Enough

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Tension

After spending a couple of hours with Jacob and his gang, Bella finally expressed a wish to go home. "Charlie will be expecting me, Jake. He'll launch a search party if I'm not home by curfew."

Jacob wasn't happy-his full mouth turned down in an uncharacteristic frown-but he didn't want to get Bella in trouble. He made his goodbyes to the others, then gently hoisted a surprised Bella into his strong arms, carried her outside into the inclement weather, before carefully depositing her on the back of the same motorcycle he had kidnapped her on.

"Don't you have another mode of transport?" Bella asked anxiously. She felt nervous and unsafe on the back of the two-wheeled machine. The walking cast on her leg was hindering her balance, making her feel unsteady.

Jacob laughed quietly. "No, I'm still working on fixing up my car. Unless you want to go wolf back riding, the bike is the only option you've got right now."

Bella grimaced. "Charlie will go mad if he sees us pulling up on this thing." She complained.

"Like I'm going to ride right into your driveway!" Jacob rolled his eyes. He swung one long leg over the bike and straddled it. "Hold on tight, Bella, honey." He reminded her.

Bella clutched him tightly around the waist as he slammed his foot down on the pedal. There was a short ripping noise, and the force of his thrust rocked the bike, causing Bella to scream. Jacob glanced over his shoulder and grinned at her, amused by her reaction.

"I won't let you fall; I promise."

"I hope not." Bella gasped, her fingers frantically digging into his sides.

"Plant your feet. I'm going to try again." Jacob advised.

It took four more kicks before the ignition caught. Bella could feel the bike rumbling beneath her like an angry animal. She could only imagine how Edward would react if he could see her now. He would probably have a meltdown; he was all about her safety. Jacob didn't seem to have the same care or attention. He just assumed she would roll with it, which, in an insane kind of way, was quite freeing.

Jacob revved the throttle. It snarled at the slightest touch. It was like a livewire under his experienced hands. "Ready to go?" He checked, glancing over at Bella again.

Bella smiled tightly. Jacob wasn't going to let anything serious happen to her. She could trust him. "No!" She said eventually.

Jacob gave her an encouraging smile. "Here we go." He yelled above the roar of the motorcycle.

And then they were flying. There was wind that wasn't there before, blowing her skin against her skull, and flinging her hair back behind her with enough force that it felt like someone was tugging on it. She'd left her stomach back somewhere at the starting point. She suddenly experienced an adrenaline rush, which chased away the panic and the fear. It coursed through her body, tingling in her veins. The trees raced past her, blurring into a wall of green.

Bella suddenly found that she was enjoying herself, racing down the road like that. It was amazing, with the feel of the wind in her hair, the speed, and the freedom…

"You still okay?" Jacob yelled over his shoulder, checking up on her again.

"Yeah." Bella yelled back, clinging even tighter to his waist.

All too soon the journey came to end. Jacob slowed the bike down a few meters from Charlie's house. Bella could see the white flash of the police cruiser parked in the driveway between a gap in the trees.

"I'll drop you here." Jacob said. "Do you need help getting inside?"

Bella shook her windblown hair, trying frantically to smooth it down with her fingers. She had a sneaking suspicion it wouldn't only be Charlie waiting for her inside. "I'll be fine. You better go."

"I'm not going anywhere until I see that you're safely inside. And to be sure that the bloodsucker isn't lurking somewhere close by." Jacob stated firmly.

Bella glared at him impatiently. "Don't call Edward that!"

Jacob narrowed his eyes. "I call it as I see it. He drinks blood, doesn't he? So that makes him a bloodsucker."

The adrenaline rush was fading. Bella felt tired and out of sorts. She didn't want to get into an argument. She let Jacob assist her off the back of the motorcycle and balanced unsteadily on the sidewalk in her walking cast and the one bare foot. Some of the chiffon and lace had ripped on the prom dress that Alice insisted she wear. She could only imagine the state she was in.

"I'll see you around, Jake." She said, chagrinned.

Jacob appeared thoughtful. "No, Bella, you won't see me around."

"Huh?" Bella stared at him, perplexed. "I'm trying to be understanding here, Jacob. Remember you are the one who kidnapped me from my own prom?"

"And I'd do it again!" Jacob replied forcefully. "Remember Emily? What happened to her will happen to you if you keep hanging around with vampires. You might think that the Cullens are oh so civilized, but they are just as dangerous as any nomad when they lose control." He slammed his foot down angrily on the bike's pedal as he kickstarted the engine to life again. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bella. Have a good night now!"

Then he turned the motorcycle around and sped off into the night.

Bella sneaked into the house as quietly as possible so as not to alert Charlie to her presence. She hobbled along in her walking cast, getting a brief glimpse of her reflection in the hall mirror. Oh, it was worse than she imagined, she looked pretty gruesome. Dirt was smeared across one cheek and down her neck. Her hair was tangled and matted. She examined herself clinically, grimacing again at the state of the dress. Alice was going to pitch a fit when she saw it.

One glance into the living room confirmed Bella's suspicions that Charlie had fallen asleep. He was sprawled on the recliner, his mouth wide open as he snored softly. Good, it would give her time to clean herself up before she presented herself to him.

Pulling herself up the stairs with difficulty, Bella made it to the top without making too much noise. She hobbled into the bathroom, washing up as well as she could. She peeled off the ruined dress, stuffing it in the bottom of the laundry basket, then putting on a clean pair of sweats and tank top, before attempting to tame her hair.

When she was done, Bella slithered down the stairs, holding tightly to the banisters for balance, then putting on her brightest smile, she called out to Charlie. "Dad, I'm home!"

When Bella returned to her room after lying to Charlie about what a wonderful time she'd had at prom, she found Edward waiting for her. He stood against the wall across from her, in the shadow beside the window. His face was hard, his posture tense. He glared at her wordlessly.

Bella cringed, waiting for the torrent of his anger, even though technically his anger shouldn't really be directed at her. It wasn't like she asked Jacob to kidnap her from her own prom, was it?

"Hi." She finally said.

Edward's face remained carved from stone. Bella sighed and counted to one hundred in her head, but there was no change in his demeanor.

"Er…so I'm alive." She began.

A growl rumbled in Edward's chest, but his expression didn't change.

"No harm done." Bella insisted with a shrug.

Edward finally moved. His eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose, between the fingers of his right hand.

"Bella, my love." He whispered. "Do you have any idea how close I came to crossing the line tonight? To breaking the treaty and coming after you? I don't think you have any idea of what that would have meant."

Bella felt a trickle of annoyance set in. "You're acting as if I planned the whole thing!" She accused, placing her hands on her hips. "And what do you mean crossing the line? And what treaty?"

Edward's mouth snapped shut as he realized he had said too much. His eyes remained as cold as night as he regarded her. "Did he hurt you?" He demanded.

"No!" Bella retorted. "I'm perfectly fine! As you can see!" She said too loudly. She worked to modulate the volume of her voice so Charlie wouldn't hear, but she wanted to shout the words. "Edward, you've been keeping things from me."

"Like what?" Edward asked warily.

"Like the fact that Jacob Black is a werewolf. That there is a whole gang of them living in La Push!" Bella argued.

If Edward's skin wasn't already bone white, Bella swore it would have paled even further at this disclosure. "How do you know about that? Did he tell you?"

"He did more than that." Bella revealed succinctly. "He showed me."

"He what?" Edward seethed. "The dog has gone too far! If he'd hurt you – "

"Enough!" Bella cut him off. "There's nothing to worry about." She said carelessly." Jacob isn't dangerous."

"Bella, you aren't exactly the best judge of what is or isn't dangerous." Edward reminded her.

"Don't patronize me!" Bella countered irritably. "I know I don't have to worry about Jake. And neither do you."

"He kidnapped you!"

Edward ground his teeth together. His hands were balled up into fists at his sides. He was still standing against the wall, trying to get his temper under control.

Bella glared at him, turning away, and leaving him to stew in his own juice. "Jacob wasn't the only one who kidnapped me tonight, Edward. At least it was obvious what he was doing. Your way was much sneakier and more underhanded."

"What do you mean by that?" Edward demanded.

"You tricked me into attending prom when you knew that I didn't want to go. I call what happened tonight karma." Bella declared as she climbed into bed. "Goodnight, Edward. Close the window on your way out." She pulled the covers up to her chin and rolled onto her side, effectively dismissing him for what remained of the night.

A/N-thanks for reading!