*DISCLAIMER: I do not own the rights to the Twilight Saga and it's characters. This is purely artistic fiction drawn in inspiration from Stephenie Meyer's words.

*WARNING: Brief mention of ED.

*Hi all! I hope you enjoy the new update. :)

Quil stuck his key into the front door to unlock it, turning the knob once the tumblers clicked into place. Embry was too busy concentrating on the way the autumn wind tousled Quil's inky shoulder length curls; he hadn't even noticed Quil already stepped inside. A heavy layer of perspiration clung to their copper skin, chaotic heartbeats lulling to a relaxed sinus rhythm, breathing returning to normal.

Neither of them were accustomed to running, but they felt it was too nice of a day to let the weather go to waste. The run was more of a walk until it wasn't. Embry needed something to expend his energy on and keep his mind off his mom. He chose to stay in his human form because he wanted to feel grounded; phasing always ran the risk of someone else joining and mucking up the collective. As much as he loved the pack, Embry wanted to keep his thoughts, especially his memories, to himself.

Quil felt his absence and rotated on the ball of his foot to face Embry who was propped in the doorway with a distracted expression.

"You comin', babe?" Quil asked. He fixated on Embry's musky scent, the spice of his cologne and skin mixing to create an alluring cocktail of irresistible pheromones.

"Y-yeah. Sorry, I was thinking about somethin'."

"What about, Bry?" Quil ushered his boyfriend inside. His right arm coiled around Embry's waist, palm shoving the door closed once he'd completely stepped through the threshold.

"You're gonna make fun of me."

"I will not." A mischievous glint shone in Quil's eyes as he peered up at him.

"Will too," Embry paused, covering his face with his hands.

"Try me." Quil pried Embry's hands away, bringing his knuckles up to his lips for a brief peck.

"It doesn't matter. I'd tell you, anyway. I was just thinking about where I'd be if I didn't have you."

"Probably a lot worse off." Quil added, sneaking under the disconnected loop of Embry's arms.

"Yeah, probably." Embry grinned, "I'm surprised you didn't say something like 'laying down, face first in a ditch somewhere'."

"I felt like being a little nicer today. I don't have to be in your head to know what you're thinking about."

Quil hooked his index finger and thumb onto the end of Embry's chin, tilting his slender face down so he could gaze into the colorless void of his eyes. Anyone else would fail at deciphering where his pupils started and where his saucer like irises ended, but Quil often marveled at the sparse flecks of honey and burnt ochre blotting the centers. He'd studied those eyes so many times like he were lost at sea and they were a map to salvation.

"How generous." Embry replied, voice trailing off to nothing more than a whisper.

In the silence, they closed the rest of the distance between them, lips meshing together. The kiss, soft and needy, was interrupted by the whisper of bare feet padding on wood floor. Non-shifters wouldn't have been able to hear it. Quil and Embry pivoted to high alert, eyes searching for the culprit. Footsteps. Closer and closer. Neither of them were prepared for a fight, let alone in the house. But there would be no fight, Bella came waltzing around the corner. She was wearing nothing but Jake's baggy t-shirt, faded and frayed material exposing the entirety of her left shoulder, skirting around the outside of her right breast.

"Oh my God—I'm so... I'm so sorry. We didn't know when you two would be back." She said with a ghost of a whisper, clutching at the loose fitting t-shirt, trying to straighten the collar over her neck.

"Clearly, babe," Quil chuckled, taking in the change of scent from her. "Not only do you reek of Jake, your hair is messy, and your face has a rosy post-sex glow. Looks like you're wearing his t-shirt from this morning, too. You must have had a real nice time while we were out."

"We uhh—

Jake came barreling around the corner, only wearing basketball shorts, chest puffed slightly. "Don't pay him any mind, Bells. I know I don't."

"Whatever you say, Black." Quil snickered. "I'm glad you lost your virginity. Only took you four years."

"I n-never s-said—" Jake stuttered, cheeks flushing maroon. The shade in question was stark compared to the cardinal red color that lit up Bella's face like a Christmas tree. She shuffled from the room and hurried up the stairs. Back to Jake's room, muttering all the way.

Jake scowled, eyes darting to the landing, "now look what you did."

"What? I didn't say anything." Quil shrugged. "Nothing bad, anyway."

"You're not the best with words, babe." Embry squeezed him tighter. "I think she was embarrassed. I would be too if you broadcasted it like that."

"Let me go fix it." Jake grumbled.

"You go do that. I've got a boyfriend to kiss." Quil watched Jake lumber back up the stairs, turning his attention back to Embry.

"I swear," Embry shook his head, "you have a one track mind."

"They did interrupt us." Quil closed the gap, pulling Embry's face into his hands. "It's our home, too—Jake said so. This is what I'd do with you if we had our own house."

Quil pressed his lips to Embry's, a quick peck followed by a deeper, less subtle kiss. Embry enjoyed when Quil was possessive. It was a seldom thing, very rare. Quil continued kissing him between shallow inhales, fingers curling under the collar of Embry's cut-off Les Depplin' shirt, pulling him close.

"Well, almost exactly what I'd do." Quil mouthed, enamored with his imprint.

"But they know everything, Jake."

"It's hard to keep secrets from shifters, honey. Besides, it was kind of obvious by the way we were dressed."

"I just feel—ugh." She washed her hands down her face, the blush still very evident. "And the whole virginity thing..."

He took her hands and held them in his massive ones. "Listen, I'm telling you they don't care. Quil was just being an ass."

"They know we had sex," she hissed. "Stupid were-shifter-thingy-stuff!" Bella shouted, rolling her eyes.

"Were-shifter-thingy-stuff?" He mocked her, a big goofy smile flitting over his expression.

"Sorry," Bella nodded, "I'm frustrated."

"I know. It's my fault. I didn't hear them come in because I was too busy kissing you." He hooked his right arm around her shoulders and drew her into his fiery arms. Jake cupped her face, leaning down to plant a singular, soft kiss on her lips.

He continued, "we could do this all day, and I would love nothing more than to do just that... But I've got some work to get done on your truck."

She stared up at him, mouth hung open, awestruck and dubious. "Wait. You're gonna fix it up today?"

"I figured the sooner the better, honey. She needs air in the tires, an oil change, and some maintenance work. Once I'm done, you can drive it 'till your little heart's content."

"Thanks, Jake." Bella pressed a curt kiss to the side of his cheek.

They separated for a moment, Bella started to get dressed for the day until Jake drew her back in for more affection. They didn't end up leaving the house to go to the garage until sometime after 2PM, caught up in each other's willing embrace.

"So, where's the therapist located? The one you're thinking of going to see?"

"Just outside of Forks. It's a home office. She specializes in C-PTSD counseling, ADHD diagnosis and generalized anxiety treatment."

"Are you gonna be okay talking to her? I worry about you if she's gonna be asking you tough things that could make you flare up." Jake turned a wrench, tightening up a few loose bolts in the engine bay of the Chevy.

"Yeah, I'm sure I'll be okay. Therapy is meant to help, not hurt." Bella said, taking a quiet bite of her snack, pita chips with chickpea humus. She was sitting cross-legged on an old green couch in the back corner of the garage. Chip bag beside her while she balanced the humus on a nearby toolbox, other hand clutching a book.

"You know," Jake looked up from under the hood, onyx hair creating a half curtain around the right side of his face, "you've made so much progress. I think you almost finished one full crepe today."

"That's because I'm trying really hard. Like really, really hard, Jake. It's a lot of fighting against myself, telling my brain that it's wrong. What you don't see is the turmoil I swallow down. Managing one more bite of food, listening for nonexistent footsteps, expecting everyone to make decisions for me..."

He was pensive for a moment, hand curled around the wrench turning into a white-knuckled fist.

"I wish you didn't have to suffer. I wish I could make it all go away with the snap of my fingers."

"What's done is done. All we can do is move forward. It might take a while, but I'm willing to put in the work to get myself back to normal."

"I'll be right by your side the whole way. On to bigger and better things, Bells."

"Yeah, like school."

"You gonna start college?" Jake set his wrench down, wiping grease from his hands with a spare rag.

She nodded, "I was thinking of applying and attending WSU, but I don't know if I'd get accepted. Even if I did, I'd start during the winter semester."

"What would you major in?"

"Something science or history related. I think I'd ease into it and get the general education courses out of the way, maybe work part time on the side."

"You could always do receptionist work at our shop. Jared's always losing invoices and Paul can be too gruff with customers," he beamed. "If you worked at the shop, then we could spend more time together."

"That sounds promising, but I don't want to invade your work space and the way we're going I'm practically moved in already."

"If anything, you'd be a welcome breath of fresh air."

"I doubt that." Her mind envisioned the chaos of the shop, watching all the men scramble around. Bella wondered about Leah, the only member of the pack who didn't want to work there.

She bit her lower lip in thought, "how come Leah doesn't work at the shop? I remember Seth mentioning that." Bella was curious if the whole falling out with Sam and Emily was the true reason.

"Leah doesn't like cars, she's more of a gym rat. She found a job working as a nutritionist at the one she goes to. Which is fine with me, it doesn't matter what she does as long as she's happy."

"I'm glad you gave her the choice. I wonder what Sunny does. I wish I had more time to talk to her at the bonfire."

"I don't know too much about her. Leah likes keeping her to herself, but I do know she teaches kindergarten outside the rez, and kick boxing on the side."

"Hey, love birds!" Quil called. "How do stuffed shells sound for dinner?" He was standing in the frame of the side door to the garage, brandishing a pair of tongs. A lime green apron was drawn over his front, the words 'Kiss the Chef' embroidered in red lettering across the chest. Bella couldn't contain her snicker of approval.

"Who said you were cooking, Ateara?" Jake said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I did. Now answer my question."

"It sounds pretty good." Jake faced Bella.

Bella frowned, "what are the noodles stuffed with?"

"Mozzarella and Colby jack. You'll have to wait and taste the culinary magic."

Bella made a queasy face, worrying about what sort of seasoning Quil was going to put on the food. Jake told her he had a penchant for eating weird stuff, foods like hot sauce drizzled ice cream and ketchup in his cereal. Something about the textures and tastes being wildly different. Bella envisioned the shells in question, seeing him keeping them more al dente than she preferred and smothering them in cinnamon. The thought of crunchy, sweet pasta made her stomach roll.

Jake watched her expression change. "Don't worry. He's cooking for everyone else so he won't go too overboard." He assured her.

"Right." She chuckled, tucking her bookmark into the confides of her well-worn copy of Withering Heights. It was her second read through in a week. She knew the book well enough to recite lines in her sleep.

Jake pulled up the newly washed top sheet, trailing it over Bella's lower half, tucking it under her. She was facing away from him, not quite asleep, but somewhere in between.

"Bells?" He asked, rubbing his hand along her bare shoulder.

"Hm?"

"Are you sure you're gonna be alright with me going back to work tomorrow?"

"I'll be fine, Jake." She mumbled.

"Just checkin'. Help yourself to whatever you want while we're gone."

"Okay."

"And don't you dare do any cleaning. Tomorrow is for you to relax. Well, besides the phone call."

"No promises." Bella chuckled. "I'm sure I'll be bored within an hour."

"I mean it." He laid down beside her, squeezing her around the middle.

She said some gibberish that Jake couldn't understand, and he smiled, knowing she was falling asleep.

The night came and went faster than anticipated.

Jake's little black alarm blared at 7 AM on the dot. Its shrill hands reached into Bella's subconscious and jostled her unwillingly awake from from a happy, relaxing dream. She rose with a grimace, smacking her hand down on the box until it ceased its relentless noise. Bella sat up carefully as to not disturb Jake, slipping on a spare pair of clean basketball shorts before she snuck downstairs this time. When she rounded the landing and passed down the hall, the couch was still, a tangled mass of copper skin and green quilt.

She tiptoed to the kitchen, resigning herself to brewing a fresh pot of coffee as quietly as possible. By the time the delicious liquid gold began pumping out into the glass below, she was interrupted by an entirely silent Embry. He'd heard her come down the stairs before she even passed them on the couch. Bella turned back around to grab creamer from the fridge and nearly dropped the mug she was holding.

"You scared me." She whispered, scowl on her heart-shaped face.

"Sorry. Is it alright if I have some too?" Embry asked. "I haven't been sleeping well." Not that coffee would affect him, but he wished it did.

"Of course. Here." Bella grabbed a second mug from the cupboards and poured him a cup. She gestured to the cream, and he shook his head.

"I'll take some sugar, though. For the coffee." Embry cleared his throat, clarifying.

Bella stifled a laugh, "I know what you meant."

The two stood in the familiar silence for a little while, enjoying their warm drinks and staring out the window at the beautiful sunrise of molten gold and orange leeching onto the steady horizon. A little over five minutes in, they were joined by Quil, who requested Embry make pancakes between a yawn and rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I'll go wake Jake up. I know he'll want some." Bella set her mug down on the counter, careful not to spill a drop.

While she crept back up the stairs, she heard Quil ask Embry about something to do with work. When she returned to his room, Jake was sprawled out in the middle of their bed, half under the sheet. She knelt beside him on the mattress, leaning down to kiss his cheek. He scooped her up in a flurry of movement. A ghost of a shriek died on her lips, followed by a sudden cadence of giggles. They laughed, limbs woven together on top of the bed.

"Good morning to you, too." She joked.

"I was awake the moment you left the bed. I'm just a late riser, is all."

"So that's your story, huh?" She playfully elbowed him.

"Don't poke the bear, missy. I know all your ticklish spots." Jake grumbled.

"Doesn't scare me." Bella rolled her eyes.

"That's it. You're in for it, Bells." He crooned, digging his paws into either side of her abdomen. She tried and failed miserably to contain her bubbling laughter, wriggling around under his heavy weight. He couldn't help but grin, watching her squirm and fight a futile, albeit brief battle.

"Truce! Truce—hicc—p-please!" He had her snorting and hiccuping by the time he stopped, tears streaming down the slopes of her rosy cheeks.

"I'll call it a win for me. I gotta get up and get dressed anyhow."

He separated from her with a sweet kiss on top of her crown, standing in one languid motion. Jake made his way to his empty walk-in closet and pulled out a freshly folded jumpsuit, along with matching black t-shirt, new underwear and jeans for underneath. Without so much as a blink, he stripped his shorts off and stepped out of them, tossing them into the hamper.

Holding the elastic taut, he stepped into the new pair and slid them up to his hips, making sure the waistband was snug in the right place. Jake looked back up to find Bella staring at him, a dazed look on her expression. She was biting her lower lip. God, how he loved when she did that.

"You see anything you like, honey?" He joked, flexing his biceps and triceps for her. She slapped her hands over her face, hiding from pure embarrassment.

"Was I staring?"

"Yeah, but I'll let it slide. You're my girlfriend. I'll let you take free peeks anytime you want." He smirked, shooting a wink in her direction.

She blushed harder, thoughts turning to mush, words mashing together as they left her petal pink lips. "Gee, how t-thoughtful."

Jake flashed a full, pearly smile. "You love me."

"I do. I do love you." She repeated. "Now get dressed before you're late. Embry's probably done making pancakes by now."

"We're running low as it is. They're gonna eat me out of house and home." His shoulders slumped as he tugged his tight fitting t-shirt over his broad shoulders.

"We can go shopping after you get home from work."

He agreed, nodding curtly as he continued to get ready.

Bella settled herself onto a chair in the dining room, hugging her knees to her chest. She propped open Jake's laptop on the mahogany table, and the previously black screen lit up the small room. Her middle finger hovered over the mouse pad in the center, eyes scanning over the default Home Screen. There were a handful of default icons, save for a folder marked 'Family'. She didn't dare snoop. That was Jake's privacy she'd be violating.

Bella was borrowing his laptop for the moment; she'd forgotten to write down the phone number she needed for calling the therapist. She clicked on the browser in the top left corner of the screen, typing 'therapists near me' into the search engine that popped up first thing. Bella scrolled until she found the link she'd visited before for the therapist she wanted. She scribbled down the phone number listed on a note pad and picked up her cellphone, punching in the numbers on the key pad. Once it started ringing, she lifted it to the shell of her ear.

Click.

"Hello, this is Sara Harvey, you've reached Harvey and Williams. What can I help you with today?"

Bella clutched the phone, her heart suddenly began to race. "Hi. Uhm. My name is Bella. Bella Swan."

"Hello, Bella. What can I do for you?"

"I was calling—er—wondering if you were taking on any new patients?"

"Are you inquiring about beginning therapy?"

"Yes, I am."

"I have two more available time slots on Mondays and Wednesdays. Would either of those days work for you?"

"I have an open schedule right now, so it doesn't matter to me."

"I see. I have a 2:30 PM time slot later today. By any chance, could you come in for an initial assessment?"

"I can do that. I'm eager to get back on the right track."

"Is that what you're hoping to achieve with therapy?"

"I suppose so. I kind of already know a lot's wrong with me. But I'm trying to stay positive and work towards healing."

"That's wonderful to hear. I look forward to meeting you in person at 2:30. Until then, I hope you have a pleasant morning."

"Thank you. You too."

Bella jammed her thumb into the end call button, closing the flip phone with a flick of her wrist, lowering her hand to her lap. She stared off into the distance, glancing toward the window at the steadily rising sun. It was 9AM, nearly 10. There wasn't much to do other than cleaning, unless she decided on finishing Withering Heights for the third time. Jake would just have to deal with her cleaning. Cleaning was how she kept herself busy and her mind free of clutter.

She ended up vacuuming, mopping the kitchen floor, scrubbing away the build up of soap scum in the shower, and finishing two loads of laundry by the time 1:45 rolled around. Bella changed into a clean set of clothes she brought; nothing special, just an old trip t-shirt from living with Reneé and some jeans. Alice surprisingly let her keep all of them because they held sentimental value despite most of them falling apart from wear. She washed her face and brushed her teeth real quick before running out the door with one of Jake's zip up hoodies thrown on.

Bella sat in her idling Chevy, watching the clock change to reflect 2:24 PM. She threw the parking brake on and put the truck in neutral. Once more, she glanced down at the address she printed off MapTrip and stared at the matching numbers across the front of the ranch style grey house. There were numerous pots of flowers bordering the sidewalk that lead to the front stoop. Chrysanthemums, dahlias, and roses in varying shades of red, white and pink littered the walkway.

She tucked her car keys into her pocket along with the folded MapTrip paper and exited her truck, beginning the walk up to the house. Bella stumbled on the last step up to the house but recovered quickly, just about to ring the doorbell when the it opened. A middle-aged woman with short, stylized red hair stood in the door way, a soft look on her worn face.

"Bella?"

"Yes. Hi." Bella responded.

"I'm Sara. It's nice to meet you. Please come in." Sara turned and gestured to the inside of the house.

"Nice to meet you, too." Bella stepped forward hesitantly, but continued through with her steps until she passed the threshold.

Sunlight poured through the vibrant drapes, casting a warm glow over the room. The living set, adorned with cushions in of pebble gray, beckoned her with its sense of comfort. The air was filled with a fresh scent, citrusy with a hint of mint.

"Please, have a seat. Get comfortable."

Bella sat down on a loveseat sofa across from where Sara chose to sit.

She continued, "so tell me, what brings you here today?"

"I decided I needed therapy."

"What made you decide that?"

"I've been through... a lot in my life."

"Can you elaborate?"

"Well, I'm newly divorced. I married when I was eighteen and the relationship was... horrible to say the least. I should have never married in the first place. It was his idea. I went along with it. I worshiped him and the ground he walked on."

"Go on." Sara began to take down notes with a red pen on a planner in her lap.

"His name is Edward. He is—was—perfect." Bella was trying not to give away any hints to the fact he was very much dead. "What I mean is—he seemed perfect to me in every way. But I was so so wrong about him. It wasn't until a few months into the marriage that I realized how controlling he was. I had no say in our honeymoon, or when we were coming back. I couldn't talk to my dad for weeks. Which then turned into months."

"And how did that make you feel?"

"Trapped." Bella felt her throat tighten. "Like a doll for everyone to play dress up and house with. So I contacted a lawyer and had the paperwork drawn up. I knew I wouldn't be able to face him, so I left him and his perfect family, left Alaska. I drove back to Washington about a week ago and here I am now."

"You lived in Alaska? Can you tell me about it?"

"I would hardly call it living. No sunlight. At all. Like I said, everything was decided for me. My hair, my clothes, my car. I didn't feel like me—more like a shell of myself. It made me develop... an eating disorder."

"An eating disorder?"

"I forget to eat. I literally just... forgot. Because of how I lived there."

"Were they making comments about you eating too much?"

"No, they didn't like the food I was eating..." Bella wasn't lying. "But that's about it. I guess I just took it to heart."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"I haven't told anyone this. Well, the only person who knows is my best friend... err, boyfriend. We were best friends before I got married, and when I came back to Washington, he picked me up and dusted me off. He's been a great support along with my other friends. The ones I left behind when I moved away."

"That's good. A support system is vital for healing."

"I'm terrified of my ex-husband coming back here. I hoped a divorce would be enough, but he was so controlling and manipulative. I didn't face him before I left."

"Are you afraid he might try to contact or hurt you?"

"No." Bella lied again. "My dad's the chief of police in Forks. So I'm not scared."

"That's good to know. Can you tell me a little about your boyfriend?"

"His name's Jacob, but I call him Jake. He's warm, like the power of the sun harnessed in one living person. He's happy, soft, understanding, and everything Edward isn't."

"Oh, that's a much needed improvement."

Sara sat for a little while, contemplating all that Bella had told her. Bella looked at the clock on the wall and blanched, she'd been talking for nearly an hour.

"I believe I'll need a few more sessions to unpack all of this information before I can formally diagnose you."

"That's fine with me."

"Would this time next week be a good time?"

"I think I can do that."

"Thank you for coming today. It's a step in the right direction, Bella. My goal as a clinical psychologist is to help you identify what you're suffering from and to heal from the trauma that's been inflicted upon you."

"Thanks, Doc."

"Call me Sara."

"Thanks... Sara."

Bella stood from her chair and walked toward the door. Sara joined her at the door, opening it for her. Bella gave an awkward short wave, forgetting to look as she backed down the steps, resulting in a slight stumble when she missed one. She shot an assuring glance toward Sara and turned to head toward the Chevy, continuing her hurried pace. For the first time in a long time, she felt some comfort in knowing someone else had heard her out. She didn't have to keep some secrets left inside. It was a sigh of relief.

Bella was free; she was safe, loved.

*Please leave a review/heart while you're here! They really mean the world to me and I appreciate every single one of you whether you do or don't. :D Stay tuned!