April

After Spring Break had ended, Grace was kicked into overdrive preparing for her finals. This was it. One final push and this would be off of her plate.

She spent most of her nights in her room studying, at the library with Bella and Edward tucked away in a corner, or staying late at Paul's taking way too many study breaks. Sometimes she'd take the truck to Paul's before he got off rounds to surprise him, cooking dinner and setting up at the small kitchen table with her books. He'd stumble through the door, shirtless and exhausted but immediately crack a smile and scoop her up for a kiss when he saw her there. He'd share about his rounds in between bites and when he was done, he'd tug her off to take a shower with him and try to derail her study night.

Other times she'd get to his house late, spread her books out open on the floor and fall asleep waiting up for him. At some point in the night she'd feel herself get picked up and placed in bed. A freshly showered Paul would slip in beside her and wrap his arms warmly around her, sighing softly into her neck.

But once the crush of finals was upon her and Bella, she knew she'd have to stay away to push through the end. Her last night with Paul, she was wrapped in arms as he pressed his lips to different parts of her face and neck, letting his hands absently trace the sides of her body.

"Okay, so I probably won't see you for a full week. Communication is going to be limited. Tell me," she said, trying to hide the creeping smile as he dipped his head to kiss below her collarbone, "How will you survive?"

Paul let out a chuckle and pulled his head up to stare sleepily into her eyes, "I won't."

"Hmmm, better make the best of it now then." she teased. He groaned sleepily and buried his head into the crook of her neck. She laughed, kissing his forehead and wrapping her hands around to cradle his head.

"Rounds have been so brutal lately," he said softly, his voice muffled against her skin.

"I know I'm sorry. Are you still tracking Victoria?" She said staring up at the ceiling. He took some quiet breaths and said,

"I mean, yeah kind of? Sometimes we catch a scent and sometimes we don't. Leah actually picked up a new scent tonight which is why we were out so late. We traced it along the treaty line and then it kept hopping back and forth. But we typically never get a solid sighting. It's frustrating." He gripped her sides firmly as he said this as if the tension rising in him was causing him to physically manifest it. She wiggled underneath him to remind him she was there and he loosened his grip, kissing into the crook of her shoulder.

The new scent worried Grace. She'd have to check with Edward to see if they had picked up on anything new on their end. These days in her limited time on the rez, she was basically the go-between for the pack and the Cullens. Bella was hoping to get them to work together more and Grace was trying to push in that direction too, but that had fallen by the wayside when school work had kicked in.

"Hmmm, what does Sam think?" Grace asked after a short silence. But Paul had drifted off. Grace lay staring at the ceiling for a long time after that wondering what was coming.

She traced absent minded patterns on Paul's back listening to his rhythmic breathing and before she knew it, Jake had crept into her mind. She had kept her promise to Paul—she hadn't been with Jake alone or even really talked to him since that day. Not that Paul ever really gave her a chance. Any time Grace went on limited rounds on the weekend, she was paired with Paul and any outings outside of that were (like meeting up at Emily's for lunch or hanging on the beach with the boys) strictly chaperoned by Paul.

Now, images of Jake circled in her mind. There was just the odd look every now and then during the times she did see him. He kept his distance and for that she was grateful. The tug was still there but she was able to keep at bay with her and Paul's healthy sex life and Paul's constant presence. But even now, Grace felt herself thinking about Jacob's face and how she'd steal glances at him when Paul wasn't looking and catch him looking back at her too.

Grace woke up early the next morning to get home before Charlie noticed. It was Sunday right before her finals and she was planning on spending the day finishing up some papers. Paul was going to be out all day on rounds anyway. She bent over the bed to plant a kiss on Paul's mouth. He stirred and opened his eyes groggily reaching for her. She kneeled on the bed, backpack slung over her shoulder, hair tied up in a messy knot.

"A whole week huh?" he mumbled.

"Yeah," she whispered leaning down to kiss him again, "I'll see you on the other side."

"Hmph," he laughed sleepily. "I'll walk you to your car."

"No, stay in bed, you're tired." Grace protested but he was already pushing his way around her and pulling on some sweats. Paul rarely slept in clothes and made sure Grace did the same. He said it improved their 'efficiency,' to which Grace had laughed as he had peeled her out of her clothes.

He took her backpack from her shoulder and placed it on the passenger side seat before coming back to meet her at the driver side door. She wrapped her arms loosely around his neck and kissed him, opening her mouth and letting him glide his tongue just inside her lips. She sighed softly into his mouth with a gentle moan she couldn't quite contain and his grip reflexively tightened on her hips. She already felt the kiss getting out of hand as he pushed her back against the side of the truck. She pulled back lightly and smiled saying,

"I gotta go." He looked at her face seriously for a moment and then without missing a beat he said,

"Right. I love you." His eyes held hers as they went wide and she opened her mouth to say something.

"I…." she stammered searching his eyes. He lifted an eyebrow leaning back away from her and she felt the cold creeping in between them. Panicked, she said, "I love you too." A smile broke over his face and he leaned down to kiss her again. Grace was happy to have him close again but her ache returned.

"Let's go back inside," he said devilishly.

"Jesus, Paul," she groaned, smacking his arm and wiggling out of his arms. "I'll see you next weekend." She climbed up into her truck and he shut the door behind her waving her off as she went.


May

The end of finals had passed swiftly, crashing up against graduation, and now as Bella and Grace posed in their gowns with their diplomas, smiling for the camera that Charlie held before them, Grace was relieved.

She had done well, graduating near the top of her class, just behind Jessica and Eric—no small feat for a girl who had been expelled from her previous highschool.

"We better get back and get ready for the party," Bella said as they wrapped up hugs with their friends.

"Right. No curfew tonight, right Charlie?" Grace joked. He rolled his eye.

Back at home, Grace pulled on her jean mini skirt with her dark green fitted shirt. She took time to expertly curl her hair in gentle waves around her face and tapped on some of her orange/red lip tint.

Bella was combing her hair behind her, "Is Paul coming tonight?"

Grace scoffed, "Yeah right. Like he'd ever be caught dead in a house full of vampires. That boy's head would explode."

"That's a bummer," Bella said softly, putting on a thin coat of mascara and pulling at her plaid shirt, "Do I look okay?"

Grace turned to look at her full on, "What are we going for here?"

Bella looked down at herself, "Just… like casual party goer."

"Hmm, do you mind?" Grace said, getting excited. Bella shook her head.

Grace smoothed Bella's hair in soft luxurious brown sheets that waved away from her face. She tapped on some bright red gloss across her perfectly pouted lips and dug through her closet before tossing chocolate brown fitted shirt dress her way. It was made of soft, clingy, cottony fabric that clung to every curve and dip of her body. Bella blushed as she put it on and Grace put the finishing touches on her.

"So, this says: Casual party goer who's looking to stun her boyfriend into submission," Grace cocked her head to the side satisfied. Bella let out a laugh curling a self-conscious arm around her middle.

"Ready?" Grace said shoving her feet in some simple white keds. Bella looked at herself once more in the mirror, pleased with what she saw and nodded.

The bounded down the steps together just as Edward was making his way up the steps to them.

"Charlie, we're going!" Grace yelled over her shoulder.

"Bye dad!"

Outside, Grace skipped ahead of Bella so that Edward could take her all in.

"Nice huh?" Grace nudged him and headed toward the car. Edward was speechless. Bella tucked her hair behind her ear and gave him a simple,

"Hey."

Grace enthusiastically gave the thumbs up from behind his back before climbing into the back seat of his car. From the back seat, she watched as Edward gently took Bella into his arms and placed a careful kiss over her mouth, holding her face with one hand and saying something to her without letting his eyes leave hers. Bella stared back up adoringly and Grace felt her heart skip a beat for a minute. She never saw two people more in love. Like really in love.

The party was extravagant to say the very least. Grace and Bella were immediately swept into the crush of people. Edward held fast to Bella as they moved around the party, greeting friends, grabbing snacks, and hugging Carlisle and Esme each and thanking them so much for the party. They clearly had not thrown it for just their Alice and Edward. Cakes with Bella and Grace's names were prominently displayed along with their senior pictures (that Alice had insisted on earlier that month right after finals) throughout the house.

Grace had whisked Bella out onto the dance floor with Jessica and Angela for a few songs before she retreated in a quiet corner with Edward who fawned over her lovingly and encouraged her temporary outgoingness.

When Grace found herself trapped in the middle of the dance floor as a slow song came on, she looked around her quickly for a way out. And then from behind her she heard a familiar voice ask confidently,

"Can I have this dance?"

Grace whipped around coming face to face with none other than Jacob.

"Jake?! What are you doing here?" Grace said, taking an automatic step back. The couples were crowding in around them though so it was hard to keep distance.

"Bella invited me." Jake said nonchalantly. Grace shot a look over at Bella who was being glided across the floor by Edward. No one was paying her any attention.

"Okay…" Grace said warily.

"So?" Jake held his hands out to her, "Will you dance with me?" Grace hesitated, looking for an escape. She had promised Paul the very exact opposite of this, but now she was trapped. And she didn't really want to say no.

"Sure," she said. Grace took the two steps forward to close the small gap between them and Jake let his hands slide across her waist to rest on her lower back. She snaked her hands up around his neck as he swayed them back and forth with more rhythm than she thought he was capable of.

"I know you're not supposed to be alone with me," Jake said, staring down at her, casting his gaze away every now and then to lower the intensity that was already pulsing between them. This was the closest they had been in months and the ache that was always there had subsided for once. She let her body move closer into Jake to monopolize on the feeling of overwhelming relief she felt at being held. It was like having a rock stuck in a shoe for months with no end in sight and then suddenly you're able to take your shoes off and dip your feet in cool, clean water.

Grace wasn't going to deny it. "Paul doesn't trust you."

"Paul is a control freak." Jacob shot back.

"For good reason, apparently. Look where we are," she looked down at the nonexistent space between them and he sighed, readjusting his grip on her so that she was pressed up against him just right. She clicked into place with him like a puzzle piece and it made her dizzy. They were gathering stares from those around them.

"So you're totally comfortable coming to a vampire graduation party then?" Grace said in a low tone. Jake laughed.

"I guess. When the payoffs are nice at least," he said.

"What do you mean?" Grace said, confused.

"You, Grace. Obviously," Jake replied somewhat annoyed.

"Me? You're here for me?" Grace sighed and tried to pull away at this, but he held her fast and she didn't protest too much. His grip was comforting where Paul's could sometimes feel too tight. She relaxed into that feeling.

"Don't get too excited. I came for that, too," he nodded over her head and Grace looked over her shoulder to see Alice volleying between here and not here. A vision. Grace let go of Jacob but felt his hand easily grab hers as she made her way across the dance floor. She held onto it, just to drag out that feeling of relief. She'd take whatever fight this would cause between her and Paul, just to have this feeling for a little longer.

"Alice." Grace said. Bella was right next to her.

"What did you see?" Bella echoed.

"A problem," Edward replied as he read Alice's mind.

The Cullens, Bella, Jacob, Embry and Quil who had accompanied Jacob to the party, reconvened in the study.

Jake had finally let Grace go and she had stood next to Bella with her arms crossed in front of her.

"We've been tracking the situation in Seattle for awhile," Carlisle said looking to each new face around him. "It seems like Victoria has been playing possum with us and has instead been making an army to come and confront us."

"An army? What, you mean like an army of vampires?" Jake said incredulously.

"Newborns, our kind. Their human blood lingers in their tissue so they are at their strongest when they're first turned. And when a vampire creates a lot of us at once, it's usually for less than savory reasons." Jasper contributed.

"So what do we do?" Bella said.

"Well, they were passing around Bella's scent, so their motive is pretty clear. It seems like they've changed course, according to Alice's vision and they'll be coming here." Rosalie stated dryly. Edward tightened his grip on Bella who had a look of pain on her face at the news.

"It might be to our advantage to have them come here right?" Emmett said, arms crossed.

"More vampires mean more problems for us," Jacob said. His eyes locked with Grace's.

"We know," Carlisle said, a genuine sound of regret in his voice. "I'm sorry." He said quietly. Jacob nodded at him, thankful and Grace's heart swelled.

"So we draw them out," Grace said suddenly. All eyes snapped to her at once. "Woah." she said.

"What do you mean?" Esme asked.

"Emmett said we have the advantage, which we do. And we can draw them out and attack them from both sides, right?" Grace looked to Jacob who uncrossed his arms.

"Right." he nodded. "We're in."

"Jacob, do you think Sam could come to some sort of understanding in this instance, so we could work together?" Carlisle asked.

"It would give us the numbers," Jasper said, the wheels turning now as he prepared a battle plan in his head.

"I can talk to him. As long as we get to kill some vampires." Jake said sarcastically.

"No." Bella said suddenly.

"Bella," Edward placated softly.

"No, you'll get yourselves killed. It's too dangerous." Bella continued, not listening to Edward.

"Bella, this is what we do," Jacob said. Embry and Quil nodded behind him.

"We'll be fine, Bella," Grace said. Jacob gave her a warning look. Something told her that he wasn't including her in his instance of 'we.'

"You're definitely not going to be there," Bella said matter-of-factly crossing her arms and getting irritated now. "Absolutely not."

"Okay, mom. We'll talk about it later," Grace poked. Bella's face was set. Grace and Jacob connected again, this time communicating wordlessly and coming up with a plan to convince Sam.

"It would be ideal if we could maybe coordinate with Sam and the pack, to ensure that there are no mistakes in the field," Carlisle said.

"Yes, it would be best so we could train around each other. You'll give us the edge we need, but if we can work with each other and learn from each other, then we can optimize our chances of survival."

A weak sound came from Bella at this and Edward pulled her into him again.

"Got it. I'll talk to Sam," Jacob turned to Grace, "I'll need your help with that."

"Of course." Grace said. He gave her a gentle smile and Grace felt herself shiver.