*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 strong language.

A FEW DAYS LATER

A hand, wreathed in light, reaching for her, trying to grab her from the all-encompassing darkness. It was inherently strong, copper in color.

Jake.

Bella awoke with a start, sitting up in her bed.

"Whoa there, Bells. Didn't mean to scare ya." Charlie voiced, leaning in the door way to her childhood room.

"You didn't. Bad dream." She replied flippantly.

"I thought you'd be over those by now." His face scrunched up.

"Guess not." She shrugged.

"That's alright. They'll go away in time." He leaned forward on the balls of his feet. "Speaking of time."

Charlie stood straight, removing his right arm from behind his back. In his hand, he held something small with a purple ribbon tied to it. Bella grimaced. Of course.

"I thought we understood each other. I said no presents then and I mean it still." She shook her head.

"Yeah, well, still doesn't count because it's not wrapped. It's not anything crazy. Just a little somethin' that I thought you'd appreciate."

He stepped through the threshold of her doorway and handed her the box as she sat up. She held it out away from her like it weighed a thousand pounds; a familiar dread bubbled up inside her stomach. Another year older. Another year of nothing accomplished. Failure.

"Just open it. It's not the end of the world." Charlie huffed.

"I know." She pulled at the ribbon, carefully dissecting the shiny bow. Underneath it was a scuffed, dusty, black velvet box. A ring box. Bella popped it open, staring down at the simple gold band inside. A cascade of questions unfurled within her mind. "What is this?"

"It's grandma's wedding band. I thought I lost it, but I did some cleaning in the attic and found it packed away with a bunch of other stuff. I figured you would want it."

"Grandma Helen?" She asked.

Bella grasped the band with her thumb and pointer finger, letting it sit in the center of her other palm. She appraised the muted detail carved into the metal; tiny, nearly indistinguishable flowers and swirls danced along the band.

"Yep."

"Also—you? Clean? Are you coming down with something, dad?" Bella giggled. Thick rays of sunlight poured in from the closest window, warming her skin where it touched and revealing the hidden auburn in her long hair.

"Hardy har. No, I'm not sick." He rolled his eyes. "Sure I could clean more. I promise I'm getting better about things."

"Could it have anything to do with Michelle? Are you two dating finally?"

Charlie cleared his throat, coughed, and averted his gaze. "Sort of."

"Holy sh—Dad! You have to tell me these things." Bella sighed and sifted her fingers through her long chestnut brown hair. "How long? How long have you been together? Spill."

"We've been sort of seeing each other for a little under a year. It's getting kinda serious, but not that serious yet. I just figured I better clean out the clutter and make room for new memories. It's never too late to start over." He rubbed the back of his neck, a stark blush creeping over his cheeks.

Bella had never seen her father act this way before. It was different. It was... nice. She wasn't used to it, but it was something she could get used to. He was genuinely happy. He'd lamented over Reneé long enough. Bella was glad to see her dad finally find someone who could love and take care of him, too.

"That's awesome, dad. I'm happy for you. Thank you for grandma's ring. I might have to get it cleaned. It's tarnished."

"There's a jewelry place in Port Angeles that should clean it for you, free of charge. Just promise me Jake goes with ya."

"Perfect! I was planning on going to the mall with some of my friends this weekend, anyway. Two birds with one stone."

"You're going shopping? Willingly?"

"You can call it that."

"Huh. Guess both of us are changing."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

"Yeah. Real good." Charlie nodded curtly. "Love ya, kiddo. I'm proud of you. I'll always be proud to call you my kid. Glad you came into the world a little over two decades ago."

"Don't say it like that." Bella said, mouth clamped into a firm line. She shot up from the bed and playfully punched his arm, faking a boxing stance.

"Watch those fists of fury. I'm getting close to retirement age." He joked, pretending to wave a white flag. "Truce!"

"You're not even fifty. You and mom had me when you were young."

He paused, recalibrating. "Is that... Jake I hear? At the door?"

"What? I haven't even gotten ready yet and—" Bella stopped. Before she could yell at her dad, Charlie had already rounded the corner, making his way down the stairs. "That's not fair!"

"Sure it is, Bells." He laughed as he descended each step.

"Is not!"

"Happy birthday!" Charlie called from the landing.

"Don't remind me." She shouted back.

Some things wouldn't change. Like how much she hated growing older, and her birthday. But others, like wanting to go out and explore, to live... that was changing. She was slowly gathering herself, gluing all the infinite, jagged pieces of her psyche and her heart together again. It wouldn't happen overnight, nor would it happen in three weeks; things would fall into place when they were meant to.

Bella huffed, both hands perched on her hips. It was eight in the morning. Jake wasn't expected to see her until at least nine. She still had time to get ready. She hurried to catch a quick shower, brushed her teeth, hair, and managed part of a pop-smart when she heard the knock at the front door.

"I'll get it. You eat." Charlie ordered.

She nodded and swallowed the lump of emulsified pastry, following it with a tiny swig of milk. Her dad opened the door and let Jake inside after a warm, albeit somewhat terse half hug in greeting.

"Jacob, you grow taller every time I see ya. I swear." Charlie mumbled incredulously.

"I think you're just shrinking, Chief Swan." Jake chuckled. "I'm still growing. Blame it on my grandfather's genes."

Charlie nodded, pointing to the kitchen. "Sounds about right. Bella's in there. But don't let her leave till she finishes her breakfast."

"On it." Jake agreed, ducking through the door frame to the kitchen from the walkway.

"You two conspiring against me now?" Bella raised an eyebrow, debating the last bite of her food. Her stomach growled in disapproval.

"No. Just looking out for you, is all." Jake corrected her.

"I see. Well, you're welcome to the other piece. It's gonna take me a minute to finish the last bite of this one."

"We have time. Don't have to be anywhere today."

"Yeah, I was wondering... My dad gave me my grandma's wedding band this morning. Do you think we could go to a jewelry shop out in Port Angeles to get it cleaned?"

"Let me see." He asked. She raised her left hand, showcasing the slightly dingy gold band on her middle finger. "I don't see a reason why not. Quil and Embry are taking Paul out there today. We can make it a group trip."

"Are you sure they won't mind?"

"Nah. I'm sure Quil would appreciate help." Jake was thoughtful for a moment. "I'll have to pick something out for you while we're there."

"Jacob." She whined.

"Bells." He gently mocked her. "Just thinking about today, your birth—

—no saying the b word!" She covered his mouth with her hand, and he gingerly swatted it away with a chuckle.

"I'll never understand you. What's so bad about your birthday, honey?"

"I hate getting older." She grumbled, irritably stuffing the last bite of pop-smart into her mouth and chewing it.

"Everyone gets older." He stated matter-of-factly.

She swallowed the dry piece of pastry with a scowl. "You aren't."

"Of course I am."

"You look the same as you did four years ago. Every day I get more wrinkles."

"You do not, Bells."

They stared at each other for a minute before laughing together. They both knew Bella was right about one thing. As long as Jake kept phasing, he was perpetually frozen in time. He hadn't aged since he was 16. His age was finally catching up to his physical form.

It was decided, they'd all pile in Quil's baby blue Scubaru Outback.

"Who said you were driving?" Paul seemed offended, a mean-looking frown painted on his face.

"Since you drive a filthy monster truck I refuse to ride in and it's the only car with room for all of us. Now quit your griping and get in." Quil quipped.

"I didn't think we'd be lugging around two extras." Paul shrugged.

"There's nothing wrong with us crashing your makeover." Jake elbowed Paul before they got in the car. Hard. "You won't even notice we're there."

"I just figured that it'd be easier for all of us to make one big trip instead of going later." Bella added, buckling into the middle seat.

There wasn't a lot of room squished in between Jake and Paul, but she knew she was as safe as possible. They were walking walls of muscle. Jake draped his arm over Bella's shoulders, giving her a slight barrier between her and Paul's sour attitude.

"Now that you mention it... I guess I did ask for your help." Paul faced Bella, peering over Jake's ridiculously muscular right arm.

"The more the merrier." Quil said. "You need all the help you can get, Lahote."

Quil tilted his chin down and the pair of tortoise-shell Guchi sunglasses that were perched on top of his head fell into place onto the bridge of his nose. He leaned over and pressed a fiery kiss to Embry's cheek before double checking the placement of all mirrors. Bella hardly pressed her buckle in place before Quil shifted into reverse and they floored it back down Jake's winding driveway.

The drive to Port Angeles was relatively calm. The obnoxious volume of early 2000s pop music and Quil's singing drowned out any complaining Paul attempted. By the time they reached the mall, everyone was ready to get up and stretch their legs. Bella wished to stay in the car despite Quil's chaotic driving, envisioning a daydream. The rumble of the Chevy, sunlight pouring in through the windshield. A road trip and a couple days at a cabin further north, where they could hike, maybe even swim; some place she could spend alone time with Jake.

"Okay—first stop is Sepora. Gotta fix that greasy mug of yours. I have points to redeem, so we'll use my phone number. The next reward tier is a free sample size of expensive moisturizer."

Bella cringed. A memory of Alice painting her with every product known to man flooded her mind, icy needle-like fingers digging into Bella's shoulder so she'd sit still. A shiver danced up her spine. She hated the thought. She shook her head side to side, freeing herself from the rampant anxiety that bloomed inside her chest.

"Whatever you say, Captain Sparkles." Paul briefly smirked from the backseat, undoing his buckle.

Jake read Bella's pointed reaction. "We'll meet up with you guys later. We've got some stores we're gonna hit up."

Bella nodded, thankful that she didn't have to go into the makeup store. "Yeah, you guys go ahead."

"Let's meet at the food court at noon. I'm feeling pizza with guac, today." Quil suggested.

"That sounds good." Bella replied quietly. Her stomach completed a somersault, rejecting the idea of pizza with avocado. "Not the pizza thing, though."

"Alright. We'll see you in a bit." Embry said, smiling, lacing his fingers with Quil's as they headed toward the main mall entrance. Paul wandered behind them like a lost puppy, hands shoved into the confides of his bermuda shorts, mouth still twisted into a frown.

"After you, honey." Jake held one of the glass double doors to the mall open for Bella, and she shuffled through the threshold sheepishly.

"Thanks, Jake." She responded, wringing her hands together as they walked inside.

The first thing Bella and Jake did was check the directory for a jewelry store. They found several but opted to go with one of the smaller choices for a chance at better quality service. They headed toward the farthest section of the mall, taking their time as they went. It would take Quil a good while before he made all the selections for Paul, and then the ones he wanted for himself. Jake and Bella would have plenty of time.

When they reached the archway to the small family-owned business, they wandered in slowly, being the only customers inside the dusty smelling shop with beige carpeting. There were several neon yellow signs written with sharpie perched on and around the cases, indicating that there was a sale going on. A middle-aged woman greeted them from behind the counter. She held an old world sort of beauty, gray streaks in her long ginger pony tail. The woman was wearing a navy colored pant suit and shiny kitten heels, same color.

"Hi there. My name is Barbara. What can I do for you today?"

"Hi," Bella started, holding out her hand, "I was wondering if I could get this ring cleaned?"

Barbara appraised Bella's middle finger, grasping the pair of glasses on a chain from around her neck. She peered through the lenses down her nose at the ring for a few seconds.

"Ah. 14k. Beautiful condition. Of course. Anything else while you're here?"

"N-no, that's it." Bella stuttered. "Please."

"Right away. Give me a few moments. I'll pop it into the cleaner."

"Thank you." Bella replied, looking back at Jake who was staring at one of the cases of rings that littered the sales floor. She carefully removed the ring from her hand and gave it to Barbara, who disappeared with it around the back corner of the store.

Bella continued, grumbling, "don't you even think about buying anything for me."

"Little late for that, honey." Jake said, finishing perusing the case he was at.

"What? No, Jake. I don't need anything. It's just a date on the calendar."

"It is, but it's also your birthday." He said softly. "I wanted to get something nice for you. Is there anything that catches your eye in the cases?"

"It's all really expensive."

"Not really. Look at the signs. There's a sale. Just tell me which one, Bells."

She turned and peered through the glass, eyes meandering through the dozens of rows and columns of rings. A moonstone ring caught her attention; the cloudy, ethereal white with a slight blue sheen stood out amongst the dozens of colored gemstone and regular clear diamond rings. Something about it, perhaps the name, attracted Bella to it. Moonstone was gorgeous on its own, but the longer she thought about it, the more she felt connected to the little ring in the case. The moon was associated with wolves, which Jake transformed into, so it came with a double meaning.

"No, I don't see anything." She lied. Horribly.

"I've known you long enough to know when you're lying. Which one do you like?" He pressed.

She swallowed hard, grinding her teeth together. A warmth spread over her cheeks, and she sighed through her clenched teeth.

"I like moonstone." She mumbled, pointing to the lone ring in the case. It was sixty dollars. Sixty that she didn't have. Sixty that she didn't want him to spend on her. Sixty that could've been used on more important things.

"That's really pretty." He agreed.

"Please tell me you won't buy it."

"Bella, honey," he started—

—Here you are. Good as new." Barbara's voice sounded from around the corner, followed by her clacking of heels.

She held out the ring to Bella. Bella took it carefully from her hands and placed it back on her middle finger. The tarnished metal was shiny now, a perfect loop of yellow gold. Reflecting off the polished surface, a telltale glint caught her attention. There was a singular diamond hidden in the center of a chiseled flower along the band. She hadn't even noticed, it was so tiny.

"Thank you so much—it's beautiful. I didn't even notice the details." Bella's head bobbled up and down, she was trying to ignore the dread returning in the pit of her stomach. Grandma Helen's ring must have been worth quite a lot.

"It's an older ring. I can tell. Is there anything else I can help you find today?" She faced Jake, who continued to eye the case in front of them.

"No, that's alright." Bella said immediately. "I appreciate you cleaning it for me. Do I owe you anything?"

"Not at all. We do cleanings for free." Barbara responded with a soft smile.

"Actually, can we see this one? The moonstone one?" Jake interrupted, stooping over the case that held the ring she picked out.

"Of course." Barbara walked over to the case and unlocked it, taking out the ring Bella said she liked.

Bella squeezed her eyes shut tightly for a moment, a tiny gasp of air escaping her petal pink lips. She hated her birthday. She hated when people bought her things and doted on her.

"Thank you." Jake replied, turning to face Bella. "Here. Take a look, honey."

"Are you two looking for anything special? An engagement ring, perhaps?" Barbara questioned.

"Oh, no, nothing like that." Jake replied with a polite chuckle. "Not yet, anyway."

He was already set on asking her with his mother's ring, but it would be a long while before he even thought about that. Bella had trauma surrounding marriage. She deserved to live life untethered for a long while.

Bella reluctantly held the moonstone ring and stared down at it in her palm while she leaned against the glass of the display case.

"You're welcome to try it on." Barbara told her.

Bella nodded and tried it on several of her slender, dainty fingers. It fit perfectly on the ring finger on her left hand. Sudden molten butterflies devoured the dread in her stomach. A coincidence? It felt familiar to have a ring on that finger once more, yet, so foreign at the same time. Bella couldn't help but smile down at the little band. This one was different. While she was hesitant, it wasn't forced. She knew if she really wanted to, she could still reject the ring and push the issue. Something inside her told her not to.

"That looks beautiful. What do we think?" Barbara asked Bella.

The look of guilt was in full swing. She bit her lower lip, blushing as she stared up at Jake. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"We'll take it." He reached into his back pocket, pulling out his wallet. He handed Barbara seventy dollars in cash.

"Excellent!" Barbara replied with a lilt. "I'm glad it's going to a good home." She walked over to the register and put the money inside, pulling out Jake's change to take it back to him.

"I'm still mad at you."

"I know." He shrugged. "I'm not sorry."

"I know you're not." Bella fiddled with the moonstone ring, tracing the tip of her index finger along the circumference of the smooth jewel.

"I'll never be sorry. Up until recently I didn't have a quarter of the money I paid with. I wouldn't have been able to do something like that." Jake paused, thoughtful, "when we get back to the house, I've got another surprise for you."

"What!?" She barked. "No more surprises. Please." Bella quieted.

"It's gonna be okay, honey. Just let me do this. Let me spoil you." He replied, draping his arm over her shoulders as they walked.

"I don't thi—I don't think I can. It's... hard." She whispered.

"What's wrong with me spoiling you?"

"It makes me feel bad, because I don't have any money. I don't have anything to give you back."

"It's your birthday. You shouldn't be giving me anything at all."

"I don't feel like I should be doted on. I haven't done anything to deserve it."

"Boy, do you have a big storm coming your way, then." He smirked. "You're my girl. I'm gonna treat you to things. Dinner, presents, flowers, the whole nine yards. All 'just because' things."

"Jake." She whined.

"Honey, I'm stubborn. You're not gonna win this time. This is the one thing I'll fight you tooth and nail on."

"I... am starting to realize that." She swallowed the lump in her throat.

"What else do you wanna do? We have thirty minutes to kill."

"I don't know. Is there a store you wanna look in?"

"Nope. I have everything I need. What about you? Need any new clothes?"

She shook her head, but Jake didn't seem to listen.

"C'mon. Let's go. We'll get you one outfit before we leave today. Something you like."

He was referring to all the times she had her autonomy stripped from her by the Cullen's. Bella felt bad but secretly, a tiny piece of her, hidden way on the inside, really loved that she had the choice. No more being coerced into some God awful, expensive looking garbage. Just some regular clothes, without being exported from Milan or France.

"So this goes on my face? All of it?" Paul asked sincerely, lugging around the basket for Quil as he put more and more stuff into it.

"Some of it. Some of it's mine. I'll show you which ones are yours and how to use it when we get back to Jake's."

"Good. I don't wanna end up doing it wrong." He grumbled.

"It's so easy, an idiot could do it. So, you're a shoo-in, Paul." Quil snickered.

"Takes one to know one, Ateara."

"At least I don't have to woo my imprint." Quil fired back.

"Paul—Quil—knock it off." Embry sighed. "We're in public."

"He started it." Paul replied.

"And I'm ending it." Embry shook his head.

"Are we done here yet? How expensive is this gonna be?" Paul grit out.

"You have money in your account, right? I know you only spend money on cup noodles and your gym membership. You should have more than enough." Quil argued.

Paul scowled, staring down at the full basket. "Okay. I'm fucking done. Let's check out." He trudged up to the register, Quil and Embry trailing.

"This is mine." Quil separated his items on the counter. The sales girl stared down at all the products and smiled softly. Her name tag said 'Ashley'.

"Did you find everything alright?" She said, blonde ringlets bobbing with the curt nod she gave.

"Mhm. As always."

"Are you a Sepora rewards member?"

"Yeah."

"What's the phone number?"

"It's 1(234)-567-8910."

"Ateera? No, I'm sorry that's last name. Qu-ill?" Ashley took a second to pronounce his name, and it still wasn't right. He ignored it.

"That's me. We'll be doing two separate transactions, but I'll take the reward points."

Ashley tried to make small talk. "Is all of this a gift for your girlfriends?"

"No, babe, it's ours. I pride myself on good hygiene. He's learning from the best."

"Oh." She blinked, her tan cheeks flushing red. A throuple? She hadn't thought they were gay. They looked like a team of linebackers in the little makeup store. Each one of them towered over the security strip on the door that read 6'0". And the muscles...

Ashley said nothing after that. After she finished scanning Paul's side, the total came up to $120. Quil's was worse at $200. Paul nearly had a fit, but Embry talked him down. They didn't need him turning while they were in the mall. That would have caused more than one issue.

Once they were done there, they headed to the food court for a quick break, reuniting with Jake and Bella. The group of five collectively ate pizza from Sabarrow's, except Quil who had changed his mind and created an amalgamation of Mexican and Chinese food. Noodles, sweet and sour sauce, hot sauce, guacamole, and rice.

Next on the agenda was shopping for a new wardrobe for Paul. They headed to JCJenny's, he needed to pick out some nice clothes.

Paul stepped out of the dressing room wearing some tight-fitting jeans and a blue dress polo.

"So, how does this look?"

Quil appraised his outfit and nodded quietly, he was more preoccupied with Embry who decided he needed some new clothes as well. He'd just stepped back out from behind the curtain, completing a 180-degree turn before winking at Quil and disappearing back into the fitting room.

Paul became frustrated. "Can you stop ogling your boyfriend and actually help me? I have no fucking clue what I'm doing and it's the whole reason we came to the damn mall in the first place."

Quil exhaled a silent and equally irritated sigh. "Listen. I'll tell you if and when you pick out a shit outfit. Until then, keep trying them on. That outfit looks good. Next."

"That wasn't so hard. That's all I wanted to know, Ateara." Paul harrumphed and walked back into his fitting room.

"Someone's hormonal today." Quil snickered.

"Yeah, you're right." Paul replied just as loud from the dressing room. "Do you think we need to stop and get you some Misol for your cramps, Quil?"

"Aww thanks, Paul. That's okay. We can totally stop to pick up pads and tampons for you on the way back to your house."

Paul went quiet in the changing room, occasionally a loud swear word broached the silence of the changing rooms. Finally, he came out wearing a pair of black dress pants, a cream-colored dress shirt and a matching black suit coat.

"What about this one?" Paul huffed.

"What're you going for? A funeral? That's super dressy. All you need are clothes that don't make you look like you're homeless."

"I might wanna wear it to a date. If and when that happens." Paul frowned.

"If you like it, keep it. It's your money."

Paul combed over the tags and nodded. It wasn't too far out of the budget. It would take working overtime all next week, but at least the new clothes gave him a fighting chance. He'd have to figure out a way to talk to her first. Maybe Jake would invite her to the pack gatherings. They'd all be careful not to spill around her before she needed to know. She was an imprint now, so she'd find out eventually.

"Alright. I'm tapped out for the day. Let's get the fuck outta here. All this thick material is making me sweat like a pig."

"How many outfits do you have?"

"Seven, including this one."

"Good enough." Quil beamed. "So proud of you. They grow up so fast." He faked wiping a tear away from his left eye.

"Yeah, yeah. Shove it." Paul sneered, turning back to walk into the fitting room.

"You never said where or with what." Quil called from behind him.

Paul blanched. "I don't literally mean—

—Aww, someone's embarrassed. Don't worry. I only have eyes for one wolf, Lahote. And he's way hotter than you."

"Says you." He joked. "You've never had this fine ass and you never will."

They finished up minutes later, Paul grumbling the entire time while he paid. The sales lady threw in a complementary cologne sample he liked when they checked out. With all the new clothes and skin care, Paul might actually pass as an adult instead of being stuck in the simple loop of gym bro cut-offs and ripped tees. Quil insisted on stopping by a drug store on their way back to Jake's house so they could stock up on shampoo, conditioner, body wash, and deodorant that didn't scream fourteen-year-old.

Paul was sure of one thing. No more searching. He finally found the one. He didn't want to mess it up.

*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!