She hurried to her rental car, unlocked it with the key fob, and rushed to lock herself inside. Bella folded her arms against the steering wheel, then leaned her forehead against it as she tried to calm her roiling emotions and the racing heart that always accompanied anxiety.

I wish I'd just walked out when Mike did and fucking left. She had only taken the one shot of tequila all night, but the taste of it still lingered somehow, and she swallowed hard against building nausea.

Please, God, let me keep a little dignity and not cry or barf all over the parking lot.

A loud tap on her driver's window made her jolt and scream. Bella took a deep breath and timidly turned toward it. As if silently asking if she was alright, her husband raised both eyebrows with a nod. Bella turned on the battery and rolled down the window. Before she could speak, he reached into the car and unlocked the driver's door. Bella leaned back apprehensively as he opened it.

He said, "Slide your ass over, Swan."

A little harsher than intended, she asked, "What are you doing?"

"Driving your little drunk ass back to your hotel," he said, shooing her toward the passenger seat.

Her hotel? Bella's cheeks flushed as she thought of her dream and then the hellacious bill she had to pay the last time they said goodbye to each other at a hotel. Why did he care, anyway? She wasn't his responsibility.

"I'm not drunk," she huffed. "Or the helpless idiot you guys got stuck protecting at eighteen. I can take my happy ass to La Push on my own."

His lips pursed into a hard line as he glared at her in response but remained where he was, leaning into the car. They stubbornly stared at one another in angry silence as she waited for him to yell, shake, slam the door, or stomp away - anything she could have expected from the boy she once knew.

Instead, he took a deep breath and again gestured for her to move over. Bella rolled her eyes and sighed. Conceding, she climbed over the console and slid into the passenger seat.

Her temper had her heated, covering her brow and neck in a light sheen of sweat. The nausea was fading, but she could feel the tension the second her husband climbed into the car. Bella unbuttoned her cardigan and rolled down the passenger window, needing the fresh air to calm her before she lost her stomach or her senses.

He glanced toward her as he started the engine and did a double take at the low, revealing cut of her dress. After releasing a slow, deep breath, he backed out of the parking space and teased, "Now I know why you needed the sweater, Swan. It's fucking June ."

She laughed, unable to help it. Unfortunately, the fresh flush to her cheeks only left her feeling hotter, and she wiggled out of the cardigan altogether.

Both were quiet and tense as they drove through Forks and turned onto the highway. Bella struggled with the urge to ask him questions, to do no more than glance toward him instead of studying his side profile the way she wanted to. She finally gave up the battle as she turned her body toward him, laying her cheek against the cold leather on the back of her seat.

After staring at him for a few miles, without looking toward her, he asked, "What? Is there something on my face, or did you forget what I look like?"

She snorted. As if. "I dreamed about you this morning."

"You're drunk, Swan. It IS this morning." He kept calling her Swan, and she wondered if he had as much difficulty saying her name aloud as she did saying his.

"Fine, then," she huffed. "Yesterday morning. But… old you. Clean-shaved, short-haired, 'man I haven't seen in seven years.' That you."

He frowned. "Sorry to disappoint you."

"I never said I was disappointed ." More to herself than him, she added, "Maybe I just want a mental picture to replace that god-awful fight we had when I left."

She watched the muscles tense in his neck as he swallowed hard and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. When he didn't speak, she closed her eyes and sighed. "Sorry. I shouldn't have said anything."

Bella clenched her teeth as she forced her mind to be silent, to ignore the irrational urge to cry, and focused on the thrum of the wheels against the pavement.


The next thing Bella knew, a warm, bright light shone on her face as the sun poured through a window to her left. She blinked as she looked around the unfamiliar, sparse bedroom, frowning.

Fuck. Where the hell am I now? Bella immediately glanced down and sighed with relief to find herself fully dressed, complete with the now-buttoned cardigan that Bella clearly recalled removing.

The bed she lay on was comfortable, the sheets crisp under her cheek and fingertips. She'd been covered with a light blue plush blanket, and her shoes were neatly placed on the floor next to a wide-open door leading to a darkened hallway.

The sound of light footsteps made her bolt upright. She squeezed her eyes shut and winced as a wave of dizziness enveloped her when the blood rushed to her head.

"Dad! She's UP! "

Bella slowly opened her eyes to Jamie's wide, dimpled grin and chuckled. A second later, her husband poked his head around the doorframe.

"Uh, hey," he said, smirking. He stepped around the corner and into the room to pick up Jamie. He appeared as tired as she felt, with bloodshot eyes, sleep-messed hair hanging down the right side of his face, barefoot in a thread-bare t-shirt and sweatpants. Neither did anything to hide the musculature underneath them.

"Hi," she nearly whispered, sliding her legs out from under the blanket.

"Oooh, Dad. Thass pretty." Jamie pointed at her dress. As Bella met Jamie's bright-eyed stare, he said, "Thass my favorite color. Red!"

She couldn't help but grin back at him. He was too cute. Bella wondered where his mother was… and why in Hell she was here, too.

"Alright, James, go eat your breakfast," her husband said as he turned and placed Jamie on his feet in the hallway. He gave his son's butt a tiny pat to shoo him along. Jamie giggled and sped away, making Bella chuckle as his father warned, "No running inside. Gah!"

He slowly turned to look at her, shaking his head. "This kid. I swear, he thinks everything is a race."

Bella stood, unsure what to do or say but assuming she should leave as soon as possible. Needing to pee desperately, she said, "Um, if I can use your bathroom…" As she was about to finish by saying, 'I'll get out of your way,' he interrupted her.

"Yeah, sure. It's down the hall." He pointed his thumb over his shoulder. "Second on the left." He walked in the opposite direction before she could say anything else, leaving her alone.

Bella tried not to familiarize herself with her surroundings as she found and used the bathroom. It wouldn't do her any good to remember too much later on - just more memories to cram behind the wall in her mind when she left. Still, she couldn't help but notice the lack of anything feminine or any sign that a woman lived there, too.

She couldn't help but wonder what that meant. Did Jamie live with his father? Where was his mother? Bella shook her head, reminding herself it was none of her business.

She quietly found her way to the kitchen afterward and discovered them both seated at the kitchen table. Bella spotted her keys on the counter and picked them up as she leaned against it. Her husband cradled a cup of coffee as Jamie happily swung his little legs under the table, eating cereal.

Jamie grinned as he looked up at her, and a drop of milk slid down his chin. Like all children his age, he immediately swiped the back of his arm across his face to wipe it away. Bella chuckled as his father rolled his eyes and reached for a dish towel to wipe off Jamie's arm and chin.

"You're killin' me, kid."

"No, I not," Jamie said and giggled. His brow furrowed as he asked, "Why did the nice lady sleep here again?"

Bella watched her husband sigh and lean back in his chair as he looked at her. "Because the nice lady was very sleepy. She wouldn't wake up to give Daddy directions. And it's not okay to leave someone sleeping alone where they aren't safe."

"So, you bringed her here?"

"I brought her here, yes. Eat your cereal."

Bella chuckled. It warmed her heart that, after everything, he'd put his comfort aside to ensure she was safe, regardless of her anger at the time. "Thank you for that. I appreciate it."

"Thass jus' what 'tectors do," Jamie said proudly before shoveling in another sloppy mouthful of cereal.

Bella asked, "Tectors?"

Her husband smiled as he tried not to laugh. "Protectors."

"Oh." She nodded. The wolves. Of course.

She wondered how much Jamie knew about the wolves and what protecting others entailed. It seemed his father aimed to teach him, and that made her smile. The man her soon-to-be ex had become was so different, so changed from the boy she remembered. She wouldn't have been able to picture that boy as a father. Loud, sometimes volatile, and according to all accounts, bitter about being abandoned by his own father, he'd never have had the patience at the time.

He had grown up in her absence. Regardless of any regret she kept hidden, it was probably for the best that she'd stayed away. He wouldn't have his son otherwise, and Jamie was clearly someone he needed. Jamie made him a better person. Bella could never credit herself for that.

Suddenly, Jamie asked, "What's your name?"

Bella grinned and answered, "It's Bella."

Jamie's head whipped toward his father, and her husband sighed.

"Dad…"

Picking up his cup, her husband shook his head and said, "Not now, James."

Jamie narrowed his eyes at his dad. "Thass crap."

Bella gasped in surprise, and her husband hissed, " Jamie! "

Bella stood up straight and stepped back toward the doorway, immediately feeling the tension fill the room as Jamie glared at her and then scowled into his cereal.

Great. This kid is like three and immediately hates me upon hearing my name. Wonderful.

"I should probably go," she said carefully. "I'm not sure what time it is, and I promised to have lunch with Charlie today."

Jamie's head perked up as he pointed toward the clock on the stove, indicating it was already after nine. "I can't read it, but Daddy says thass the time when I axe him."

Bella couldn't help but chuckle. "Thanks, Jamie."

"You welcome." He began swinging his legs again, his aggravation with his father already forgotten. He smiled around his spoon as he took another bite.

Moody while hungry, huh? He'd inherited one thing from his father.

She looked toward her husband, waiting for him to turn his dark eyes back to hers before saying, "Thank you. Again. For that whole Devon thing last night and…"

Jamie hurried to swallow his mouthful of cereal and asked, " 'Tector, Devon?" His father raised an amused eyebrow at that. Jamie's cherub-like face scrunched into a fierce scowl. "Was he mean to you? He's always cranky!"

Bella laughed. She couldn't help it. She wondered if her husband had been more like him as a child and whether or not his already protective instincts at three meant he would be another hot-headed handful in his teens.

"Yes," she nodded. "I met Devon, and he was cranky. But, your dad did a very good job telling him to be nice."

Jamie held his hand up in the air, proudly waiting for a high-five from his father. "Good job, Daddy."

"Thanks, buddy."

Hoping to avoid any other potentially awkward comments in front of little ears, Bella silently waved to them as she backed out of the room and headed for the front door. Her rental car was parked in the driveway behind a large black truck. As she stepped around it, she spotted several wolves engraved in the back windshield and gasped. The artwork was incredibly detailed and finely etched to not hinder one's view. She counted eight of them, each unique.

Are those supposed to represent the first eight of the pack, who had fought in the newborn battle together? It was beautiful and such a sentimental display for one who once wore his bitterness on his sleeve the way others wore their hearts.

Moved, she shook her head, unlocked her vehicle, and climbed inside. Bella reached for her purse and fished out her cell phone, sure to have missed calls by now. Like deja vu, she shrieked at three hard taps against the driver's window.

She hit the button to roll it down. "You're going to give me a heart attack doing that."

"Sorry," he said through quiet laughter. "I just wanted to apologize. I hope you're not upset I brought you here, but you would not wake up. I wasn't sure which hotel was yours."

"No, no… I understand." Stupid Tequila. It didn't affect everyone this way, so why did it seem to fry her brain? Perhaps it was some odd sort of allergic response? Either way, she was done with that shit from now on.

Trying to ease her own anxiety, she joked, "Thanks for not leaving me sleeping in the car in some random parking lot."

"I'd never do that. I don't care what our history is, I'd never do that, Bella." His dark eyes bore into her, full of sincerity and - if she wasn't mistaken - affection. Again, it warmed her heart toward him, but it hurt, too. He'd finally used her name as well. She still stumbled over his before it ever reached her lips.

When she didn't respond, he said, "Well, anyway… be safe." He tapped the roof of her car and strode back toward the house.

Bella took in her surroundings as she watched him head inside, recognizing where she was, precisely, directly across the street from Quil's mom's convenience store. Just as she turned around to back out of the driveway, a familiar laugh pulled her attention toward the storefront. Bella rolled up her window, watching her ex-best friend lift a little girl - his eldest, she presumed, and set her on his shoulders before walking away, oblivious to her presence. He looked incredibly similar, but the lack of a shirt covering his massive torso, bare feet, and short hair suggested he still phased, even if he was no longer the Alpha.

Bella blinked away tears as she fought the sudden urge to jump out of the car and greet him. "We'll get to that soon enough," she reminded herself aloud. Thursday was only a day away.

She drove away with a heavy heart, wondering how she would make it through that bonfire without wishing she'd simply taken an early flight back to Florida.