CHAPTER 4

Jake held my hand as we cruised around the countryside with the windows down. I hadn't felt this free in a very long time and I didn't pay any attention to where we went. Most of the drive I propped my feet up on the dash and watched the sky through the open window, the sunlight flickering through the leaves. Or I watched Jake as he drove, smiling and whistling. It reminded me of the way he was before he became a werewolf, and it filled my heart with joy.

We had been driving in an easy silence for a little while, just enjoying the time together, when Jake finally spoke.

"So, I almost forgot, but Sam and Emily invited us over for dinner tonight, just the four of us. Kind of a proper first date since we can't really go out right now with your life being threatened and all. What do you think, you up for it?"

"Yes actually, sounds like fun." I smiled over at him. "Guess I'm an official "wolf-girl" now."

Jacob laughed a deep, hearty laugh, his eyes shining. It made my heart full, and content and I couldn't help but laugh too.

"I need to let Charlie know and make sure he's got dinner. He doesn't even know about the change in our relationship."

Jake glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and smiled sheepishly, "Actually, he does…"

"What!?" I exclaimed. "Did you tell him?"

"Not on purpose," he said defensively. "He overheard me talking to Sam and my dad about what happened this morning. I wasn't trying to make a big announcement or anything, though that's really what I felt like doing."

I gave him a warning look.

He put a hand up. "I didn't; I just said I wanted to. Bella, you have to understand how long I have wanted this… it's the best thing to ever happen to me." He pressed a kiss to the back of my hand. "I just couldn't keep it completely to myself. I'm sorry if that upsets you."

I sighed, "I'm not upset really. I don't care who knows… or if everyone knows. I'm excited about this too. I just didn't expect for you to spill the beans to Charlie. Actually, now that I think about it, you've kinda done me a favor… taken the pressure off a little. Talking to Charlie about my love life is pretty low on my list of favorite things to do. So… what did he say?"

"He seemed quite pleased actually… he congratulated me," Jacob admitted, giving me another sheepish grin, and I let out a short laugh and shook my head at my father's response. Jake continued, "And he didn't really seem all that surprised. I don't think my feelings for you have been much of a secret. Anyway, he heard Sam and Emily invite us over for dinner, so he said if you wanted to do dinner with them, then to tell you not to worry about him and he could take care of himself for dinner."

"Ha. His idea of 'taking care of himself' and mine are very different."

"He's a grown man, Bells. He took care of himself just fine for years before you came to live with him, I think he can handle one night."

"Yeah, well, unless there are leftovers in the fridge, he'll get his dinner at the diner." I sighed, shaking my head at the thought of how much he used to eat there. "I should have time to run home long enough to fix him something before we go to Emily's, shouldn't I?"

"Sure, sure. We can make that happen."

There was another lull in the conversation. When Jake spoke again his voice was more serious.

"Not to put a damper on things, but I need to ask you a question."

"Okay," I said, wary about his sudden change in mood.

"Please don't be upset with me… I'm not looking to start a fight. I just need to know if your… friend is still going to stay for a while."

My immediate reaction was irritation that he brought this up again. But Jake seemed sincere that he didn't want to argue, so I suppressed that before answering. I didn't want a repeat of our tense conversation from this morning.

"Yes, she is, but I think only for a couple more days." I could tell this frustrated him, but he kept his composure and nodded. "She actually offered to leave as soon as I told her about what happened between us, but I really don't want her to leave yet, because there's no way to know if she'll ever visit again, so I asked her to stay. She doesn't want to cause issues between us Jake, or with any of you. I know it's hard for you to accept, but she is not your enemy."

I could tell Jake was trying very hard to keep his cool as he responded adamantly. "Bella, you have to understand how ingrained it is in us that they are the enemy. It isn't just a simple dislike or bias against them, it's in our blood. We only exist because they exist. Their primal instinct is to hunt and kill humans, just like ours is to protect humans from them. Even if they've decided to drink animal blood instead of human blood, they are fighting against their deepest desires and needs. So, I am not trying to be a jerk about it, and I am doing my best to be understanding of your feelings for them, but it's not easy for me. I just don't know if I can trust their restraint to win out against their instincts every time. It only takes one slip up… one lapse in control. Please don't expect us to be friends with them, because it's just not possible."

He suddenly pulled over to the shoulder of the narrow back road we were on and parked the car. He turned toward me, pressed my hand against his chest, and looked into my eyes as he continued. "There is nothing in my life more important than you, Bella, and it makes me so nervous not being able to watch over you while she's here. Your safety is my number one concern and with her here, my hands are tied when you're not on our lands." He caressed my cheek with his other hand. "The thought of anything happening to you is just…" He shook his head and looked away, at a loss for words. "What if the redhead comes… will your little friend be able to protect you?"

I looked down, thinking about tiny little Alice fighting Victoria all by herself and I couldn't answer positively that she could defeat Victoria. "I honestly don't know Jake. I know she would do everything she could to protect me, but by herself, I don't know what would happen." I looked back up at him. "I really appreciate how hard you're trying Jake… I had never thought of the situation from that perspective before. It still makes me sad though."

"I know, and I'm sorry you're still being pulled in different directions. There just isn't any other way."

I didn't know if I was willing to accept that. Especially since Alice was the only one of the Cullens even in the area, there had to be some sort of agreement… some sort of compromise they could come to.

"Jake, why can't you protect me in Forks? I mean, that's not their land… it's not even close to their home."

"No, it's not, but according to the treaty, Forks is neutral territory. So, while we can be in town, we aren't allowed to hunt in the area, and neither are they. Which means, no wolf form and no protection for you."

I started to get excited for the idea I had forming in my head. Hopefully I could get Jake on board with it. Jake was giving me a wary look at the excitement he could see on my face.

"Since Alice is the only one around right now, and she's only staying for a few days, what if you could work out a new temporary agreement with her."

Jake started to speak and looked like he was going to shut me down, so I quickly put my hand over his mouth and continued.

"Hold on, just hear me out. If I'm at home, then she'll probably be with me, unless you're there, of course. Otherwise, she'll be at her house. As far as I know, the only other time she'd need to go anywhere would be to hunt. So, what if you guys can agree to some sort of schedule, just for the next few days she's here, so you can continue your patrols to protect me as you were before she came? She cares about my safety too, you know, so I feel certain she would be open to the idea. Would you be willing to at least emtry/em to work something out with her? Do you think Sam would?"

A slightly disgusted look passed over his face at first and I could see the muscles working in his jaw, but then he looked away, thoughtful.

"I don't know, Bella. I'm not sure you understand what you're asking of us. She wasn't even around when the treaty was made, so I don't know if Sam'll go for this."

"I'm not asking you to change the treaty. Just to implement a sort of amendment to it for a few days. I have her cell number, so if Sam is willing, he can call her tonight while we are at Emily's house."

Jake gave me a dubious look. "Not exactly a topic of conversation I was hoping for on our first date," he said, smiling wryly at me… a little frustration coming through. "I guess if Sam is willing to consider it, it couldn't hurt to try to work something out." He sighed and bowed his head a little. "The only reason I'm even considering it is for my own sanity… the more protected we can keep you, the better I will feel. I don't know if that will be enough motivation for Sam."

A small smile tugged at the corners of my mouth at this small victory. Jake gently captured my face between his large hands and looked at me intently.

"I love you, Bella. You mean more to me than my own life, and I will do everything I can to keep you safe. Even if it means making a new deal with a Cullen."

He brought his lips firmly against mine, heat radiating from the contact and curling in my belly, stealing my breath. When he pulled away just far enough to see me, he met and held my gaze, caressing my face with his thumb. After several more moments he pressed a kiss to my forehead before turning to drive again.

Our conversation turned to lighter subjects and came easily. It made me ponder what life could have been like if all the myths and legends weren't true. What if Jake and I were just normal teenagers? No vampires, no werewolves, no treaty, and no mortal danger. How simple life could be.

After a few minutes though, I started to recognize the scenery around us, right before we pulled into the parking lot of First Beach. This caused me to think back to the last time we were here, and I was reminded the myths and legends are in fact true and Jake has the dangerous job of helping to protect us all from them. It also reminded me of something else…

"Jake, I have something I need to tell you that I just remembered. It's about the day I jumped off the cliff."

He looked at me, waiting.

"When you were carrying me away from the beach that day, I saw what looked like a flame on the water. It was only later I realized it was Victoria's hair. She did exactly what you feared she would, and she was in the water, watching us!"

He sucked in his breath sharply. "Are you sure?"

I nodded. "I'm positive. My thoughts were just too muddled that day to figure it out. Coming here reminded me."

He tightened his grip on the steering wheel and his hands began trembling.

"That was way too close! We've got to figure out a way to get this bloodsucker. I cannot lose you, Bella."

"Stay calm Jake." I gently touched his face. "You can't do anything about it right this second."

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, putting his hand on mine to press it against his cheek, and the trembling stopped.

"I was already thinking I would really rather you stayed away from the beach when I'm not with you, but now I'm not sure you shouldn't be here at all. Are you okay with that?"

"Absolutely." I shuddered at the thought of how close she had gotten to me. If Jake hadn't been there…

"Good. I know there isn't a lot to do in La Push," he continued, "but I've been thinking about it. Maybe you could hang out at Emily's place more. She told me before that she enjoyed your company the other day and would love to have you over whenever you'd like. What do you think?"

I thought about the last time I spent part of a day at Emily's without Jake there. I felt quite certain the aura between she and Sam wouldn't bother me anymore, but I decided I should tell Jake about it anyway, just in case.

"That sounds like a good idea; I like Emily a lot. Complete honesty though… last time, when I spent part of the afternoon with her, when Sam came to check on us, I couldn't handle the aura of love between them… it was just too much for me. I don't think it will affect me the same way now, but I can't say with absolute certainty."

Jake smiled at me and brought his fingertips to my cheek. "Hopefully it won't bother you at all now. Thanks for telling me about it though." He looked around thoughtfully. "I guess we should get out of here. I actually have a couple things I'd like to do before we go over for dinner. Would you want to take your truck home and let me pick you up in a little while?"

"Sounds good to me."

Jake took me back to my truck and I headed home. I needed to get Charlie's dinner and I wouldn't mind freshening up before our 'date'.