Enough

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Peaceful Interlude

Bella hid her face in Jacob's back as he sped down the highway. She knew he would slow down when they hit the Quileute border. She just had to hold on until then. She prayed silently and fervently that Edward wouldn't follow, and was glad Charlie was occupied with the game so there was no chance of him seeing her sitting astride what he considered a two-wheeled death machine…

It was obvious when they reached the safe zone. The bike slowed, and Jacob straightened up and howled with laughter. Bella opened her eyes.

"We made it!" Jacob shouted. "Not bad for a prison break, eh?"

"Good thinking, Jake." Bella joined in his laughter as she combed her fingers through her windblown hair. "How did you know I needed rescuing?"

Jacob gave her an enigmatic smile, leading Bella to only one possible conclusion.

"Were you watching the house?"

"Not me specifically."

"So, you had one of your gang spy on me instead?"

"I'm the Alpha of a pack, Bella, not a gang leader. And, yes, I had Embry looking out for you. I guessed the bloodsucker would turn up at some point and I was right."

Bella didn't know how she felt about Jacob having someone watching the house without her knowledge. It was something Edward might have done. She didn't like the comparison.

"You should have told me."

"True." Jacob acknowledged. "But I did warn you before that we would be watching out for you, Bella. We've had this conversation before. You cannot trust a vampire, no matter how civilized they try to make themselves. Look at what your bloodsucker has done already – how long are you going to let him get away with it? I can't always be around at the right time to whisk you away from trouble."

"I never asked you to." Bella responded petulantly. "That's your choice."

"Are we really going to waste time arguing about this, Bella?" Jacob asked, not at all put out by her peevishness. "We're wasting good celebration time."

Bella forgot her pique and stared at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You're only eighteen once, Bella, honey. Its time to party." Jacob announced with a smirk.

They ended up at Emily's house again. Bella was shocked to see that Emily had prepared enough food to feed an army. Or one pack of wolves. Even though she had already met everyone before, Bella still felt nervous. She gripped Jacob's hand tightly as he led her outside. After all she was hanging out with a pack of wolves.

"Bella!" Emily called in greeting. "Happy birthday!"

Bella smiled shyly in response, not comfortable with the attention. "Thanks."

Jacob smiled down at her. He could tell she was anxious by the way she was clinging to his hand. He knew Bella wasn't a crowd kind of person, but he wanted to her to get used to hanging around the guys, he wanted her to be comfortable, to feel at home among them. He didn't want to part with her, but knew that Emily would make her feel more at ease. He bent down and pressed a light kiss on her forehead, feeling the burn in her skin as she blushed. Kissing her had been instinctual on his part. He couldn't help it. She was just too cute and adorable for her own good.

"Go on." He urged Bella, before walking away to join his brothers.

Jacob sat down on the ground, leaning against a log, and watched Bella. Emily led Bella over to a carved wooden bench, it was one the guys had made for her not long after the vampire attack which had left her so badly scarred. Bella perched next to Emily, still not completely relaxed. She glanced over in Jacob's direction a few times, smiling coyly when she noticed him looking at her with soft eyes. Emily whispered something to her and Bella giggled, making Jacob wonder what the two girls found so amusing. He was too far away to hear clearly, even with his enhanced hearing.

Embry came up to sit beside Jacob and began talking to him, but Jacob was too focused on Bella to pay him much attention. Irritated at being ignored, Embry punched Jacob on the shoulder, a move that would have resulted in a dislocation if done on an ordinary human. However, Jacob hardly felt it. He rubbed his shoulder absently, his gaze still on Bella. Embry laughed, half in frustration, half in amusement.

"You've got it bad, bro."

Jacob smiled and shrugged. Emily was pointing at people and talking. Bella nodded her head, listening intently, taking in everything that Emily was saying. She seemed to be enjoying herself, which put Jacob at ease. He finally gave Embry his full attention.

"What did you say?"

"I said when are you going to tell her?" Embry repeated impatiently.

Jacob's expression darkened. "Not today."

Embry looked at Jacob in concern. "Jake, this is important. Bella won't thank you for keeping something so important from her."

"What are you the relationship guru or something?" Jacob replied sarcastically.

"No, Jake, I'm just your friend." Embry clarified.

Once again regret did its job, Jacob sighed, watching Bella out of the corner of his eyes the entire time Embry spoke. He felt rattled, his calm composure and happy mood vanished, like the puff of smoke rising from the bonfire.

"You know I'm right, Jake." Embry tried again.

"I know." Jacob agreed diffidently. "I'm just scared I guess."

"You scared?" Embry scoffed. "Of what?"

"That she might see me differently."

"Jake." Embry teased lightly. "She already knows you're a freaking werewolf. If that didn't scare her off, then this won't, either."

"Why do you always have to be the voice of reason?" Jacob smirked in amusement.

"You're one to talk!" Embry countered. "How many times have you talked me off the edge?"

Jacob's dark eyes met Embry's for a moment, before they drifted back to Bella. He couldn't stop looking at her. Her pale skin glistened, the glow from the fire highlighting the red in the long, brunette strands of her hair. As she laughed along with Emily, her eyes sparkled, reminding Jacob of the bonfire on First Beach where he had first met her, back when his life wasn't one long complication. She was beautiful like this, happy, relaxed, at ease, just like he hoped she would be around those closest to him.

"Talk to her." Embry urged as he began to rise.

Jacob glanced up at his friend. "I'll think about it."

"Don't think. Do." Embry advised one last time as he left to go fight with his brothers for the last of the food.

After another few minutes passed, Jacob decided that Bella had been with Emily long enough. He missed her beside him. "Bella!" He called out.

Bella glanced up at him in surprise, her long hair dancing around her shoulders when she moved.

"Bella! Over here!" Jacob called again, a little louder this time. He gestured for her to join him.

Bella stood up, looking a little bewildered. Emily smiled at her encouragingly. Bella smiled back, before making her way over toward Jacob, tripping up a couple of times on the stony ground. He grinned, holding his hand out toward her, and pulling her down to sit with him. She trembled a little in the cold. He held her close and wrapped his arms around her to keep her warm. She tensed a little at first, but as the heat from his body warmed hers, she let herself relax against him.

"I've missed you." He whispered in her ear. "What were you and Emily talking about?"

"Just girl stuff." Bella shrugged, stretching her legs out in front of her. One of her hands landed on his inner thigh as she steadied herself, the effect was immediate on Jacob. He shifted a little, causing that same hand to slide across his thigh and land closer to his knee.

"Are you having a good time?"

"Yes." Bella admitted. "It's been nice. Everyone has been wishing me a happy birthday, but not making too much of a fuss. Thanks for bringing me here."

"You're welcome." Jacob smiled as he rested his chin on top of her head, laughing as he looked over his brothers who were still fighting over the last scraps of food.

It was only a little while later that Jacob felt Bella's breathing change. She had fallen asleep. He held her close, listening to her slow breathing, marveling at her beauty as she slept so soundly against him. It felt like he had waited an eternity, or one lifetime, to hold her in his arms like this. He sighed, thinking of the conversation he'd had with Embry earlier. His friend was right, he needed to be honest with Bella. He knew she didn't like being lied to as evidenced by her frustration with the bloodsucker when he constantly concealed things from her, like the whole prom thing.

Jacob knew that Bella still wasn't over the bloodsucker, he knew that was going to take some time. She was already beginning to make the break, seeing things from his perspective had opened her eyes to Edward Cullen's controlling nature, as well as the devious way he went about things. Bella had run to him twice now because of it, which Jacob took as a hopeful sign that she would finally raise the courage to make the break a permanent one.

Still, despite all these hopeful signs, the one fact remained that he still needed to tell her the truth about her connection to him. All Jacob could do was hold onto hope of his own, that once he confessed the truth, Bella would be accepting, willing to give him the benefit of the doubt as she considered the implications of what this meant for both of them going forward.

A/N-thanks for reading!