--Note-- I just wrote this like today, so it hasn't even had a second eye for editing so RIP in advance for errors. Also, this is where the story starts to pick up. I added the suspense tag, so beware incase that's not what you're looking for! The story will probably take a bit of a darker turn, not sure of the pacing. Eventually will have fluff and smut (I usually don't like to be tooooo graphic because I'm a chicken) but fair warning it might take a while to get there. It's taking me a bit longer than I thought to get this story out, so bear with meeeeee. TYSM For reading my art 3

Chapter 6– Real

Warm hands wrapped around me, keeping me pressed flush against his warm chest. The sun floated in and out of the room as it dipped behind the clouds. Wispy chirps of birds from the surrounding trees echoed in and out of my dreamy state. The world was golden, if not fuzzy with love.

I twisted in his arms, catching my face only centimeters from his sleeping one. Sharp jawline, the ever flawless planes of his cheekbones and face…This moment was perfect. I felt tempted to wake him, but thought better of it as my hand lifted to encapsulate his perfect cheek. It was velvety and temptingly supple underneath my fingertips. God, I loved him. So much it made my heart hurt and that particular heat settle in my lower stomach—

I jolted awake by a faint crash, and a heavy jump from beside me.

"Shit," Jake cursed. My head shot up, having been carefully nestled into the crook of Jake's arm. He was moving, his head whipping from side to side as he tried to get his bearings as well. He swiped at a spot of drool on the corner of his mouth and gave me a furrowed, confused glare. His expression immediately cleared with pinking cheeks, which I assumed could be said the same for my own face by the increasing warmth climbing up my neck.

I glanced out the window and saw that soft drizzle and fog that always accompanied the morning. My body jolted with fear, as I covered my mouth in a horror drawn gasp. "Charlie," I moved to stand, but was stopped by Jake's hand on my arm.

"Just dropped something in the kitchen." He tapped his ear twice before I saw Charlie's head pop out from around the corner. He openly glared with narrowed eyes at us both.

Fuck my life. I did the worst thing I could and stole a glance at Jake. His lips were pressed tight together in a thin line of amusement.

"You need to leave," I hissed.

"Why? Don't be a chicken," he chuckled.

"Don't be a— you weren't supposed to stay here. I'm still with Dylan for god's sake!" I stumbled to my feet as he shrugged with open palms. As if he couldn't understand why in the world I would be upset.

"Told you he didn't stand a chance." He flashed me a final bright grin. I threw a fallen pillow from the floor at his face before I rushed into the kitchen, hearing his obscene laughter throughout the house.

Charlie's eyes were on me immediately as he sipped his coffee whilst leaning against the counter. I huffed and let out a heaving breath. "Dad…how was work?"

I walked to the space beside him and grabbed one—two—mugs for coffee. Charlie's eyes hung on me the entire time.

"Fine," he grumbled before taking a long, slurping sip. "You seemed pretty cozy."

So, there it was.

"It was an accident. He was helping me with my car— about a brake…something?"

Charlie's brows rose as his eyes narrowed. "Is that so?"

"Yes, so I got pizza as a thank you. We fell asleep. An accident, really. We're just f—"

He held up his hand, straight in my face. "Do not finish that sentence Isabella Swan. Now anyway, I've got Sue coming for a walk in fifteen minutes. Clean this place up while I'm gone. And make sure…you deal with that." He waved his hand in the general direction of Jake before climbing up the stairs at a strikingly quick pace.

I stomped into the living room and thrust the mug at Jake's giggling form. "Oh, come on, it wasn't that bad. At least you're not a teenager anymore."

I ignored his comment and flung myself across the couch with my feet tucked under me. "If I was a teenager he would have had the sense to wake us up."

Jake only shook his head as he sipped on the mug. "Nah. No harm done. It's not like we were…" he wiggled his eyebrows at me, a stupid smirk still splayed on his face.

"Enough," I rolled my eyes before groaning at the ceiling. I would need to talk to Dylan today. Especially because Charlie was at risk of running his mouth at the station. I didn't want him to get the wrong impression—even though it wasn't.

A few minutes later, Charlie came down and shot us one final glare of minor disappointment before leaving through the front door. We could hear Sue's gentle greeting float up through the open window beside the fireplace. My heart tugged, and I caught Jake's smiling face before the realization came to me that I held the same expression.

I shot to my feet, and looked down at the smug man lounging on my couch. The dream I had felt painfully close to reality with the way my chest bloomed with a gooey warmth. I couldn't tell if it was his or mine, so I pushed it down and ignored it.

"Listen, it's been great and all, but I have things to do. Clean this up would you?"

Waiting for an answer would have been borderline idiotic, so I started for the stairs. Jake's massive hand wrapped around my wrist before I could go.

"I'm sorry. If I…crossed a line. I really didn't mean to—"

"You didn't." The words rushed out of my mouth. As if I didn't just have the best sleep of my life just like I knew he did too. He grimaced slightly at my words and released my wrist. I trudged up the stairs, wanting to say more but I just wasn't sure what.

It wasn't a minute after I shut the bathroom door that I heard soft clanks from the kitchen. I leaned against the door and savored the deep tang from the coffee. Today was the day that I'd been dreading. It had to be strategic, not to burn the bridge entirely. Just in case Leah changed her mind. But even then I still had to make myself perfectly clear that whatever we had was over.

I turned on the water, still listening to the soft clanks in the kitchen. The water was scalding on my skin, curling in thick tendrils into the air. It soaked into my skin, through to my bones and released all tension from the night as every part of my mind tried not to dwell on it.

Did it mean the agreement was off, then? All bets gone, no one able to establish their footing in anything other than perpetual torture?

"Bella!" Three heavy knocks startled me. So much that half of the containers that sat precariously perched on the edge of the tub dropped onto my foot. The resounding crash and yelp that fell from my mouth resulted in the sound of the doorknob rattling as it shook against the frame.

"Are you alright?" Jake's words reached my ears, and I meant to respond but the shooting pain in my foot protested with another seething groan through my clenched teeth. "Did you fall?"

"I'm fine. Just hurt my foot." My voice came out as a pained groan as my fingers massaged the mounding purplish knot formed at the top of my foot along with several throbbing toes.

It was silent for a moment before his softened voice came through the door. "I'm leaving now. Wanted to let you know."

There was a pang of sadness in my chest. Mine, not his. Maybe his too, but it was too fleeting for me to assess it. "Right, of course. Thank you." My voice was pitiful, full of sadness that I hoped he didn't notice.

Today needed to be dealt with by myself, despite the heavy reservations I held about it. My mind was too distracted as I prepared myself for Dylan's reaction, or perhaps confusion. What to say in response, when my own reasons were not good enough to be my own. But they had to be. I was doing a good thing, ending it before it got too serious.

I descended the stairs with caution, listening for the smallest noise that meant that Jake hadn't left yet. It had been nearly an hour, so I hoped that wasn't true.

He was truly gone, all that remained was a folded note scribbled in a stray sheet of notebook paper that sat taped to the window of the front door.

Bella,

Emily called. Said there was going to be a dinner party tonight, and that you were in charge of dessert. If I was your favorite, you'd make that chocolate cake, if you remember.

P.S. Today will be fine, despite your nerves.

Jake

A heaving sigh rolled through my throat. He didn't even mention what time. And his favorite was a peanut butter chocolate cake, not "that" cake. I flipped the note over and snatched the pen from the counter and began making another list. After this, there was nothing else I could do to avoid the impending dread that roved over and through my entire being.

The drive to the station was short enough that there was almost no time to rehearse my speech, and long enough to make my hands shake with vigor. Two deep breaths and I heaved myself out of the car. It couldn't be that bad—it wouldn't be.

Dylan was at the back, leaning against the printer with a thick folder with too many papers in his hand. He held a heavily bored expression, eyes dead as they observed the papers as they shot into the tray.

His eyes met mine, only a few steps away. I tried to calm my nervous expression to one that was welcoming and open. It must not have worked by the way his eyes squinted and his head cocked to the side.

"Something wrong?"

It was only a few moments of silence before I could tell the whole office was listening. "I wanted to see if you had time to grab a coffee? You're busy, I can see, so maybe after—"

"No, no. I was due to do a coffee run for all of them anyway." He set the folder down in a hurry and went into the room beside it to grab his coat. I rocked on my heels in anticipation. Don't burn the bridge. Don't burn the bridge. The chant ricocheted in my mind.

We walked to my car in silence, and I drove us to the nearest coffee shop that had actual coffee instead of just crap from a pot. He didn't talk much, which told me that he knew what was coming.

We got back into the car, the backseat filled with coffee's buckled in for extra insurance, and I prepared myself with a final deep breath.

"Dylan, I—"

He gave me a lame look, his head lolling to meet my eyes over the top of his glasses. "Bella, don't. You don't need to say anything."

My mouth clamped shut as my scripted explanation flew out of the window. He held up a hand in consolidation and explanation.

"I mean that I already understand what you're going to say, you don't need to say more. We can't keep seeing one another."

A baffled, nervous laugh rose from my chest. "What—how did you know?"

He looked out the window, searching for the right words as his jaw rocked back and forth. "Well, I know that if the best friend doesn't approve, then it's a done deal that it won't work out. And I understand that, and respect it. Leah is…she's important to you. And I would never like to interfere with your relationships. Especially as they have potential to become family."

He smirked at me with a wink, and my heart twisted with guilt. My bottom lip jutted out at the kind, reaffirming words that made me feel less like I was a terrible person who only had selfish motives like forever being tied to someone else. Maybe if he knew that, he would have thought different.

"Thank you, Dylan but it wasn't about Leah. Leah liked you a lot, she did. But—it's a lot to explain about her relationships with others. You shouldn't sell her short about it." My fingers weaved through my hair in search of a better explanation as all thought flew out of my ears. "It's—there's someone else, I think. I just need some time to…figure out what I want."

His mouth formed a gentle 'o' as he nodded slowly. A part of me expected anger to follow, though the majority of my sense told me he wasn't that type of person. After a moment, he shrugged.

"Well, I still think you're amazing and fun. Charlie isn't half bad either for this town. You won't kick me out of your life?"

The unexpected reply made me laugh as I shook my head in relief. "No, of course not. You're still invited to holiday and game night dinners, trust me."

With that, it was over. Calm acceptance. The tension in my body and the car depleted completely, and conversation flowed easily like warmed honey. Apparently the bridge was steel, incapable of burning, which made me full of reassurance that perhaps Leah would come around to her situation one day. And if she didn't, I still had a person whose company didn't feel like a cheese grater on my nerves. A win-win.

After dropping him off and shopping, I finally got to enjoy the true comfort of home. My bags banged painfully against my legs as I stepped inside, and Charlie came to help with a curious smile as he peeked into the bags.

"Dessert for an army?"

"How'd you know?"

Charlie chuckled, setting the bags on the table before he sat in the seat beside them. I started to prep. Oven on, and all of my ingredients lined up just in the order I needed. Charlie's heated stare was piercing, and it was only a moment before he said something which was always prefaced by a heavy inhale.

"So, Sue said we should go to dinner together tonight."

My hands froze, unable to process what I heard and continue to work at the same time. When I was confident I heard his words correctly, my hands resumed their busy work. Keep it casual—that was the most important.

"Oh, really? As in…"

"Show up to dinner together. Sue thinks it would be a good way to announce that we are together."

The cake pan that I was buttering clattered onto the counter. My head whipped around to meet his pleased grin. "You're kidding," was all I could say.

He shook his head, still grinning from ear to ear. "I would never kid about such a thing. I know just from your stares that it's…important to you."

Tears gleamed in my eyes that I swiped away before enveloping him in a hug. "Oh, I'm so happy for you, Dad. Finally," I whispered in his ear, earning a deep chuckle from him.

It was the family I'd not so subtly dreamed of having, and I couldn't wait to see everyone else when they saw. Especially Jake, who knew how much I'd hoped for this in recent years. Sue and Charlie had spent enough of their time alone.

He released me, keeping a squeezing hand on my arm as his expression turned suddenly severe. "Bells, I don't want to go back on everything I've said, but…I'm sorry that I reacted that way about you and…well, you know. I'm worried that I'll have to see you hurt again, and of course I don't want that. But I know you're an adult and I trust your judgment about it all, okay?"

I didn't know what to say, unable to keep my stomach from nervously turning over. There were no roadblocks anymore. No reason to not see where things went—was there?

Only half a step out of the car, and Jake bounded down the steps to Emily's house. It was dark, but based on the limited porch light and the sheer size of him, I knew who it was.

Fluffy snowflakes stuck to his face and hair and paired perfectly with the deep plum sky.

"Look at you," he grinned, eagerly reaching out for the giant cake carrier. He held it up, spinning it slightly to observe every angle. "I've waited years to get my hands on you." His eyes skirted to me next and narrowed as they looked me up and down. "And there's you too," he winked.

My eyes rolled, a small scoff rising as I brushed past him. He caught up to me easily, his heavy arm falling around my shoulders with a light squeeze. "I'm only kidding. You look…well, I won't say it. Got in trouble last time for using words like that within other people's hearing distance."

A shiver ran up my spine at the reminder. I couldn't resist looking up at him, seeing his sharp features with a genuine smile as we walked together. His arm didn't leave me when we walked in. Seth was sitting at the table with a grumpy look on his face, hardly casting a glance up at us as he did so.

Emily was in the kitchen, and through the doorway I could see Sam and Paul playing with the twins in the living room. One immediate absence I noticed was Leah, and my heart sank as a lump immediately formed in my throat. Jake's arm slung off me, and he gave me a gentle squeeze on my upper arm before walking over to the island and presenting the cake as if it was his own.

In the full light I could see he was wearing an olive long sleeve that sat pushed up over his elbows. He looked good when he tried to wear something that wasn't a plain black t-shirt. That was, if it was clean. I shivered at the reminder of his inability to do laundry properly. Red flag, if I'd ever known one.

Emily's mouth fell open at the sight of the cake, which I admit was monstrous. She beamed at me, her arms flying open to envelope me in a hug.

"Thank you so much," she covered with a strikingly short and quick whisper of, "baking again?" I nearly missed it, but caught Jake's sparkling stare. She was really asking why I was baking his favorite things again. Jake winked at me again before stalking out of the kitchen entirely.

Emily rushed away back to the stove as it sat covered with an extreme amount of food that made my mouth water. Seth sighed, drawing my attention. His head sat in his hands, rustling through his mussed dark hair.

I sat in the chair beside him, laying my head down on my arms. "And what seems to be your problem?"

He looked at me with a stare full of solemnity. "Leah," he let out another pitiful sigh.

I reached out to grasp his hand and give it a short squeeze. Everyone knew what was happening now, and that there wasn't a single thing they could do about Leah's inability to want to speak to anyone. We all just had to wait patiently and hope for the best.

Emily stepped in, rubbing his back with affection as she bent over into his view. "You can bring her food, okay?"

There was nothing else I could say that brought him any comfort, so I left him there and walked around the island to slip off the cover on the cake. Emily came in like a viper and swiped at the frosting on the side and popped it into her mouth.

"Hey!"

Emily groaned with delight. "He's not the only one that missed this cake. Peanut butter cream cheese? I can never get it right, and Jake always hates it when I even attempt it."

"I do not!" He shouted from the living room.

Emily's eyes rolled back into her head with drama as she nodded her head emphatically. Something about that made Seth grumble and slide from his seat to stumble into the living room. I gave Emily a questioning look to which she answered with a mischievous smile.

"I think he's a bit stressed about the whole…situation." She gestured to me and the living room. Two and two came together, and I understood. Seth had been a partial victim to our first…separation. He went everywhere with us when we were young, him wanting to fit in with the big kids. And when we split, he suddenly had to start to choose. I felt terrible about it, but there was no saving what we'd done due to our little agreement. My mind reached for a way to bring it up to him in casual conversation again. Maybe another day.

My thoughts were interrupted by the smack of the screen door that announced Sue and Charlie's grand entrance. Charlie was carrying some sort of covered dish with one hand, but the other was holding Sue's. Emily nearly dropped the ladle, her mouth hanging agape. A smile pulled at my cheeks, unable to contain it as Charlie beamed at me with pride I'd never seen before.

They were picturesque happiness. One that made me yearn to have someone to grow old with, to love, to cherish. It made me realize that I'd never actually seen him with anyone before, and that fact somehow made it easier to picture myself alone. The two of us against the world.

Now, seeing him capable of that form of happiness made it nearly impossible not to picture that for myself. Because it was something that I wanted, truly.

The twins led as everyone crowded into the kitchen, and filled the room with gasps of delight and congratulations. Seth even started to smile, as vague and partly empty as it was. My chest clenched as I still felt the abundant absence of Leah. I wanted—needed her to be here. She needed her family.

While everyone was busy, I took that as my golden opportunity to slip out. My feet had only just stepped off of the porch when I heard heavy footsteps beside me, already knowing who was on my tail.

"Go back inside. I'll be right back."

"I could force her to come to dinner, you know."

My steps faltered and I turned back to him. Jake nearly collided into me. I took a step back and craned my neck up at him as I felt a scowl build on my face. I folded my arms tight around my body to keep from shivering in the cold.

"I'm not going to force her. I'm going to convince her."

"She won't do it—I tried."

I turned back around and made my way to the car anyway. "Give me fifteen minutes."

"Dinner will be ready soon," Jake sang as he pulled open the passenger door with an unconvinced smirk.

"Not for another hour, maybe longer. We have time. Now, go."

He got into the car before me, and waited until I shut the door to speak. "Not a chance." He reached out and began to fiddle with the radio until he found his favorite station.

We'd only made it down the driveway before my annoyance climbed through my body and began spilling out of my mouth. "Why do you always have to invite yourself along my adventures?"

He shrugged, and shot me a pleasant smile. "You're chipper. And adventures? I thought this was going to be quick."

"It is," I grumbled. Hopefully. Hopefully she wouldn't toss me out on my ass. "I could be more chipper if you weren't inserting yourself into my business."

"No, I like it when you're snippy. And anyway, this business is my business too. She's avoiding everyone, not just you. Plus, who's gonna drive you home while you cry when she's mean to you?"

I gaped at his words. Leah would never, and I wasn't that sensitive. I think. There wasn't anything else that could be said as I pulled into her driveway and my nerves set in.

No lights were on, but her car was here. Promising—sort of. My lungs filled with partial regret and anxiety before I pushed it all out. I let my feet lead the way before my mind could catch up with it.

"Stay here," I shot back over my shoulder.

I shook out my hands as I walked up to the house. My hand lifted to knock on the door, and I realized that it was already open. Cracked, but definitely open. I pushed, and let it open so fully that it clunked against the wall behind it. The looming hallway before me was empty. Devoid of all light in a way that made the hairs on my arms rise. I didn't dare step into the house, but leaned forward to switch the light on from the inside. It took a moment, and the emptiness was washed away in an orange glow.

And then I saw it. Smeared on the floor. The walls. It wasn't a blink later and I smelled the rich tang that stung my nose and hung on the back of my tongue. My hand lifted on its own as I felt the cool wetness as the wind from the wintry air brushed against it.

Rouge. Bright, glittering in the orange glow yet pitch dark in the spots the light did not reach. Blood.

I could feel the scream rising in my throat, building up to the top and a hand slammed over my mouth before a single sound could be uttered. Jake's hand pressed tight against my mouth in a silent plea not to let a single sound slip as he held me flush against his body. My heart fluttered in my chest as I felt his body shutter at the complete contact before tense with a gentle shake to his entire being. And I waited.

Waited for what—I wasn't sure. For whatever it was that left the blood on the floor to get us. For Leah to appear around the corner. For Jake to transform quicker than I could breathe only to know that Leah was dead somewhere beyond us. Please don't let her be dead, my mind pleaded and screamed.

Jake's hand disappeared, his body not relaxing, but his grip loosened enough that I could breathe fully. It was a mistake, as my knees buckled immediately at the stench. The world started rolling and there wasn't anything I could think about but moving my body as close to the floor as possible. "Easy, Bella. It's not enough to kill her. She's not dead. Nobody's here."

He held me up, crushing me against him with an arm wrapped around my stomach as my body sagged forward to put my hands on my knees. I would not throw up. Anything but that. I inhaled through my nose and focused on the sweetness of the outdoor air until I could speak. "Wh-where is she?" Tears dribbled down my cheeks, unending.

"I need to go inside. A vampire was here. Stay with me."

Jake's hand slid into mine as he unwillingly tugged me through the house and began flipping on every light it contained. I tried not to process what I saw. Occasional blood and overturned furniture that was shredded to bits.

"Leah!" He shouted, loud enough my ears rang. He stepped around the blood, surveying each room until we went upstairs to the bedroom. It was empty, pristine and untouched. A polar contrast to the rest of the home.

Then I saw the only item out of place. A note, placed on the bed with blood smeared on the edges. Jake picked it up swiftly, his eyes running back and forth on the page.

I gripped his wrist and yanked it to my height to read the heavy handed scrawl.

You'll all die too.

That's all it said. Four words. Jake's muscles rippled with tension in a way that made a sharp pin of fear poke at me. I tried to take a step back, but the grip he had on my hand tightened.

He turned back to me, as if he'd forgotten I was there at all, eyes fervently searching mine. I could see he was lost and scared. Confused. That he didn't know what to say or do. He looked away in an instant, pinching the bridge of his nose as his bottom lip quivered with barely contained emotion.

Then the switch flipped, and the mask was back. He pulled his hand from his face and all traces of emotion were devoid, formed into hardened steel that became impenetrable.

He slid his phone out of his pocket in one fluid motion and dialed silently. I waited, unable to speak for fear that the smell would become overwhelming.

"Sam. You need to come to Leah's. Now." He spoke with ample authority that left no question or argument. He snapped the phone shut, and the sound made me jump, my ears no longer functioning in time with my body. My knees began to buckle and I was feeling dangerously woozy.

The breath rushed from my lungs, filling with tears that could supply the rain for days. I tried to pull myself together. To focus. But I couldn't. Jake said she wasn't dead, but…how could she not be? Where was she now? Dumped somewhere in the forest? The side of the road?

Jake must have pulled me through the house again, because I felt heavy hands on my shoulders shove me down onto the porch steps. How could such a calm evening have turned into a nightmare? He pushed my head down between my knees, and began rubbing my back. It was then I realized that my breath was too fast as it verged on hyperventilation. There was no stopping it, the shocked sobs that sliced through my body and lungs in painful succession. I raised my hands to my face before my sight caught the smeared and dried evidence of Leah's disappearance. I choked in horror, my hands shaking so ferociously in the blur of my tears that I couldn't see the warm electric ones that enveloped and concealed them from my view.

"We'll find her Bella. I'll find her. I promise."

"Why was there a vampire? Where could she be? Why—"

"I'll tell you the moment I know anything more."

Jake jumped to his feet as something came from the treeline and I had every hope that it was Leah herself. It was Sam, bolting at full speed as a human straight toward us. Jake began speaking so fast, my mind could hardly keep up.

"We went to convince her to come to dinner. The door was open, I don't know where—Embry! Stay with Bella. I saw her earlier…"

They marched into the house, their voices becoming a jumble of questions and answers as the rest of them rushed in. My breathing had calmed to a dull ache in my chest that threatened to crumble me into a ball of confusion again. Embry stood in front of me, glancing behind my back at the open door and blood that I knew dripped from the walls onto the floor.

I watched his expression harden much like Jake's, his jaw twitched with a stare full of worry. The stare turned to me and transformed into pity as they surveyed me. He bent down to the spot in the flowerbed beside the porch and scooped up some snow. It had begun to melt instantly, and he held it out to my hands. I accepted the dripping pile with confusion until he began to reach down and massage my palm and fingers until the remaining snow and water turned pink.

He worked without a single word, and I watched the evidence of Leah disappear until there wasn't a single trace left. Only hands nearly the same shade as the snow.

After some time, Jake drove us back to Emily's. Sam and several others began to pry through the woods in search of her. Her trace was left in the middle of the road without a single sign beyond that. Most likely a car, Jake had told me.

We didn't know how to tell Sue with Charlie there, but all went out the window with the production that we made. Jake told her immediately, and he sat on the porch to console her for a long time. We weren't to leave the house after that. Embry and Paul stayed—Seth was inconsolable when they tried to make him stay.

Emily sobbed silently as we cleaned up the forgotten dinner, too sick to our stomachs to imagine eating anything. Charlie was the last to know as he anxiously paced, obviously going back and forth from demanding answers or not. Admittedly, he was very patient. Jake sat him down last, Sue gripped his hand so tight her knuckles ran white as tears coursed down her face. I couldn't hear what they said, but it was significant enough that he kept casting me looks of what looked to be shock and clarification.

It all became real at that moment. If we had to tell the one person in the room who shouldn't have known, then there was no denying the danger we were in. Because apparently, we would all die too.