don't know yet—after someone in his family. He's thinking Rosa or Carla. He's really traditional when it comes things like this. I don't have a lot of family, so I want to name the baby after a tree. Or a place. I was thinking of Willow or even Valencia, maybe."

"Oh, that's sweet," Leah said, and as weird as this situation was, she meant it.

"Yeah. I literally cannot come up with anything for a boy, though. Besides Caleb, maybe. I know Paul wants a boy, but he thinks it'll be a girl."

"And what do you think?"

"I think it'll be a boy," Bella said. "So I'm fucked."

They both laughed.

"When are you due?" Leah asked.

"Sometime in November. Scorpio season."

"They'll give you hell no matter what the gender is."

"Oh, trust me, I'm expecting it."

"Are you scared?" Leah asked. "Not about the Scorpio thing, but about giving birth."

"I try not to think about giving birth," Bella admitted. "But, yeah, I'm scared. I can't see myself pushing a human being out of my vagina, but I guess it has to happen sometime."

Bella was too afraid to mention to Leah that she almost knew she was going to face postpartum depression, or that she knew she wasn't ready to be a mother. She was too afraid to admit these predictions to herself. Bella liked kids—much in thanks to her job—and she knew she was caring and had the capacity to be selfless, but motherhood required more than just that. She felt terribly inadequate, but that was how most things went for her. This was a big deal, but she would have to wipe away her tears, throw away her doubts, and handle it when the time came. Suicide was no longer sitting in the back of her mind like a glowing exit sign—at least, she thought. She wanted to call her wild-eyed mother—because she knew that some of her ways came directly from her—and ask how she had handled it. Then again, Renee hadn't really handled it. Bella had learned to handle it herself, and at a very young age, which was why she was a decent cook and knew how taxes worked.

"Bella," Leah began, "you may have fucked a lot of things up in the past, but I don't think you'll fuck this one up."

"You really think so?"

Leah nodded. "Yeah." And she wasn't even lying. She didn't know why, but somewhere deep down, she believed in Bella. She didn't hate her, and she wasn't sure if she liked her, but she believed in her.

Bella's phone vibrated all of a sudden. She took it out from the pocket of her shorts and saw that Charlie was calling her. She hadn't heard from Charlie in ages—he didn't even know that he would soon be a grandfather to Paul's baby, let alone that she was dating Paul. He didn't even know that she and Paul were going to buy a house for him and Sue in the near future, once they got their situation straight. Charlie really didn't know anything becuase Bella hadn't been around much. The guilt washed over her.

"Hey, Dad," she said uneasily into the phone.

He sounded strangely elated. "Hey, kid. How's the trip so far? Where are you guys now?"

"It's been great," Bella replied. "We're in Houston. It's super hot here."

"Are Leah and Seth with you?"

"Leah is."

"Put her on speaker phone."

Bella did as told, and Sue's voice popped up, super excited. "Hey, baby!" she said.

"Hey, Mom, what's up?"

"Me and Charlie got married last night," she said bluntly.

"Are you kidding me?" Leah blurted out just like she had when Charlie and Sue had gotten engaged.

"Oh my God," Bella gasped. "Congratulations. Did you guys get married in Forks?"

"We actually took a road trip to Vegas," Sue said. "We're gonna head back up tomorrow."

"I didn't think you guys would do it so soon," Leah said. "I'm so happy for you guys."

"Thanks, sweetie. Where's your brother at?"

Leah looked around the park. "He's somewhere around here."

"Damn. Well, we gotta go now," Sue told her. "Tell him to call me, okay?"

"Okay," Leah said.

"We love you two."

"Love you, too," Bella said.

Sue hang up, and Leah and Bella just exchanged a look. Leah's eyes were wide and Bella's eyebrows had shot up.

"Well, shit," Bella muttered.

"That was wild," Leah murmured.

"It sure was... sis."

Holy shit, Leah thought. She couldn't believe Bella was actually right.

In Atlanta, Jacob found himself caught up in his own feelings. This wasn't exactly a new thing for him, but somehow, it felt like the end of the world. And it was all at the hands of Leah Clearwater.

He still really hadn't mended things with Leah, and that was what had him all torn up. If he knew anything about her, it was that nothing was over until it was over, which meant they wouldn't be okay until he formally apologized. The reason why the two of them were on bad terms right now was her fault, but it was his job to fix it since them falling out would hurt him way more than it would hurt her.

It had been a good night and early morning when Leah and Jacob found themselves in a Waffle House. It was the fifth one they'd been to since they'd hit the South, and Leah decided that whenever she happened to win the lottery, she would have a Waffle House built on the rez. They deserved it.

Jacob and Leah had walked from a club that they had snuck into with Kim, Quil, and Embry. The other three had decided to head back to the motel, but Jacob and Leah had lagged behind and ended up at this Waffle House, at one in the morning. Jacob wasn't the only person there semi-faded, and Leah wasn't the only person there in a short, backless dress. They didn't stick out. At least, not yet.

They sat down at a small table, and Leah sighed deeply. She hadn't realized how exhausted she really was. She wasn't even sure if she really liked nightclubs.

"How are you feeling, honey?"

"Sober," she replied, her tone guarded, "so you don't have to call me that."

"Shit, my bad. I just... I just don't what we are right now."

She just peered up at him from her menu with pursed lips.

"I never really did say sorry," he told her. "For all that happened back in La Push."

"And then Tacoma," she added.

"And then Tacoma," he echoed. "Leah, I'm sorry for everything. I didn't know that me hating myself or whatever was getting in the way of... of us. I can't expect to make things work with you if I can't even make things work with myself. Then me leaving you like that in Tacoma was super fucked up. I'm sorry."

"You're right," she agreed. "It was super fucked up. What you did was worse than anything you could have told me. I'd rather have you take and misinterpret every little thing I say rather than choose not to listen to me at all."

"I know," he said sternly.

"So what's making you man enough to apologize now?" she challenged.

"Why do I always need a specific reason with you, Leah?" he asked. "Why can't I just wanna do the right thing? What's wrong with wanting things to be okay between us?"

"You know I don't like to trust men that much," she said quietly. "They lie to me. They're full of empty promises and false hope."

"I'm not Paul," he told her.

"God, I know, but that's the fucked up thing about this. You always say you're not Paul, but you could easily turn into him. You could fuck up, Jake. You could break your promises."

"But I won't."

"There's no way for you to prove that, though, and I'm not in the mood to waste time on something that's not even worth it."

"It'll take time," Jacob told her, "but then you'll know we're worth it. You just gotta believe me first."

"How?"

Jacob was about to speak when the twinkling beginning of "Dreaming of You" by Selena began to play idly over the restaurant radio.

"'Cause this one's for you," he told her, a sudden mischievous smile on his face.

"Jake, what the fu—," she started to say, but he had already gotten up and dashed to the front counter of the restaurant. He leaned against it and asked the jaded cook if he could turn up the music. Leah, too afraid to look, just let her face fall into her hands. Selena's gorgeous voice soared through the restaurant, and just underneath that voice, Leah could hear the murmurings of other people. "What the fuck is this guy doing?"

Leah looked up, and Jacob was standing on top of the counter. He held his arm out as he loudly—and badly—serenaded her.

"And I wish on a star," he sang, "that somewhere you are thinking of me, too."

"Get down, Jake," Leah said, fully embarrassed.

He jumped down from the stool and loudly landed on his feet, shocking the other guests, when the song reached the first chorus. He began to slowly make his way over to her as he sang badly and dancing even worse. Leah could imagine Selena rolling over in her grave if she had to hear this.

"'Cause I'm dreaming of you tonight. Till tomorrow, I'll be holding you tight."

"Stop," she said severely.

"And there's nowhere in the world I'd rather be... Than here in my room, dreaming about you and me."

Everybody in the restaurant was watching them, and when he finally got to her, he reached out for her hands. She just crossed her arms and scowled at him.

"C'mon, Lee," he teased. "It's your song."

"Not when you sing it," she countered.

"I'll stop singing if you dance with me. You know it's your song."

It was her song. It had been her song since she was a little kid. He knew that. Everybody knew that.

So because it was her song, she took his hands and got up from her chair. He had stopped singing, and he held her close as they swayed together in that Waffle House at one in the morning. He had his hand on her exposed back, and she wrapped her own hands around the back of his neck. She pressed her cheek to his soft button-up and shut her eyes. For the time being, she forgot where she was, but she remembered everything she loved about Jacob, her solid 9.

Jacob was grounded and strong. He knew what he wanted, and he knew how to get it without harming others. He was so gentle, so harmless, and with such good intentions. Leah knew she could be overpowering, but he knew how to deal with it. He knew how to handle it most of the time, and when he needed to fix something, he always did. She loved him because she didn't have to work to keep up with him. They were almost equals. She could be too much at times, but that was what he needed. Most importantly, he was real and he knew how to keep his word.

The song ended, and the two of them were kicked out of the Waffle House immediately because of Jacob's disruption.

"Thank you," Leah said as they were walking back to the motel. "For everything."

"No problem," Jacob replied. "Did I tell you that I did choir in middle school?"

"No way."

"You're right—I didn't."

They both laughed.

"So, do you believe me?" he finally asked.

Leah shrugged. "Yeah, I guess."

"I serenade you with your favorite song in front of a Waffle House crowd at 1AM," he said, "and you guess you believe me?"

"Jake, that was great. You should never sing again, but it was great." She paused. "But, yeah, I guess I believe you. I definitely forgive you. I won't ever forget what you've done in the past, and you're perfectly entitled to never forget what I've done, but I forgive you. I just don't think we should jump into a relationship again. I think that's part of the reason why we didn't work out before."

He thought on that for a second. Leah Clearwater did not want him in the same way that she used to. What surprised him the most was that his heart wasn't breaking at this very fact. He didn't care about being adored by Leah; he just didn't want to be hated by her. In time, they could date again, but it would never be a possibility if she never gave their friendship a chance. Then again, some people were just better off as friends. As supportive and loyal as he was, he and Leah might be among those people. Much to his surprise, this didn't mean the end of the world for him. Not anymore.

"Do you think we can work out as friends?" he wondered. "At least, for now."

She looked at him. "I don't ever wanna be on bad terms with you again, Jake. So, yes."

He smiled. "Thank you, Lee."

She smiled back. "No problem."

They headed back to the motel, and they each felt the weight of the world being lifted from their shoulders.

A/N: I'll try to update soon.

Thanks as always,

HS