As I continue to submit the chaps to the amazing people at Project Team Beta, I'm happy to go back and fix all the glaring errors in my story! Big thanks to SecretlySeverus and 2Shaes for beta-ing this chap! Thank you to Bonnysammy for validating my little story and making sure it's readable.

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Now to the story: Initially this was two chapters, but I wanted to start having longer chapters for you to read, so this is both BPOV & JPOV.

Enjoy!


BPOV

"No more!" Jake had just tossed me into another wave. "No more!" I gasped between giggles. I ran out of the water, as Jake chased me onto the beach. "I'm starting to prune." I looked at my wrinkly fingers and held them up for Jake to see. Then my stomach made a loud grumble. Jake paused for a second, and then burst out laughing.

"Sure, sure. Let's get you some food and let you unprune." I sprawled onto the blanket, and Jake rummaged in the cooler and produced some fruit and sandwiches.

"PB and J, I'm impressed. And here I thought you couldn't cook." I grinned at him.

"Well, technically, there's no cooking involved with PB and J. But I do make a mean sandwich." Then he shoved half the sandwich in his mouth in one go. I shook my head and lay back on the blanket. I had been enjoying the sun so much I noticed immediately when it suddenly became blocked out. I felt a large shadow fall over us. I opened my eyes to see it was not one, but two large shadows.

"Hey, Jake, who's your friend?" I propped myself up on my elbows to see two guys looking between Jake and me with raised eyebrows, nudging each other. I glanced over to Jacob, and saw him peeking at me, gauging my reaction.

"Quil, Embry, this is Bella Swan."

"Charlie's kid right? Nice to meet you. I'm Embry Call." I sat up all the way and Embry kneeled down to shake my hand.

The other one, who clearly must be Quil, sat down at the edge of the blanket.

"Quil, Quil Atera." He stuck his hand out, but it looked like he was flexing his bicep while pumping my arm up and down. I tried not to laugh out loud.

"Um, nice to meet you both." I smiled as Embry plopped down on the blanket next to Quil.

"So what brings you to our fair beach, Bella?" Quil gave me a comical look and then raised his eyebrow at me suggestively. I was having a hard time not laughing at him. Jake caught the expression on my face and smirked.

"Jake was kind enough to show me around and take me for a swim," I replied.

"That was awfully kind of him."

"Yes, very kind. Our Jakey's all kinds of chivalrous." Quil and Embry shared a conspiratorial look, and then burst out laughing. Jake reached out and smacked them both upside the head.

"That's quite enough out of you two. Was there something you wanted before you decided to come over here and make asses out of yourselves?"

"Actually, Jake-y, we noticed some townies having a bonfire further down the beach, and wanted to see if you wanted to go strolling for ladies. Clearly you have er ... company, so we'll be leaving you to it then. But since I'm here, I'll just help myself to a soda ..." Jake slammed the cooler shut before Quil's hand got near it.

"I think you can manage being a pain without stealing our drinks." He moved the cooler closer to himself and then turned to look at me. "Actually, Bella, there may be some kids you'll be going to school with there. Feel like meeting them?" Jake looked down the beach, and then back at me. Gah ... meeting new people, and being the 'new girl' at school was not something I was looking forward to. I hated being the center of attention, so strolling up to a group of people I didn't know and introducing myself was not my idea of a fun afternoon activity.

"As much fun as 'strolling for ladies' sounds,"I began, interrupted by Embry snort and wink. "I think I'll save the humiliation of public introductions to large groups for September. I'm not great with crowds." I shrugged my shoulders, and I could feel my face getting hotter. But I didn't want to keep Jake from his friends. "But you should totally go Jake. I've taken up too much of your time already. I'll just head back to your place and get changed and head home." I started to stand up and Jake caught my wrist.

"Bella, don't be ridiculous. You don't have to leave. These asshats ..." He glared and Quil and Embry, who quickly got up off the blanket, "...were just leaving. Honest. We can finish our sandwiches in peace." He smiled that warm smile at me. Jacob was so...nice! He was ditching his friends and potential hook ups to keep me company. I felt so guilty.

"No, maybe you're right Jake. Maybe I should meet a few new people before school starts so I'm not overwhelmed. Promise to protect me from the 'townies'?" Quil laughed out loud.

"Uh, sorry to break it to you Bella, but you're a townie." Huh, I guess I was. We all were laughing.

"How about this – we'll finish our sandwiches, then go back up to my place to change, and we'll meet up with these guys at the bonfire a little later?" I was hesitant to lose two bodies as a buffer, but realised that as long as I with Jacob, I would be alright.

"That sounds fair. It was nice meeting you guys. I um, I guess I'll see you later."

"Nice meeting you, Bella. See ya soon." Embry gave me a friendly wave as he turned to go. Quil was a little more forward.

"The pleasure was all mine, Bellll-lllllaaaa." He drew my name out into two long syllables and gave me the eyebrow again. Jake rolled his eyes as Quil took off after Embry. Jake looked at me sadly.

"I think he likes you." I rolled my eyes.

"I get the feeling he likes most girls," I snorted. Jake laughed out loud and winked at me.

"You catch on quick."

"I've been known to do that every now and again." I leaned back onto my elbows and closed my eyes, letting the sun wash over me once more. Suddenly, I was aware it was very silent. As I peeked through my eyes, Jacob's body froze as he stared at me. "Uh...Jake? Hello?" When I sat upright, it seemed to shock him out of his trance. Then he quickly grabbed the cooler and stuck it between us.

"Another PB and J, Bella?" Whatever he was spaced out about before was seemingly forgotten.

"Actually, I'm good. Why don't we head back to your place and get changed?" I stood up, started pulling my shorts back on over my suit, and threw my tank top on. Jake shoved the rest of the sandwich in his mouth, and then helped me fold up the blanket. He scooped up the cooler and his towel in one hand and grabbed mine with the other. I couldn't help the look of surprise on my face.

"Oh. I hope this is ok." He squeezed my hand. "I didn't want you to fall, or something again." He looked a little sheepish, then let go. I unexpectedly missed his warmth.

"Surprisingly enough, I've survived this long without you," I scowled at him, but found myself reaching out for his hand, "but to be safe, it's probably for the best if you hold onto me." His face spread out into a huge smile that reached his eyes. Jacob's smile was infectious. Despite my best effort, I couldn't help but smile with him. When we got back to Jake's place, I changed into my jeans, kept my tank top on, but tied the long sleeve tee shirt around my waist. Despite promises of a bonfire, I remembered how cold it could get down by the water at night. I called Charlie's house to leave a message, but was surprised when he picked up the phone.

"Cha ... er ... Dad, what are you doing home already?"

"We caught all the fish in the river. It was a great day," he joked. I wasn't used to Charlie showing this much emotion. He was usually pretty reserved.

"Oh, hey that's great. I was calling to say I was going to go to a bonfire with Jake, but since you're home, I'll head back and make you some supper." Jake peeked his head around the corner.

"Don't be silly, Bells. I can take care of myself. Harry and I were going to go to the diner then come back here to watch the game. No sense in you hurrying home. Enjoy yourself – it's Saturday!"

Wow.

Catching a lot of fish sure put Charlie in a good mood.

"Um, ok. Sounds good. I'll be back later then." I hung up the receiver and looked over to Jake.

"So uh, you heading out?" He scratched the back of his head and shuffled towards me. He looked ... sad?

"Actually, as much as I'd like to escape the upcoming embarrassment of me meeting new people, you're stuck with me a little while longer." I smiled up at him. "Unless of course, you want me to go?" I was being so presumptuous that he wanted me hanging around him all day, and yet the change in his demeanour was immediate.

"No no! We'll have fun, I promise. Besides, remember, I said I'd protect you from the townies? I can't do that if you meet them all at school." Jake had put his shirt back on and had changed out of his swim shorts into cargo shorts. He reached over to me and pulled me into another hug. His shirt was black and clung to him in a way that reminded me of how he had looked earlier on the beach without a shirt.

What was Forks doing to me? Or rather, what was Jacob doing to me?

I hugged him back and realised yes, it was Jacob, not Forks. He had such an uncomplicated manner, and it seemed so easy to please him. He seemed eager to make sure I was okay, and I had never had anyone really look out for me before. He was really sweet. I realised we had been hugging throughout my inner monologue, and I looked up to his face. The deepest eyes were looking back at me. They were a dark brown, much darker than any other eyes I'd seen before. It was almost imperceptible where his iris traded off with his pupil. I lost all train of thought. He held my gaze for what seemed like hours, and then he whispered, "Breathe, Bella." I hadn't even realised I had been holding, until a long exhale came out. I blinked and broke the spell. Jake closed his eyes, let out a breath, and then released me. The air seemed less charged, and he fell back into his early banter.

"Ready for some townies?" he joked and led me out the door.

JPOV

Chocolate. Her eyes were the colour of a rich, sweet chocolate. I had never really appreciated chocolate before, but now I knew I'd never look at it the same way again. And her skin, her sweet, creamy skin...was turning purple. Some part of my brain registered that she shouldn't be purple.

Bella should be creamy white...why would she be purple?

Then I realised she had been holding her breath the whole time we were staring at each other.

"Breathe, Bella." She exhaled and that beautiful, pearl colouring came back. I wanted to reach out and touch her face. Then she blinked, and I had to jump back to reality. I closed my eyes and tried to focus.

Bonfire, right. She's nervous, and you're not helping.

I reluctantly let her go and tried to act like nothing had happened. I hoped she bought my nonchalance. "Ready for some townies?" I led her out the door.

Should I try for her hand again?

I thought I had been pushing my luck last time, but this time she reached for my hand, so she was not repulsed by me.

Right? I tentatively threaded my fingers through hers and peeked down to see if it was okay. She wasn't looking directly at me, but she blushed a little, and didn't pull her hand away, so I guessed it was okay. I led her down to where I knew the bonfire would be.

"So Bella, what are you up to tomorrow?"

Is this too forward?

She looked up at me and smiled.

"Well, I really need to go the grocery store. Charlie's fridge is appallingly empty. I'm guessing he lives off of pizza and the diner." She rolled her eyes. "Hopefully I can rid him of a few bad habits while I'm here. What are you up to tomorrow?"

"I was going to work on the Rabbit. I'd like to get it done before school, and I recently got the master cylinder I was looking for." She laughed.

"I'm guessing that's some crucial part to make the car work?"

"Yeah, something like that." I chuckled. I guess I shouldn't have assumed that everyone knew things about cars. "Is shopping going to take all day, or did you want to hang out tomorrow?" She looked confused. She had this cute little indent in her forehead.

"I thought you were working on the car? Don't you have to go to an auto body shop or something for that?"

Do I look rich? She must not get it.

"No, no, Bella. I'm working on it in our garage, behind the house. I can't afford to work on it at a shop. They charge crazy amounts of money." Her eyes went wide.

"Wow, when your dad said you fixed the truck, I figured you worked at a shop or something. That's amazing that you can do that, and in your garage." She looked really impressed.

Sweet.

"So, did you want to hang out so I could help you? Because I have to warn you, me and tools don't really go together well."

She wanted to help? Does that mean she does want to hang out? I'm clearly out of my league here.

"Oh, um...no. I thought you might just like to um...hang out, while I worked on it. Quil and Embry stop by all the time, and we just chat while I work on the car. But that probably sounds really lame to you, right? Why would you want to just sit there and talk to me, super boring, stupid of me to ask..." I was rambling incoherently. I stopped when she reached over with her other hand and touched my arm.

"I'd love to hang out tomorrow. It sounds like fun. I'll swing by after I'm done at Charlie's if that's ok with you?" I beamed at her.

"That's perfect. Besides you shouldn't have to rely on me to fix the truck. Maybe you'll pick something up. Autoshop 101?" She laughed. I would never get tired of hearing her laughter.

"Sure. We can start my automotive repair education." She rolled her eyes. We were almost at the ring of logs now. I saw Quil and Embry chatting up some 'townie' girls and Sam and his 'gang' off to one side. When we approached, Quil caught sight of us. I noticed Bella shifting slightly behind my frame.

"Bella, it's been ages! How have you been?" Quil bounded over to us like it had been years, not hours, since he saw us last. Embry stood up and came over to say hi.

"Jake, Bella." He nodded. Bella nodded back at both of them.

"Hey guys." I noticed the girls that they left were all whispering to each other. Bella noticed too. One of the girls, with super curly hair, decided to come up and join us.

"Hi, I'm Jessica. I don't think we've met. Do you go to the Rez school?" She looked at Bella, then looked at me, then looked at our intertwined hands. She raised her eyebrow expectantly and then stuck out her hand.

"Hi, I'm Bella Swan." Bella meekly reached out and took her hand.

"Oh, Chief Swan's daughter! I heard you were coming to live here. How long have you been here for? Are you going to be coming to Forks High? You're a senior right? I'm a senior too! Maybe we'll have some classes together. Wouldn't that be awesome?" Bella hesitated at the Spanish Inquisition.

"Yeah, I'll be a senior, and I'm going to Forks High." I noticed she hadn't answered all the questions, but Jessica didn't seem to.

"Oh my gosh – I'll totally show you around. We'll be such good friends! Come meet everyone. I'll totally let you know who you should and shouldn't talk to at school." She started pulling Bella towards a larger group of people. I felt Bella's other hand tighten around mine. She looked up at me pleadingly. I squeezed her hand back to let her know I'd be right beside her. "Hey everyone – this is Bella Swan. You know, the Chief's daughter. She'll be starting school with us in September. And this is...oh – I never got your name?"

"Jacob." I looked at Bella surprised, as she offered my name before I could.

"Anyways, Bella, this is Lauren, Angela and Ben." She pointed to the girls she had been sitting with, and the one guy sitting with them, holding Angela's hand. "And over there is Mike, Eric and Tyler. We're all seniors." I immediately noticed that the three guys were eyeing Bella up and down. It wasn't subtle. One of them stood up.

"Hi, Bella. I'm Mike Newton." He came over and offered his hand to her. Jessica looked like she was going to shoot sparks from her eyes. Bella quickly shook his hand, then dropped it.

"Hi. Nice to meet you." Jessica continued on her tirade and not so subtly shuffled back in between Mike and Bella. Mike went and sat back down. We sat down and took up a log across from them. Quil and Embry went and resumed their previous seats. I noticed Sam watching us from across the fire.

"So Bella, you moved here from Arizona right?"

How did Jessica know so much? I guess town gossips start young.

"It must be awesome to have so much sun all the time. Today was a real treat for us, it almost never gets this warm."

Did she ever allow time for people to answer the questions she asked?

She looked across at Mike, then back at Bella. "So, is Jake your boyfriend?" She said it loud enough that everyone heard.

What a bitch. Who asks that so bluntly?

Maybe I was overreacting because I knew Bella was so shy, but this girl was into Mike and staking her claim. That seemed obvious.

"Um..." Bella turned bright red.

"Actually, Bella and I are just really good friends. We have been for years." Okay, I was stretching the truth a little on the years part, but I didn't think Bella would mind. She shot me a grateful smile and squeezed my hand.

"Oh." Jessica sounded surprised, eyeing our hands. "Well you guys seem... close." She looked over at Mike, who had been leaning into our conversation since I had said we were just friends.

Oops. Way to go idiot. Now he thinks he has a shot.

"Even though it's like a month away, you should totally bring him to the Homecoming Dance." I felt Bella tense next to me. Then Jessica turned to Lauren. "Ooh – do you know what you're wearing yet?" This girl must have had ADHD. She was all over the place. I leaned into Bella and whispered in her ear.

"Hey Bells, no worries. You don't have to take me." I didn't want her to think I expected her to bring me now. She leaned into me to reply.

"Oh Jake, it's not that. I um...I just don't dance. I've never been to one and hadn't really planned on starting now... what with the clumsiness and all." She shrugged at me, and I laughed. Then I saw Mike watching our exchange with some interest. I leaned in again.

"This must be a big day for you. First Quil, now Mike." I nodded my head towards Newton and his friends. They seemed to be having some silent argument, my guess was over who got to hit on Bella. Bella blushed again.

"This is beyond bizarre. It must just be because I'm new here. Some novelty that I hope will wear off soon. I can assure you, no one paid any attention to me in Phoenix. I'm nothing special." She looked so perplexed. I couldn't believe she thought of herself that way. She was gorgeous and sweet. Of course everyone here was eyeing her. She had long chestnut hair. Her eyelashes brushed her cheeks when she looked down. She had perfect skin. She was stunning.

"You're special to me."

Oh god. Shit, shit shit!. Did I just say that out loud? When did I turn into a Hallmark card?

"Jake, you're such a cornball." She swatted at my arm and started giggling.

"So Bella, do you know what you're going to wear?" Jessica had her focus on Bella again. Bella looked up, alarmed.

"Wear? Oh yeah, the dance. Um...no...no thoughts on what to wear. It's so far away still, maybe I'll think about it closer to the day, or something." Bella was rambling, it was so cute.

"I don't know what I'm going to wear either." A girl shyly joined in. She was holding hands with the boy next to her. "Maybe we can go together to find something?" She offered.

'That would be really nice. Thanks!" Bella beamed at her.

"Well Bella, if you don't want to bring your 'friend' we could all just go as a big group. We'll make sure you always have someone to dance with." Mike piped up from his spot on the log. Jessica shot Mike a withering glare as her mouth popped open at his suggestion.

"Oh, um, er, that's a nice suggestion, Mike. I'll think about it." Then she looked between Mike and Jessica, and I could tell she had already decided that she wouldn't be going at all. Someone produced several packages of hot dogs, and the conversations quieted down into smaller groups as people began turning their sticks in the fire. I could feel Bella relax as she leaned into me, her eyes mesmerized by the fire. Mike noticed as well.

"Bella have you see a driftwood fire before? The yellow and green flames are from the salt in the wood." Mike tossed another piece of driftwood on the fire to emphasize his point. Jessica looked up and frowned, then leaned over to a blonde girl, Lauren or Angela maybe? I couldn't remember her name, and whispered something. They both looked over to Bella.

"Wow, it's really pretty. That's cool, thanks for showing me." She smiled at Mike, and Jessica and the blonde girl then dissolved into a fit of whispers. Mike smiled back, completely oblivious to Jessica. I handed Bella her hot dog, hoping she wouldn't notice the girls' rude behaviour and Mike went back to talking to the guys around him. "Thanks Jake. Again, I'm impressed by your mad cooking skills." Bella smirked.

"Well, it's true that hot dogs at least have to be cooked, but the fire does most of the work. I just turn the stick." I over exaggerated turning the stick, happy to play along with her.

"My hot dog is very evenly cooked. No burnt spots at all."

"You should see me with marshmallows. I pretty much have it down to an art form." I winked at her.

"I believe it." She grinned widely at me. Quil and Embry were not oblivious to our conversation. Quil leaned over to me and started batting his eyes.

"Jake, would you make me a special, evenly cooked hot dog? Mine come out burnt on one end. I'll love you forever." Then he started making kissy faces at me. I shoved his face away with my palm. Embry started hooting with laughter. I peeked over to see Bella's reaction, but she was bent over laughing with Embry. "Ok Jake, if you want to let me die from carcinogen poisoning, it's on your head."

"I'm considering it, Quil. It might save me a lot of headaches in the future." Quil clutched at his heart.

"Jake, I'm hurt. You cut me deep, man." I tossed him the hot dog I was currently cooking. He caught it with his free hand.

"Here, don't die. Give me your disaster, and I'll see if I can save it." He threw the other stick back. Bella had stopped laughing and watched our exchange. Her eyes grew wide as she was watching the sticks. "What's wrong, Bella?" Her eyes snapped up to mine.

"Nothing. I was just expecting the sticks to fall hot dog first in the sand. Hanging out with you is going to give me a complex." She shrugged her shoulders, smiled, and took another bite of her hot dog. I liked the sound of her hanging out with me. I hoped we'd be doing it a lot.

Five hot dogs later I decided that should be enough. I didn't want to seem like a pig in front of Bella. After the fifth hot dog and two more sodas she shook her head at me. "Where do you put it all?"

"Hey, I don't have a car yet remember? I live a healthy lifestyle that requires lots of fuel." I winked at her.

"Sure you do. Why do I get the feeling you're not even full?" She raised her eyebrow at me. I leaned into her and teased her.

"Well, I'm not hungry per se, but I guess I'm not starving either. I'll just have to make do." She was about to say something else when I noticed Sam stand up and eye me, Embry and Quil. Paul and Jared were on either side of him. Embry noticed too and caught my eye. Their whole tribe protector thing was weird, and I wasn't about to let them come over and try to recruit me with Bella here. "Hey Bells, you all done? You want to head back now?" She stood up from the log and stretched a little. Her shirt lifted up a bit, and I saw a sliver of her creamy white skin. I saw Mike's head whip around and notice too.

"That sounds great, Jake." Embry and Quil stood too, wary of Sam's gaze.

"We'll head back with you guys." Embry turned to the group. "Goodnight, everyone." Mike stood up when he heard we were leaving.

"Oh, Bella, are you leaving so soon?" She looked over to Mike, and then up at me.

"Yeah, I should probably get back to Charlie. It was really nice to meet you all." She did a small wave at the group.

God she was so cute.

"Hopefully we'll see you again really soon." Mike winked at her and smiled. I didn't like the way he was leering at her. I wanted to get up and pound his face in. I could have probably taken him too. I was going through a crazy growth spurt and was easily bigger than him.

Chill Jake. She's not your girlfriend. She's a senior, you're a sophomore. Why would she want to date you?

That sad realisation snapped me back to reality. But then as we were leaving, Bella grabbed my hand.

Okay, maybe she does like you?

By the time we were back to my place, I was pretty confused about where I stood with her. I helped her load everything into her truck.

"Thanks for the great day, Jake. I had a lot of fun. See you tomorrow for my exciting introduction to auto mechanics?" She grinned up at me. I couldn't wait.

"I think you'll make an excellent pupil," I joked at her. Then I pulled her in for another hug. I could not get enough of her.

"Air, Jake!" She gasped. I laughed and released her. I stood in front of my house watching her taillights disappear around the corner. I had forgotten Quil and Embry were there until I heard them chuckling.

"He's got it bad." Embry shook his head.

"That's an understatement," Quil laughed. "He's already pussy whipped, and they're not even dating."

"What are you jackasses talking about?" They looked at me like I was stupid.

"You should totally hit that. She's into you, and you are clearly into her." Quil looked over to me expectantly, daring me to deny it.

"Yeah, I like her, but Bella and I are just friends."

I think.

"Besides she's been here like two days. I doubt she's looking to hook up." They weren't helping my already confused brain.

"Well you should do something before she goes back to school. That Newton guy looked like he wanted to dry hump her next to the fire."

Yeah. I noticed that too.