Hello, Hello! I know some of you might be expecting the sequel to the Quil story, and I'm working on it, but I have so many different ideas for it, that it's being hard to choose one :)

In the meantime, I leave you with my favorite couple.. Jake/Bella, again!

Pack Souls

Old Chevy Truck.

Bella had just figured out how to beat Alice: a last-minute decision. But not even then, she could beat Edward. He was waiting for her in her car with the part he had taken to impede her from going.

He said he was worried when Alice called to let him know she could no longer see her. Why was she making everything so hard?

Bella sat there dumbfounded and in shock at Edward's behavior. She had thought that his jealousy and his actions in the previous days were out of the norm, and he was just acting like a seventeen-year-old finally. But that was not it.

One thing was to care and be concerned about your significant other, and another was controlling their every move just like he was trying to do right now.

She huffed in annoyance. When had she lost control of her life and her decisions? She had spent many hours with Jacob and the pack, and nothing had happened. They were not more dangerous than the Cullens were.

"They're dangerous, Bella. I'm only looking out for you." She hated that even though he could not read her mind, he could still read her expressions and body language. She hated being an open book to him. Because he read her however he wanted and not as she was being presented. It's like he was reading a book in an unfamiliar language and just getting a different picture of the story only because he wanted to understand what was before him.

"You are more dangerous than Jacob ever has been." She barked, not caring about the flash of hurt that crossed Edward's face. "I would appreciate it if you restore my truck right now. Or so help me, I will scream bloody murder, and you'll have to explain everything to Charlie." She crossed her arms in defiance. Edward couldn't mask his surprise. There was no trace of his demure girlfriend.

But he was stubborn, and nobody won against him. "I'm just trying to protect you." His expression morphed into a tortured one. He might be genuinely hurt, but Bella was tired of being told what to do. He was her boyfriend, not her father.

She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. She was not going to achieve anything by yelling at him. He was not going to understand her better or see her perspective.

"Edward, you have to understand something." She paused, and he nodded. "Jacob is part of my life. I am not abandoning him. He has been my friend since we were children. And he was there for me when you left." He opened his mouth to defend himself and again quote the reasons behind his departure. "I don't care anymore why you left. You broke my heart. You shattered my dreams, and you didn't look back. I trust when you say you were hurting as well, but you did the damage, and you have to live with the consequences."

She had never spoken about her dark time or what it felt for him to leave just like that.

"I meant when I said I forgive you. Because there's really no point in dwelling on the past. But life went on for me. I had to get up, go to school, do my homework, and function like a human being. It was the hardest thing I had to do because I didn't feel strong enough to carry on. But Jake helped, my dad, the pack. I had a whole support system that was helping me heal when Alice came crashing down." Edward tried to clean her tears, but she held up a hand. She didn't want his comfort.

"I'm so so sorry, Bella. I knew I had hurt you, but I didn't know how it was for you. But that doesn't change the fact that wolves are dangerous. They are reckless and unpredictable." There he was again.

Bella shook her head. "They are not more unpredictable than I am to you. Yes, they're wolves, but they have way more control than you give them credit for." Her resolve tightened then. "Please fix my truck and leave me alone. We are done, Edward. You can do with your life whatever you want." It was harsh, but it was the truth.

Edward's pain was like a cloud filling the truck. His eyes were sorrowful, his shoulders lumped, and his expression screamed defeat. Bella felt sad about this turn of events. But she didn't regret it.

Just then, Charlie went out to see why his daughter was still in the truck.

"Bells?" Edward tensed. He'd been so focused on his misery that he forgot to pay attention to Charlie. "What are you still doing here?" He asked while walking to her car. He frowned at the sight of Edward.

"Edward messed with my truck. I was demanding he put it back and leave me alone." Charlie's eyebrows jumped up. He looked between the two of them. Bella was tensed, but Cullen looked like someone had kicked his puppy.

"Do I need a restraining order against you?" He put his hand where his gun should have been, were he still in his uniform. It was an automatic reaction to someone not falling in line.

Bella shook her head. She wanted to come to his rescue and say it wasn't necessary, but she wasn't sure that was true anymore. And she wasn't sure if a restraining order would suffice to keep a vampire away, especially with their enhanced abilities.

Edward was the one to answer. "No, sir. It won't happen again." He got off the truck and started walking. Charlie was too focused on Bella to realize that he would walk back home. Or the fact that he hadn't fixed her truck.

He would keep an eye on the boy.

"Are you ok?" Charlie focused his attention on his daughter.

Bella sighed and hopped off the truck. "I am now." She kept quiet while she walked toward the house. But she felt the need to explain to her dad what had happened. And she did when they came inside and sat on the couch.

"Do you still want to go to the Reservation now?"

Bella smiled and shook her head. She was tired, and she wanted to sleep. Tomorrow would be a new day, and she could go to Emily's house and have a girl talk before facing Jake. "I'll go tomorrow."

Charlie nodded. "I'll drop you off. And we should get Jacob to see if he can fix the truck."

Bella gave her dad a peck on the cheek and a short hug that was very heartfelt despite the shortness of it.

"I'm proud of you for standing your ground and not letting anyone step over you." Bella blushed and hurried up the stairs under the amused stare of his father.

…

…

…

"Hi, Bella!" Emily greeted her with enthusiasm, a big smile on her face.

"Hi, Em" she tried to return the enthusiasm, but she was too nervous.

Emily lost her smile. "Are you ok?"

"Yes, I'm really ok." And the truth behind those words felt like a burden being lifted. It was the first time in months that she meant those words. "Can we talk? I need some advice."

Emily smiled again, flattered that Bella wanted to open up with her. She served her some hot chocolate the boys prayed for and sat comfortably in the living room.

"The boys won't be coming soon. We have all the time we want." It was nice having a girlfriend that was in the secret. Angela was a sweet girl, and she was very fond of her, but there were some things she could not share with her.

"I'm not taking you away from anything?" Bella didn't want to intrude.

"I was going to do some baking, but that can wait." Bella offered to help her, so they settled into a comfortable rhythm in the kitchen while Bella recounted the previous night's events. When she finished talking, she had tears running down her cheeks. They were tears of frustration, relief, sadness, and many other emotions combined.

Emily rounded the counter that separated them and took her friend into a hug.

"It's all part of growing up. Supernatural aside. Heartbreaks come and go, and we come out of them stronger and wiser." Emily offered her a soft smile that Bella returned.

"Does it get easier?"

"Dealing with jealous exes and overzealous crushes? Not really." Bella giggled, feeling lighthearted once more. "In all seriousness. I think you did the right thing. It's great seeing you again and being carefree. I'm going to be brutally honest now." She warned, and Bella nodded. She wanted brutal honesty. "When Jake brought you a few months ago, you were sad, but there was something about you that I admired. I can't put a name to it. But that edge, or whatever it was, was gone the minute Edward returned."

Bella gasped, horrified.

"Now, now. Don't fret. You were still you, but something was missing. It's ok to worry about your significant other's feelings, but it's not ok to put them before yours all the time."

"I'm not sure I did that." Bella defended weakly.

"I'm not saying you did. But you did stop coming here. We missed you, even though we respected your decision."

"Yeah. It was not my brightest moment."

Emily shook her head. "It's ok to feel what you feel and to have felt what you felt when you rescued him, and he said he loved you back."

"It felt wonderful, you know. Being with him again, smelling him. I had missed him so much. But I had changed, and now he was this controlling person I barely recognized. He would talk about marriage and rings and stuff like that, and I felt guilty because I didn't see it."

Emily nodded, encouraging Bella to let go of everything she had been bottling up. "Did he really propose?"

"What?!" Neither of the girls had heard the door open. They had been too immersed in their conversation and the task in front of them.

Bella turned around, stunned at Jacob's appearance. Her heart danced at the sight of him, just like it did every time. She'd been so stupidly blind.

"You're marrying him?" He demanded. But he failed to inflict the necessary anger into his question, making the hurt evident.

Emily shook her head. "It's better if you two talk outside." She would have gone outside herself and left those two inside, but she was still elbows-deep in something Bella had talked her into doing.

Jacob stomped out, followed by Bella.

When Bella didn't speak, Jacob huffed angrily. "Are you marrying him or not?" He tried to soften his voice. He wanted to be understanding. But it hurt so damn much to think of her marrying another guy.

Bella sighed. "No, Jake. I am not marrying him."

Jacob's shoulders sagged in relief. He could still make her fight for her life. "What are you doing here?" This time, his tone was lighter and friendlier.

"I wanted some girl advice." She said vaguely.

Jacob squinted his eyes comically. She was hiding something. Emily had asked her if she would tell Jacob about her breakup. At first, she had said she didn't break up with Edward because of Jacob. And while that was true, that wasn't one hundred percent why she felt nervous about telling him.

"What are you not telling me?"

"I don't recall you being a girl."

"I'm still your best friend, Bella. You can talk to me." The sincerity behind those words left her breathless. He was her best friend; her everything if she was honest with herself.

But didn't actions speak louder than words?

She closed the distance and kissed him. She had missed him so badly. It has always been him. Why hadn't she seen that on time? Jacob didn't waste any time and kissed her back. He wanted to savor the moment the best he could.

But the kiss was getting out of control. Bella's hands were on his neck, tugging at the hair on his head, moaning softly. God! He was divine! But Jacob was not up to being used like a blow-up doll. He was not a punching bag she could use to release her frustration. He loved her, honestly.

"No, Bella." She took a step back, confused.

"No, what?"

"I'm not your fucking blow-up doll."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

Jacob passed his hands through his face, trying to calm down. It didn't help that his dick was wide awake in his shorts.

"I'm not a toy you could use to release frustrations."

Bella still looked confused, with her eyebrows frowned and swollen lips parted. She looked exquisite, and that was getting Jacob in more trouble.

"Good for you." It was evident that they were not on the same page.

Jacob kicked a small rock. Bella crossed the distance between them and took his face between her hands, forcing him to look at her.

"You are not a toy or a blow-up doll. And you are way beyond a best friend." Here goes nothing. "I broke up with Edward last night." Jacob smiled so brightly that Bella laughed. "The reason I came here today was actually to speak with Emily. I'm still making sense of everything. But I do know something for sure."

He nodded, feeling the suspense.

"I love you, Jake. Have for a long time now. And I am so so sorry for the heartache, confusion, and my stubbornness, and…" And he cut her right then with a searing kiss.

Bella jumped and tangled her legs on Jacob's waist. He was strong enough to support her like this. But his erection was starting to get annoying, especially with Bella rubbing herself in it.

"Stop." He groaned painfully. She giggled and rubbed herself once more. "Bella, you're killing me."

"Then take me to your bed and do something about it."

Fuck yes! He celebrated in his mind, helping her come down to her feet and almost running to his place.

She was finally his.