Bella

30 minutes seems to pass by like molasses in winter, because every time I check the clock, it seems as though no time has passed. Finally, the time comes to go outside, so just as I am about to creep down the hall to the door of Charlie's room to see if Charlie is sleeping, I realize I can hear him snoring as if he were laying next to me...

*Ok, so, super hearing... interesting. I wonder what else I can do...*

Slipping on the jacket I had grabbed from my room, I make my way down the hall, downstairs and out the front door as silently as I can... only to run straight into Jake standing on my front porch.

"Wow Bells, I knew you were clumsy, I didn't know you were blind too." He whispers quietly as he takes my hand.

Even though it is the beginning of April, the chill in the air doesn't bother me. In fact, the air feels wonderful on my skin. My jacket seems to stifle me so I shrug it off.

"Wow, it feels great out here." I notice that his hand in mine doesn't feel warm anymore. It actually feels cool to the touch, "Jake, are you feeling ok? Your hand is kinda cold."

Jacob chuckles, "Bells, it's not that I am any cooler, your temperature has elevated as a result of the change. Your hand used to feel like ice to me."

"Whoa, really?" Jacob and I walk off the porch and head toward the nearby tree line. "So, question... What all does this change mean? I mean before I came down, I didn't want Charlie to catch me so I was going to see if Charlie was awake... but I could hear him snoring... as if he were laying in my room. I almost had to check and see if he was laying on the floor outside my door, it was so loud."

"Yeah, that takes some getting used to. But that's not all."

I stop in my tracks and pull Jake to a stop with me. It is at this moment, I realize where we are.

"I haven't been here since... you know... he left."

Jacob looks at me, and I expect to see distaste or anger there, but all I see is sadness. He pulls me into his arms and sets his head on top of mine, "I know this place holds a lot of hurt, but maybe we can change that. Where there was hurt and anger, maybe we can replace it with love." He puts his finger under my chin and lifts my face. "I love you Bella. I know that this is all crazy sudden, but I know that we can work through it." With that, he presses a sweet and gentle kiss to my lips. At first it was soft but when i wrap my arms around his neck, he deepens the kiss and I can feel a warmth bloom in my center.

Breaking the kiss, Jacob sniffs the air. I stiffen thinking he has caught the scent of a vampire, but then he looks down at me with a puzzled look that fades to understanding.

"Um, Bells?"

"Yeah?"

My head is still spinning from the kiss when I look into his eyes. I realize he is trying to hold back a huge grin when he says, "Um... I can kinda... smell you..." I step back, and pull the neck of my shirt up to my nose. When I realize there is no odor there, I lift up my arms and sniff, quite embarrassedly.

"I don't understand, I don't stink. I smell like my deodorant and laundry detergent." Then, as I move further away from him, I smell something hot, sweet and... tangy. That's when I realize what he is smelling, "OH MY GOD! You mean you can smell ME! Holy Shit! Shit, shit SHIT!"

I take off walking further into the woods when Jacob catches up with me and grabs my arm. "Bella, it's not bad. I swear! In fact, I actually kinda liked it. I am glad that I can make you feel that way. God knows that I've had to walk away from you quite a few times to readjust so that you didn't know how much of an effect you were having on me. I have a visual tell where as you have a... well non-visual one."

"Oh God! So can the rest of the pack tell when I am... you know?"

"Well, yes. We all have a superior sense of smell, but I swear, it's not that bad. When that has happened between Sam and Emily, we all kinda just make ourselves scarce... we just disappear... I have a feeling that will start happening with us too." I can feel the hot blush flood my chest, neck and face as I bury my face in Jacob's chest. He wraps his arms around me and I can hear the deep chuckle rumble through his chest. "It's ok Bella. I swear. It's natural."

"I know, but still! Ugh! Of COURSE you turn me on! I mean, come on! You are so freaking sexy. And now, there's this supernatural pull between us... I know there is going to be a lot to get used to... but jeez... now, you can SMELL when I am turned on? What else are you not telling me?" My voice is muffled because of my face still buried in his chest, but mostly I stayed like this because I am mortified. Pushing through my embarassment, I pull my face up to look at him, "I hate that you can smell when I am turned on, because let's face it, that's going to happen a lot... but I am also glad that you know that I am sexually attracted to you."

"That is definitely a bonus. But Bells, I want you to know, I would never push you to do something before you are ready. Of course I want to have sex with you, but if you aren't ready for that, I can, and WILL wait for you. I love you."

I stand up on my tiptoes and kiss him deeply. "I love you too, Jacob. And while I do want to have sex with you, you're right, I am not quite ready for that yet. I mean, there is so much I have yet to learn... I mean, supernatural hearing, heightened sense of smell... the imprint... I feel like this is only scratching the surface of all that is to come."

"You are right about that. One thing you need to know though is that the change can be triggered by any kind of heightened emotion." Jacob pulls away from me, but grabs my hand and starts walking back toward my house, "I mean, look at Paul. When you slugged him, he was pushed to the point of changing. The first thing you need to learn is how to control the change but also what to do when you feel the change coming and you aren't in an ideal situation... how to push the change down. That comes with time. Also, while we have heightened senses, we also have super strength, speed, agility... All of these things are important in dealing with bloodsu- vampires."

"Nice save..." I chuckle as we break through the tree line. Looking up at the house, I can see that all the lights are off, and it looks eerie to see it lit up only by the light of the moon. But even more eerie, even though it is dark, other than the moonlight, I realize I can still see everything I need to see. "Apparently we have night vision too?"

"Well, kind of. We can see in the dark with our human eyes, but we see a lot better when we are in wolf form." I stifle a yawn and Jacob looks at me, "Hey, why don't we go upstairs? Get some rest. I can stay if you want me to... I can be gone by the time Charlie gets up so there's no fear there."

Just as I am about to accept his offer, the phone in the pocket of my jeans starts vibrating. I pull out my phone and see an unknown number. I almost don't answer, but something tells me that I need to. "Hello?"

"Bella? Why can't I see your future anymore?" Alice's worried voice dances through the phone and I immediately pale, not knowing how to respond.