Troubleshoot

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Temper

"Housework isn't my thing." Rachel complained when Bella passed her the duster. The way she held it so limply in her hand made it look like the innocent bit of cloth was burning the tips of her fingers.

Bella refrained from rolling her eyes. "You must have cleaned your room in college."

"Not really." Rachel muttered.

"I find it quite calming myself." Bella encouraged. "Maybe once you get started, you'll feel the same. There is something quite satisfying creating order out of chaos."

"If you say so." Rachel said mulishly. Nothing was going to convince her that cleaning up the messy room was a fun activity to do. She thought Bella was soft in the head for insisting that the place needed a spring clean. So what if she had left a few magazines lying around? What did it matter if the sink was full of dishes? She'd get around to it eventually…. or more likely her dad would whenever he bothered coming home again. He had his feet firmly planted under the Clearwaters table.

It was like Bella could read her mind. "You can't expect Billy to clean up after you all the time, Rachel. You need to help more."

"Its not like he's got anything else pressing to do." Rachel continued to be antagonistic.

Bella bit down hard on her bottom lip, trying to keep her temper in check. Her former sympathy for Rachel's plight was slowly trickling away. The girl was lazy, unempathetic. Her father was in a wheelchair and she still moaned about having to do the bare minimum. The urge to slap Rachel grew with every new complaint, her constant moaning and groaning in the background was like nails down a chalkboard.

Every movement sent up a vortex of dust into the air as Bella cleaned. Dusty boards, dusty walls, dusty drapes, and windows-it lay everywhere like winters first snow. But instead of being brilliant white, it was a dirty grey. Bella found it revolting, wondering when the place was last cleaned properly. Everything had been neglected since Jacob had left. And with Billy practically living at the Clearwaters these days, it appeared he hadn't bothered tidying up, either.

Bella propped the front door open as well as opening the windows in order to air the house properly. The dusty particles reflected the sun's rays, taking on the appearance of glitter. Footprints on the bare wood lay on the dusty floor, doubtless a track made by wet feet. By the size of the imprints, they were obviously Paul's. Bella felt her teeth clench together as she went in search of a mop and bucket.

Rachel had barely touched the surface of her part of the room. She stood near the window, her cell phone in one hand, the unused duster in the other. She scrolled through the newsfeed on her socials, completely unaware of Bella, who had finally tracked down the mop, and was stood glaring at her from the kitchen doorway.

"You haven't done a thing!"

Rachel glanced up, frowning. "What are you whining about now?"

The careless words triggered something inside Bella. Her eyes darkened; her fingers clenched around the mop handle until her knuckles turned white. She could no longer contain her anger. It came like an impossible build up of steam, burning her on the way out, burning the one on the receiving end. Normally full of regret when she lost her temper, this time, honestly, she reckoned Rachel completely deserved what happened next.

Brandishing the mop like a weapon, Bella surged forward like a bullet out of a gun. She knocked Rachel's cell phone out of her hand, sending it clattering to the wooden floor.

"What are you doing?" She squealed as she scrambled to pick up the phone to check for damage.

However, Bella wasn't prepared to give her any respite. She let out a loud yell of frustration, swiping the mop left and right, she chased Rachel out of the house, cursing all the way.

Rachel squealed again in fright. She bolted out of the front door in her bare feet, wincing at the sudden cold as the fresh air hit her directly in the face.

"You're crazy!" She cried. "Get away from me, you mad woman!"

"Yes, I'm mad!" Bella agreed, a wicked smile lighting up her face. She watched in satisfaction as Rachel hopped up and down, swerving to the left and then to the right as she tried to avoid the deep puddles on the muddy ground. "You enjoy living in a pigsty, Rachel Black. Well then, this should be the perfect environment for you."

With one skillful twist of the mop, Bella swept Rachel's feet out from under her. Completely unbalanced, Rachel fell backwards, landing on her butt on the soggy ground. Wet mud pooled around her feet and ankles, splattered on her hands and face. She let out an angry screech, glaring up at Bella with hate-filled eyes.

"I'll get you back for this!" She threatened.

"I'll look forward to it." Bella said, her eyes dancing with mirth.

And that's how a shocked Paul Lahote found them when he returned from patrolling: his imprint quivering with anger on the ground, covered in mud from head to toe, and Bella standing above her, a mop in one hand and wearing the biggest grin on her face.

Jacob started to laugh.

"Jacob Black, this is so not funny!"

"Sure, sure." He agreed, still chortling.

He took one long stride and caught Bella up in one of his vice-like bear hugs.

"I can't believe you did that! Oh, I wish I had been there to see Rachel's face." He gloated in her ear. "Oh, wait, I can. I'll just pull the image from Lahote's memory. He's crap at hiding his thoughts."

"Can't-breathe-Jake!" Bella gasped.

Jacob let her go, but took both of her hands. "Thanks for having my back, Bella, honey." He said earnestly.

Bella studied his face, and it was clear he was telling the truth. Relief pulsed through her. He wasn't mad at her for practically attacking his sister with a mop. He seemed quite amused by it.

"Really? You don't think I went too far?"

"Really." Jacob promised solemnly. "Actually, I don't think you went far enough. Rachel deserved it. It might make her think twice about taking advantage. As for Paul, I might try the same method on him, except I'll probably break the mop on his thick head."

Bella laughed as she threw her arms around him. It reminded her of the many times she had hugged him before, but this was different now. It had a different energy to it. She pressed herself against his muscular torso, enjoying the feel of his warm skin on hers. She was sure he was getting bigger, though, and she felt even more like a child now.

Jacob held her tightly to him, stroking her hair gently. He loved her so damn much. It was something he couldn't put into words, how much she meant to him. He squeezed her around the middle, his lips pressing down into her hair.

"I never knew you had such a temper." He joked.

"You've never given me cause to lose it that badly."

Bella thought of something then, and pulled away from him so she could see his face. Her eyebrows furrowed in anxiety. "What about Billy? He'll be upset when he finds out."

Jacob shook his head, smiling like a huge burden had been removed from his shoulders. "Don't worry about my old man. He'll just have to suck it up. It might make him think twice about the way he's been acting. Someone had to stand up to Rachel. It should have been him…but I'm glad it was you. Your way was much more direct."

The memory of the burning animosity in Rachel's eyes was as clear as crystal in Bella's mind. She doubted the older girl would forgive her any time soon for humiliating her so badly.

"I don't think Rachel and I will be best friends any time soon." She admitted dubiously.

"Other than Rebecca, Rachel never had any friends. She's never been the easiest person to get on with. She can be more hostile than Leah."

"I think I was channeling my own inner she-wolf when I went for her." Bella mused. "I could feel the heat down my spine. It gave me an insight into what it must be like for you when you phase."

Jacob stroked her hair again. "Yeah, it feels something like that."

Bella sighed as she snuggled against his chest. "So, what happens now?" She asked.

"I'm not sure."

Jacob's face turned serious. He tried to sort the chaos out in his head. What had happened between Bella and Rachel meant that he couldn't put off talking to his old man anymore. He couldn't keep taking advantage of Charlie's hospitality, no matter how much he enjoyed living under the same roof as Bella. He was getting as bad as his old man by avoiding the inevitable. It wasn't fair that he was letting others do his dirty work for him. Bella should never have been put in the difficult position where she felt she had to intervene with his family.

"I'm sorry I put you in the firing line with Rachel." He apologized.

Bella stared up at him, her brown eyes like burnished gold in the light from the sun. "No, Jake, don't say sorry. I wanted to help. I just wish I hadn't made such a mess of it."

"Hey, what happened is all on Rachel." Jacob reminded her. He sat down, pulling her with him. He put one big arm around her comfortingly. "I really appreciate that you tried. I realize now that I can't keep avoiding the issue. That makes me as bad as Billy."

"No, it doesn't." Bella protested. "Billy backed you into a corner. He gave you no choice but to leave."

Jacob shook his head. "I was acting out. I should have stayed and thrashed it out with him…with all of them." He admitted, looking a little shamefaced. "The fact is I wanted some time out, time to spend with you. I didn't want my family drama to get in the way of that."

"Ah." Bella gave him a knowing smile. "I see. So, you engineered the whole thing just so you could move in for a while. Very sneaky, Jacob Black. What would Charlie think if he knew?" She teased.

Jacob grinned, enjoying the playful banter. "I doubt you're gonna tell him." He leaned in closer, his lips barely an inch away from hers. Bella could feel his warm breath on her skin. "I mean we had fun, didn't we?"

Bella felt her eyes drifting shut in preparation for the kiss she knew was coming. "Yes, we did. I don't want the fun to end when you move out." She whispered.

"Who says it has to end?" Jacob murmured. "Just keep your bedroom window on the latch."

Then he kissed her.

Bella yielded instantly to his touch. She smiled, one hand resting on his heated chest as his lips glided over hers, softly at first, the pressure increasing as the passion began to build. A surging tide of warmth sent her nerve endings tingling, causing her to press closer. Jacob's arms tightened around her. One hand was on the back of her head, the other sliding down her back, leaving heat trails behind.

His insistent mouth made Bella's heart pound. She matched him kiss for kiss. Wild tremors rocked her body, evoking sensations she never knew she was capable of feeling. Soon she was so giddy with passion that she was panting for breath. She was forced to pull back, her eyes half-lidded as she regarded him with burning eyes.

"I want you so much." She admitted breathlessly.

Jacob's fingers twisted in her hair, drawing her back to him. "Me too." He murmured against her lips, stealing her breath all over again.

A/N-thanks for reading!