Bella looked around Paul's living room at her family and smiled. Charlie had forgiven her. Leah and Jack were so absorbed in a conversation that the living room might as well have been empty - sharing Bella's bottle of Merlot between them.

Paul talked animatedly with Charlie and Sue about returning to work the following week as Bella leaned against the corner of the hallway, listening to him explain taking a few weeks off work to deal with the divorce and a few other legal obligations, primarily concerning Jamie.

"But!" he chuckled. "I also got some painting done. I might have a new piece for the exhibit in the next week or two.

Sue said, "That will be amazing, Paul. I can't wait to see it."

Paul teased, "Lucky for you, it'll be free."

Finally sitting among them, Bella asked, "What does that mean?"

Charlie asked, "You didn't tell her?"

"Tell me what?"

Jack tuned into their conversation, raising a curious eyebrow at Leah. She shrugged and smiled. It was the same reaction she gave Bella when Angela surprised her at the salon, and Bella knew it meant Leah knew much more than she would say.

Paul said, "I'm an artist, Bells. We have a display at the Tribal Center of authentic Native American art. Anyone who isn't a tribal member has to pay a fee to access that part of the building to view the artwork there. Sort of like a museum."

Sue said, "A lot of our history got destroyed by fire and flood, but thanks to many of our people, new examples of our traditions are being crafted to benefit everyone. It contains some of Emily's blankets and tapestries. Jacob and Billy's carvings, among many other items. Luckily, Billy still had personal family carvings made by the first Jacob Black. These trades have passed down, so that area of the display became the 'Generational Art' section. Part of the proceeds fund the project, but the remaining funds go to the artists or owners. We've also developed a gratuity system for visitors to 'tip' the artists whose work they most enjoy. Paul's paintings have gotten the most recognition."

"Mostly for the wolves," Paul said, chuckling.

Jack said, "It's a shame I go home in the morning. I'd love to see them. You only post the ones you sell on Instagram, right?"

Paul grinned, nodding.

Sue said, "Why don't you go see it now? It will probably be more enjoyable without a crowd there, anyway."

Jack laughed. "Is it open this late?"

Sue said, "No, but I'm on the council. No one will question Leah being there so late."

To Bella, Paul said, "I've got keys to the building, but you'll have to go without me because of Jamie."

Bella told Leah and Jack, "You guys can go without me. Take my car."

Charlie asked, "Bells? Don't you want to see it?"

Bella shrugged. "I'll be here a few more days. No offense, but I'd rather see it with Paul and Jamie." She wanted to see his face as he studied her appraisal of his art, as he had when Jamie brought her the portrait of herself.

To Jack and Leah, she teased, "And it will give you two a little more time together before you return to the hotel for your stuff."

Charlie asked Leah and Jack, "Are you two a 'thing' now? It's been obvious all night, but no one has said anything about it."

Jack said, "I'm gonna marry your stepdaughter, sir."

Leah coughed in surprise as her eyes nearly bulged out of her head, making Jack cackle as Charlie and Sue gaped at him, stunned by the bold declaration.

Leah chuckled nervously and said, "Don't jump the gun there, buddy."

Jack smiled, unbothered by her reaction. Charlie asked, "How, exactly, is that supposed to work?"

Bella joked, "Well, Dad. You see when a man and woman love each other…"

"Ha. Ha." Charlie rolled his eyes.

Without a hint of teasing, Jack said, "I'm working on convincing your other daughter to move her ass back home and bring me along."

Charlie muttered, "Well, in that case, welcome to the family."

Bella scoffed as Jack said, "I don't have any living family, sir. Bella and my job keep me in Florida, just as I suspect that me and her job are the only things keeping Bella content there. It's not like she spends any time with Renee and Phil. Those two are impossible to please."

He smiled affectionately at Bella and added, "She seems happier here."

Charlie smirked as Bella couldn't help but smile back. Jack wasn't wrong. Bella had been happier throughout the day than she could recall having ever been.

She looked away from Charlie's penetrating stare and sighed. Bella wasn't sure she could still leave them anymore. What would be the point when it would hurt everyone involved, regardless of the circumstances?

Looking at Leah, Jack said, "And this one..." He sighed, grinning at her like she embodied the epitome of possibilities. "Leah is kind of my dream girl, Charlie. But, I can't exactly pursue a relationship from Florida."

Leah chuckled, and Bella could almost swear her stepsister blushed. "You just met me, Jack. How can you even say any of that?"

"I know what I want. Unlike my bestie, I don't dilly-dally with my decisions."

"Hey!" Bella protested as Charlie and Paul both muttered, "Amen."

From her peripheral, Bella could see Sue eyeing Leah and Jack carefully as she and Leah exchanged an entire diatribe without speaking aloud. Bella couldn't help but wonder what each thought.

To Leah and Jack, she said, "Well, maybe you guys could drop me off at the hotel before you go over to the Tribal Center?"

"We can drop you off on the way home," Charlie offered.

Jack asked, "You don't want to stay here until we return? Then you and I could drop Leah off before we go to the hotel."

"I think it's best if I head on over. Tomorrow morning will be busy with seeing you off…" And please don't let me kick myself for this… Turning to Paul, she quietly added, "And checking myself out of the hotel. I hope they'll refund me for the next five days. I already paid in advance. We've got calls to make tomorrow."

Paul's entire body perked up as he grinned. "You're gonna stay here then?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Until I return to Florida next Friday. It doesn't mean I'll be here the entire time, though. You know that, right?"

Paul leaned over and kissed the tip of her nose. "I don't care. That's what real life is like anyway, Bella. I'll have stuff to do, too, so you might be here by yourself sometimes. I'll keep Jamie's schedule the same so he's not clinging to your legs the whole time. It'll be great. You'll see."

The disappointment she felt at the prospect of less time with Jamie surprised her, but she said nothing. She supposed keeping to his routine would be best for everyone. After all, who knew him better than his father? Never in her twenty-eight years had Bella spent an entire week living with a child. It would be an experience. She hoped she did nothing wrong, like slip up again and mention Kim or Jared.

Jack and Leah left for the Tribal Center a few minutes later. Bella excused herself and Paul to talk privately as Charlie and Sue prepared to go home. Once she and Paul were alone in his bedroom, Paul pulled her to him for a long, affection-filled kiss that made her eager to return the following morning. Bella peeked in on Jamie and then rode to the hotel with Sue and Charlie so she could pack and go to bed.

It was nearly three in the morning when Bella woke to the keycard chirping in the door, and a blast of bright yellow light poured into the room. She sat upright in bed, watching Jack close the door through tired, blurry vision. Bella reached for her glasses on the bedside table and yawned.

"Hey, sleepy-head," Jack whispered as he kicked off his shoes. He walked over and plopped onto the bed beside her.

"You're gonna be so tired in a few hours," she teased. When Jack didn't even grin in response, she immediately knew something was wrong. "Jackie? Are you alright?"

"Not really," he said as he leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "I wish you would have gone with us tonight. I could have used your help."

"My help? With what? What happened?"

He took a deep breath before turning to stare at her. "I think I'm… in love with Leah. I've never felt like this about anybody, Bella. Never, in my whole goddamned life. I don't even know her, but… "

He paused as if searching for the right words. A first for the man she knew. Finally, he finished, "And now, I know why. I don't know what to think about it."

Bella rubbed her tired eyes under her glasses and asked, "What are you talking about, Jackie?"

Taking on a stern tone he'd never used with her before, he said, "Don't pretend you know nothing, Bella. I remembered some shit tonight because of Paul's paintings... And they are… incredible. I honestly can't wait for you to see them, but that's beside the point."

Still confused, Bella asked, "What did you remember? I don't understand."

Jack sighed as he looked away from her, staring blankly across the room. "Has Paul ever told you about when he lived in Arizona as a kid?"

"No. I know that Paul hates his dad and lived with his Grandmother until she passed. He's never been very vocal about his childhood."

"Well, we were friends, as you know. I stayed the night at their house a few times. Paul's dad… he was a belligerent drunk, okay? And violent as all hell. Sometimes, he'd get into really shitty moods. Paul's mom would drown out his bullshit by telling us stories about her people until his dad passed out so we could sleep."

Oh. The tribal legends. Bella finally felt fully awake as she realized what that meant. "Oh… fuck, Jack." Oh no…

"Yeah…" He said, nodding as he turned, glaring at her. "There are paintings of the wolves, Bella. Incredibly detailed, by the way. But there are people in those paintings, too. Faded, practically transparent portraits of people standing behind each wolf. Imagine my surprise when I spotted Leah in one of them."

"Jack, I…" Bella didn't know what to say.

"We argued, Leah and I. I started asking her about the stories I remembered. It was pretty obvious that she was scrambling for answers. She tried to lie at first, but I was suspicious. Then, she let something slip about the Cullens. Leah claimed she said, 'Cold Ones,' but I know what I heard."

Bella felt the blood drain from her face as she gaped at her best friend, holding her breath. Jack watched her, carefully appraising her, searching her face for the answers she couldn't bring herself to give him yet.

"She told me everything," he said as tears filled her eyes. "Every fucking thing you didn't but should have, Bella."

Her voice shook as she asked, "What do you mean by everything?"

Jack scoffed and chuckled bitterly. "Even though I know now, you're still reluctant to tell me the wrong fucking thing. Bella! I mean everything. The truth of their legends and how terrifying it was to phase the first time, especially since it killed her father. Who and what they protect others from, most importantly. What you were fucking married to."

What she was married to. Not who. What.

And as usual, he wasn't wrong. Edward was a blood-sucking demon disguised as a beautiful, melancholy, lost, and needy soul. He was a person in his own right, but foremost, a monster.

The terrible part of it all was that he warned her. Edward had shown her who and what he was long before his 'punishment' of a honeymoon… He showed her long before throwing her across the dining room on her eighteenth birthday. And she'd foolishly looked past it, believing he loved her enough to protect her from himself, never suspecting he'd abandon everything he strove to be in a moment of jealous rage.

The affectionate tone she knew returned as Jack said, "Bella?"

She refocused on his face, blinking away the image of Edward burned into her memory and the well of tears that came with it. Before she could speak, he pulled her toward him, wrapping his arms around her. Her relief that he wasn't running in the opposite direction pulled an involuntary sob from her.

Jack said, "I get it now. Why you didn't want to come home. Why you avoid talking about your past unless you were drunk as a skunk, and even then, you were always very careful of your words. And I see how different you are here, Bella. I see the parts of you that you keep hidden from everyone else because they hurt too much to acknowledge. I can't say I'm not a little mad to find myself dropped on my ass in the middle of this… insanity. But I will not abandon you in it, either."

Bella clutched her arms around Jack's waist and practically wailed as she sobbed against his chest. Jack had seen her cry before, but nothing like this. Bella cried in relief that Jack wasn't running. She cried for the version of herself who might have healed years ago had she known her best friend was open-minded enough to tell him the truth about her supernatural background. Bella cried for years wasted while maintaining her facade - including with Jack, who had been nothing but open and honest with her from the start. Bella cried for the danger she'd put him in just by involving him in her life - not that he'd allowed her to dodge his friendship. Still, Jack had never deserved it. She didn't deserve him.

When she finally calmed down, he said, "I'm moving here, Bella. I mean that, and I'm flying home. When I get there, I plan to sleep, quit my fucking job, and pack up my place. I think you should come with me. Forget that divorce court bullshit, quit that worthless, thankless job, and come pack up your place."

Bella said, "You can't be serious, Jack. It's so rash. Aren't you worried about it at all?"

"Of course, I'm worried. I also know that I have always, always gone with my gut. It's never steered me wrong, Bella. And right now, my instincts are practically screaming at me I belong here. And so do you."

He gently pulled away from her to stand and walked toward the bathroom. "I'm going to shower, put on something comfortable, make sure I have all of my shit together, and then go down to the lobby for some shitty free continental breakfast. Then, I will make phone calls before my cab gets here. My laptop is in my carry-on, so I'll send my resume to local attorneys before I board the plane."

Bella shook her head at him, blown away by his determination. She was still stumbling over her own decisions while Jack was changing his entire existence for a stranger in a matter of days, and the consequences be damned. Could Bella do the same? She was already on the fence about it, dreading the thought of returning to Florida, of leaving Paul and Jamie behind.

Over the shower turning on, she asked him, "Aren't you afraid? Like, at all?"

Jack scoffed as he pulled off his shirt in the bathroom doorway. "Bella, I am fucking terrified. But, I'll tell you what." He tossed his shirt toward his luggage. "I'm more afraid of not taking the chance. I love you dearly, and I love our weird little setup at home. I love the nightlife…"

She quipped, "You like the boogie?"

He scoffed at her joke, then laughed. "I love the routine and friends we have. But you know what, Honey? I miss having a family. I know I don't talk about it, but I do. And I know you do, too. I see it in your face every time you talk about Charlie. I think you and I met for a reason. We became friends for a reason, Bella. And this was it. We're supposed to be here. I feel it in my fucking bones."

A realization crashed over her like a tidal wave. Leah didn't have to tell Jack anything, but she had. She'd taken that chance, although he was a complete stranger. And Bella knew without a doubt that only one thing could have possibly happened for Leah to make such a bold, life-changing declaration to a man she barely knew.

Bella asked, "She imprinted, didn't she? Leah? On you?"

Jack unbuttoned his pants as he shook his head, chuckling. "That's what she called it. Said it was rare. She felt an odd connection when she saw my picture. She didn't even have to see me in person to feel it. She thought she was 'losing her fucking marbles,' as she put it. All because it was too much to hope for after being alone for so long. The crazy thing is that I felt it, too. I was drawn to her through the pictures you sent and the sound of her voice. Yesterday at Paul's, there was just this overwhelming sense of… family. You should have a nice long conversation with Paul about that."

"W-why?"

"Leah told me to tell you her mom said something about a scar?" He smirked at her shocked expression and stepped out of sight to finish undressing.

Bella tentatively reached down to trail her fingers along the raised teeth marks on her inner thigh and shivered. Had Paul imprinted on her and never told her? The scar had surprised him, having forgotten about the drunken, passionate act somehow. She couldn't help but wonder if it was because his wolf had been the one in control that night. Paul's wolf had been close to the surface near her so many times since she'd come home, almost eager for her to greet him in his own right.

Bella climbed out of bed as she heard Jack climb into the shower and dressed for the day. It was a good thing Paul and Jamie were early risers. She'd be there before they knew it.