Waking Up

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Subtle Signs

As soon as they arrived at Sam and Emily's place, Bella headed straight to the kitchen to help the hostess with all the food. She thought it was a little unfair that it was supposed to be Emily's anniversary and she was having to do all the food preparation herself. Bella had asked Jacob about Emily's family, and whether they would be attending. Jacob gave her vague details about a sister and a niece, but admitted they probably weren't invited, as the whole wolf pack was in attendance.

"Oh, of course." Bella said, feeling stupid for not taking that into consideration.

Once inside the house, Emily gratefully put Bella to work. As the two of them toiled side by side, Emily asked Bella about her old home in Pheonix. Bella felt uncomfortable thinking about the place where she had been attacked by James. Arizona had once been home, but after living in Forks for the past two years, it felt like another lifetime. She tried to recall what she used to love about Phoenix, but could only drum up generic details like the dry air, the constant sunlight, and the open deserts.

"Were you happy there?" Emily asked with interest as she laid out some more fresh muffins on a wooden tray.

"I wasn't unhappy." Bella replied cautiously.

Emily looked at her askance. "So, you prefer the constant rain to the constant sunlight?"

Bella laughed. "Not particularly. Both are fine in moderation, I guess."

Emily laughed along with her. She asked Bella about her mother, listening in fascination as Bella told her about Renee's harebrained schemes. "I love her, but she can be such a scatterbrain sometimes. A lot of the time I felt like I was parenting her." She admitted with a resigned sigh.

"At least she kept you entertained." Emily teased.

"Oh, yeah, she certainly did that." Bella smiled. "There was one time – "She stopped talking when the front door opened unexpectedly, letting in a stream of cold air. Bella shivered, watching as Embry and Jared, both sporting wide grins, heading straight for the table which was laden with enough food to feed an army.

"Hey!" Emily warned the boys with mock severity. "Hands off until the others arrive."

"Oh, Emily!" Jared wheedled. "Come on! I haven't eaten since – "

"Five minutes ago?" Emily said pointedly. "Make yourself useful and start carrying the trays outside. And no touching the food. I'll know." She finished sternly.

Complaining all the way, Embry and Jared lifted the trays, balancing them in their arms as easily as the most experienced waiters, and began transporting them outside.

"Well, you seem to have them firmly under control." Bella said, impressed by the way Emily had gotten the boys to do her bidding.

"I've had a lot of practice." The good half of Emily's face lifted into a lopsided smile.

Bella had assumed that the party would be held at the beach, but apparently this bonfire was being held in the backyard. Bella was just bent down in front of the oven, checking on the latest batch of muffins, when she heard the door open again, and in walked Sam and Jacob.

As was his usual ritual, Sam went straight to Emily, gently taking her face in his hands and leaning down to kiss her scarred cheek. The intimacy of the moment made Bella feel like she was intruding. Swallowing thickly, she pulled the muffins out of the oven and stood up again very slowly, being extra careful not to drop them. She then set them on the counter, exhaling in relief.

"Need help?"

Bella could feel Jacob's astonishing warmth coming from behind her. She made sure to switch the oven off and then turned around to face him. "Hi." She said, rather shyly.

"Hi." Jacob said back to her. He gifted her with one of his sunniest smiles, it extended right to his eyes, making them crinkle at the corners, setting off little flutters in Bella's stomach. "I see you and Emily have been busy. The food smells delicious."

"Emily did most of it." Bella brought her gaze up slightly, feeling frozen in place, afraid her body would betray her if she even dared to move.

The atmosphere was suddenly charged. They didn't feel like Jake and Bells anymore, a strange awkwardness had descended between them, making Bella lament its loss. She bit her lip, eyes everywhere but on Jacob. Then he moved closer, with those incredible eyes of his, that looked so deeply into her own.

"Hey, it's just me, honey. Just breathe."

Bella's breathing softened, her pensive look melting into a smile. Her body squirmed just a little as her muscles slowly began to relax. There was something about that gaze of his that always put her ease, no matter the circumstances. She was overthinking things as usual, misreading all the signs, making her see things that weren't there. Of course, they were Jake and Bells-best friends forever. She was getting worked up over nothing.

Jacob's eyes remained soft, making him look almost vulnerable, which was weird, considering the size of him. He was wearing a shirt. All the boys were. They had dressed up at Emily's insistence as it was supposed to be a special occasion. Bella chewed on her lower lip, thinking about how grown-up Jacob looked now. He'd left the shirt untucked, pushing the sleeves up to his elbows. It hugged his upper torso in such a way that there was no mistaking the shape of all those muscles underneath. Bella felt her skin blaze as she realized she was staring.

"You okay, honey?" Jacob asked cautiously, clearly wondering what she was gaping at.

"Um…yes…I'm fine. More than fine." Bella said, feeling completely flustered. She pointed to the muffins she had just taken out of the oven. "Can you take those outside for me? I'll be right behind you."

"Sure, sure." Jacob mumbled, still looking at her oddly. "Are you sure you're feeling alright? You look kind of flushed."

"Jake, take out the muffins!" Bella ordered through gritted teeth.

Quiet laughter came from behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to find Sam and Emily locked in a loving embrace, looking very amused by something. "Um…see you guys outside." She mumbled, quickly making her escape.

The bonfire lit up the night, warming hands, and faces. Most of the pack were grouped around it, talking loudly, occasionally scuffling with one another as they engaged in mock fights.

Paul and Jared were arm wrestling each other, with Embry taking bets on who would win. It looked like Paul was on the verge of overpowering Jared, but then Jared pulled a move that had Lahote's elbow snapping at an awkward angle. Jared howled in triumph as he slammed Paul's hand down, claiming victory, while Paul bellowed at him, accusing him of cheating. A wrestling match ensued.

Boys will be boys. Or wolves! Bella thought wryly.

In the distance she saw Emily moving from one person to another, a tray of food in her hands, greeting everyone. Her copper skin glowed against the fire; from this angle her scars were hidden. Sam stood on the outskirts of the bonfire, his eyes following her every move. Occasionally Emily would pause, glancing over in his direction and blowing him a kiss.

"I think I might go and help Emily." Bella whispered to Jacob.

"Nope!" Jacob said, popping the P. "You've done enough helping for one night. Just relax. Have fun." He took her hand, leading her towards a giant log. He sat down, resting his back against it, stretching his long legs out toward the fire. He tugged on Bella's hand, pulling her to sit down with him, setting her gently between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her hair.

Bella thought about protesting, but she was warm and comfortable nestled in Jacob's arms. She felt totally relaxed and moved back against him. And then she happened to glance up to find more than one of the wolf pack smirking in their direction. Blood rushed to her cheeks as understanding dawned, and she shifted forward a little, realizing how cozy and intimate they looked with her practically sitting on Jacob's lap. She scowled at them, setting them off into howls of laughter.

"Idiots." She muttered irritably.

Jacob turned her sideways so he could look at her face. "Just ignore them, Bells."

Bella sighed, knowing she was overreacting. Still maybe this wasn't the best position to be in, even a casual observer would assume they were a couple. It was hard to explain to others about the intimacy of their close friendship. She shifted forward a little more, but stopped when she felt Jacob's hand glide across her stomach and set her in place. Her heart began to beat an unsteady rhythm, it sounded so loud to her ears, Bella was sure that everyone else could hear it. She glanced around covertly, sighing in relief when she realized everyone had got bored of watching them and were preoccupied with other things.

Bella relaxed again, only to tense up just as quickly when she looked back at Jacob, wearing a smug grin on his face. "Why are you grinning like that?" She demanded.

"No reason, honey." Jacob laughed. "No reason at all."

Bella wasn't aware that she had fallen asleep. The combination of the heat from Jacob's body, too much food and drink, and the pleasant company, made Bella so relaxed that she had simply drifted off. When she opened her eyes again, the bonfire was little more than a pile of glowing embers. Most of the pack had dispersed, having either gone home to get some rest, or left to patrol. Bella yawned, blushing slightly when she realized she was still wrapped in Jacob's arms.

"You were talking in your sleep." Jacob whispered.

Bella groaned, afraid to meet his eyes. "Was I?"

"Uh huh." Jacob was wearing the smug grin again.

"What did I say?" Bella said, resigned to the inevitable embarrassment.

"Just my name." Jacob's grin got impossibly wider. "I liked that very much."

Pink kissed Bella's cheeks and she ducked her head. "It's getting late." She mumbled. "I should think about heading home."

Jacob's grin faded. "I thought you were going to crash at my house."

Bella heard the disappointment dripping in his voice and immediately felt guilty. "I would…. but Charlie thinks I'm with Alice…" Her voice trailed off, knowing very well that Jacob could see right through her feeble excuse.

Jacob went still beside her, his breath deep and even, as if he was trying to compose himself. It had been a lovely evening. Bella didn't want to it to end on a sour note, but she had a feeling that Jacob was building up to say something, that he was going to do some boundary pushing. She wasn't ready for it. She wasn't prepared.

Instead, to her surprise, he said, "C'mon. I'll take you home."

"What?" Bella blinked at him in confusion, finding herself strangely disappointed that he wasn't putting up much of a fight.

"I said I'd take you home."

"I heard you…. I just thought…."

"Thought what?"

"Nothing." Bella mumbled, pushing herself onto her feet. She dusted down her jeans, averting her gaze.

Jacob was well used to her avoidance tactics. He could hear her heartbeat picking up in her chest. He could envision her panic, her fear, even in the darkness he could see the heat rising in her face. Bella was running. She wasn't ready to acknowledge the signs that her mind and body were subtly giving her. It was frustrating, but he felt tonight they had made a huge leap forward, even if Bella remained willfully blind to it.

"What's the time?" Bella asked, breaking him out of his thoughts.

"Midnight, I think." Jacob shrugged.

Bella's vision was adjusted enough to the dark to see the bright gleam in Jacob's eyes. He was humoring her. That much was obvious. "Jake." She said quietly, trying to gather her scattered thoughts. She could feel the supernatural heat pouring off his body, warming her chilled skin as soon as he stepped further into her orbit. "I had a good time tonight."

"That's good to know, Bella, honey." He inclined his head, his lips brushing lightly across her forehead.

Bella gasped at the heat trail they left behind on her skin. She listed, leaning toward him, just at the same time Jacob took her hand. "Thanks, Jake." She said, touched by his restraint. "Really, thank you. And thanks for tonight. It was incredible. I haven't felt as relaxed in a long time. And….and…thanks for being so understanding…. you know…. about…. everything." Words failed her as she gazed up at him hopelessly.

"I wouldn't say I'm understanding, Bella." Jacob laughed without humor. "Just incredibly patient."

"Jake, if you're waiting – "

"Hush, Bells, don't say anymore." Jacob smiled then. "I figure if I play nice, I'll get more time with you." He squeezed her hand when he saw the pained look on her face. "Come on, honey. Let's get you home. I've got to patrol anyway. I'll be watching out for you tonight."

"No, Jake. Get some rest. I'll be fine."

"Sure, sure." Jacob said, pulling her along with him as he walked toward the house to bid goodnight to Sam and Emily, effectively putting an end to the conversation.

A/N-thanks for reading! Thank you very much to everyone who reviews. They keep me motivated.