Impasse

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Paul Lahote

"Hey, Bells." Jacob's tone was as cheerful as ever when he greeted her at his front door, but his voice dragged.

Bella examined his face in concern, he looked different, maybe even sick. His eyelids drooped and his face was drawn. His shaggy hair stuck out in random directions; it was almost to his chin in some places.

"Jake, are you alright?"

"Just tired." Jacob managed to get out before he was overcome by a massive yawn. He gave her an apologetic grin. "Sorry about that. What do you want to do today?"

Bella eyed him critically. She knew him so well. He was putting on an act for her benefit. Things had been difficult since discovering Quil almost at death's door in the company of Carlisle Cullen. The coven leader had hastily explained what had happened to Jacob's packmate before he and Sam jumped in to attack. What he told them shocked them to their core. Quil had been bitten by a cold one, but not just any cold one – it was the mate of the one who had bitten Bella, the very same one who had ambushed her in her very own home.

It was just by sheer luck that Carlisle happened to be in the area hunting when Quil got attacked, otherwise he would never have survived. Vampire venom was a death sentence to a wolf. Although Jacob and Sam were grateful for Carlisle's quick intervention on their friend's behalf, it also meant that they felt beholden to him, like they owed him something. This did not sit easy with Jacob. He didn't trust any of the Cullens, he wasn't convinced that Carlisle was being entirely sincere, that he was hiding something, and had only saved Quil to benefit himself in some way.

Quil had eventually recovered from the unprovoked attack but it had left him with some severe mental scars. Staring death in the face had changed his whole attitude. He was no longer the brash, happy go-lucky prankster. He was much quieter, often solemn, he would tremble at the thought of going out to patrol alone. Jacob and Sam were now having to babysit him again, but for different reasons this time. It was proving exhausting, especially now they knew that they had a vengeful redheaded vampire prowling around.

Carlisle had filled Jacob in on the redhead's history. Her name was Victoria. He seemed convinced that she was no longer so much of a threat, that his merciful actions upon saving Quil had made quite the impact on her. Jacob thought the coven leader was seriously deluded, but refrained from commenting. He had enough on his plate dealing with the fallout of Quil's attack. He and Sam needed serious help, they were finding it difficult and exhausting trying to cover the whole of the res and the outlying areas by themselves. Embry and Paul phasing couldn't happen soon enough. It had to be soon; both were exhibiting the usual signs. Jacob's only worry was that Paul Lahote would find it difficult taking orders from him, but the extra body would definitely be useful. One problem at a time, he thought.

"Let's just hang out here for now." Bella suggested. Jacob didn't look like he was up for much more than that.

"Sure, sure." Jacob said, yawning again.

Jacob's house was vacant, and that felt strange to Bella. She realized she thought of Billy as a near permanent fixture there.

"Where's your dad?"

"Over at the Clearwaters'. He and Harry are having a meeting with the other elders. What happened to Quil really frightened them. Old Quil nearly had a coronary when he found out. Everyone's just as worried about him as Quil."

Jacob sat down on the old couch that was no bigger than a loveseat and squished himself to the side to make room for Bella.

"Jeez, Jake, that's awful." Bella sympathized. "Will he be okay?"

"Yeah…Old Quil's quite resilient. He's put Quil under house arrest when he's not out with me and Sam patrolling."

"Is Quil still struggling?" Bella asked as she wedged herself in beside Jacob.

"He's not doing too good." Jacob admitted wearily. "He's so jumpy. I worry that if he's faced with another vampire, he'll freeze like a frightened rabbit caught in the headlights of an oncoming car."

Bella's brow furrowed with worry. "Jake, that's not good. You need to be able to count on him. I know it sounds cruel but you can't be watching over him every minute of the day. Perhaps its best if he takes some time out until he regains some of his confidence."

"Oh, I agree." Jacob sighed, reaching for the remote and flipping on the TV without seeming to think about it. "Believe me I suggested it a hundred times, but he insists he's fine, which he's not. And the olds aren't helping. They said he needs to get back out there – it's like they're comparing what happened to him like someone falling off their bike and just having the confidence to get back on again. The dude is traumatized. Just because we can turn into giant furry vampire hunting monsters doesn't mean were immune to the affects, you know."

His last words were drowned out by another wide yawn.

"Oh, Jake, you're like a zombie."

"I got about two hours of sleep last night, and four the night before." Jacob explained. He stretched his long arms slowly, and Bella could hear the joints crack as he flexed. He settled his left arm along the back of the sofa behind her, and slumped back to rest his head against the wall. "I'm exhausted."

"Jake, you can't go on like this. Why aren't you sleeping?"

Jacob made a face. "I don't have much choice. With Quil being difficult and with Sam being the only one I can really rely on right now; we've both been running double shifts. Until Embry and Paul phase we're on our own."

"Double shifts?" Bella exclaimed in disbelief. "Jake, tell me the truth, is this because you're trying to watch out for me? That's wrong. You need to sleep. I'll be fine."

"Its no big deal." Jacob shrugged off her anxiety with a cheerful grin. "I'm a big boy, Bells. I can take it."

"Jake, stop making a joke of it. This is serious." Bella pleaded.

"Hey, its okay. I'm being careful, Bells, I promise. You don't need to worry about me. I'm your slave for life." He quipped.

"I don't want a slave!"

Jacob sighed as his eyes slid closed. "So what do you want, Bella?"

"I want my friend Jacob – and I don't want him half-dead, hurting himself in some misguided attempt – "

Jacob opened his eyes again, leaning forward he cut her off with a kiss to her forehead. "I need you to trust that I know what I'm doing, okay?" He whispered.

Bella's resultant blush when his lips contacted her soft skin was like catnip to Jacob's soul. He tried to hide his amused smile at her reaction as he slumped back into his former position.

Bella gulped, trying to ease the burn on her traitorous skin. She stared at the TV, not able to look him in the eyes.

It wasn't long before Jacob lost the battle against his tiredness. His eyes slid closed again. Bella studied his dreaming face, and loved what she saw. While he slept, he looked so much younger, more like the carefree boy he had been before he was burdened with the duties of a werewolf protector.

She nestled into the couch to wait out his nap, hoping he would sleep for a while and make up some of what he'd lost. She flipped through the channels, but there wasn't much on. In the end she settled for a cooking show, knowing, as she watched, that she would never put that much effort into Charlie's dinner. Jacob began to snore, getting so loud that he drowned out the voice of the presenter.

Bella turned off the TV. She felt strangely relaxed, almost sleepy, too. Jacob's house felt safer than her own, probably because no one had ever come looking for her there. She curled up on the sofa and thought about taking a nap herself. Maybe she would have, but Jacob's snoring was impossible to tune out. So, instead of sleeping, she let her mind wander.

With the attack on Quil, Forks was becoming nearly as dangerous as a war zone. It worried her that Jacob and the others were out there every day and night risking their lives to keep the citizen of La Push and Forks safe. And they didn't even know, or even got thanked for it. They both deserved all the awards for the selfless way they put themselves in danger to protect complete strangers. It saddened her that neither got the recognition they deserved. Even the elders were selfish with their praise, seeming to expect the boys to just get on with it without complaint. It seemed that the old men had forgotten that Jacob, Sam and Quil were still just teenage boys at heart. She was determined to make up for their lack of compliments by fussing over the boys herself. She knew a way to a wolf's heart was through their stomach – well she certainly wasn't lacking in the cooking skills department. The least she could do was feed them. She started planning an imaginary menu in her head filled with nutritious meals to reenergize them.

Jacob snorted and rolled to his side. His arm swung off the back off the couch and pinned Bella against his body.

Woah, but he was heavy! And hot – in more ways than one. Bella's skin began to blaze as she felt every contour of his body pressed against every contour of hers. She was sweltering after a few seconds.

She tried to slide out from under his arm without waking him, but she had to shove a little bit, and when his arm fell off her, his eyes snapped open in alarm. He jumped to his feet, quickly alert, scanning the room for any sign of danger.

"Jake, calm down." Bella quickly soothed him. "Sorry I woke you."

Jacob glanced down at her, blinking, and confused. "Bella?"

"Hey, sleepy."

"Oh, man! Did I fall asleep? I'm sorry! How long was I out?"

"Not long."

Jacob flopped back on the couch next to her. "I'm so sorry about that, really."

Bella patted his hair, trying to smooth the wild disarray. "Don't feel bad, Jake. I'm just happy you got some sleep."

Jacob yawned and stretched. "I'm so freaking useless these days. I'm so boring. I was so determined that we get to spend some quality time together and I go and ruin it." He lamented.

"You're fine. Don't worry about it, Jake. I get it."

"But we haven't spent more than an hour together since your birthday party." Jacob complained in despair. He shook his head to try and revive himself. "Let's go outside. I need to walk around or I'll pass out again."

"Jake, go back to sleep. I'm good." Bella reassured him. "I'll just go home and let you sleep."

"No!" Jacob insisted, grabbing her hand. "No, stay. I can't believe I wasted all this time."

Jacob pulled her off the couch as he spoke, and then led the way outside, ducking his head as he passed under the doorframe. It had gotten much cooler since Jacob had slept; the air was unreasonably cold – there must be a storm on the way.

The wintry air seemed to make Jacob more alert. He paced back and forth in front of the house for a minute, dragging Bella along with him.

"I'm an idiot." He muttered to himself.

"What's the matter, Jake? So you feel asleep?" Bella shrugged. To her it was no big deal, she understood.

"I wanted to talk to you. I can't believe this."

"Talk to me now." Bella said.

Jacob met her eyes for a second, and then looked away quickly toward the trees. It almost looked like he was blushing, but it was hard for Bella to tell with his dark skin.

"Look." Jacob laughed, and it sounded like he was laughing at himself. "I was planning on doing this a little bit differently. Smoother." He added. "I was going to work up to it, but – "and he looked up at the clouds, dimmer as the afternoon progressed – "I wasted so much time."

He laughed again, his obvious nervousness infecting Bella. They were still pacing back and forth slowly.

"What are you talking about?" Bella finally demanded.

Jacob took a deep breath. "I want to ask you something… you can say no…although I hope you don't."

Bella planted her feet and he came to stop. She took her hand away and folded her arms across her chest. He was building up to something big and it was making her anxious. What was he having so much trouble asking her?

Jacob's eyebrows pulled down, throwing his deep-set eyes into shadow. They were pitch black as they bored into hers.

"Bella, will you be my date for the local Fall dance?" Jacob asked in a strong, sure voice. "It's something the tribal school hold at this time of year. I would really like it – no – I would really love it if you would come with me. So…. will you?"

Bella stared at him for a long minute, speechless. He had taken her completely by surprise.

As he watched her dumbfounded expression, the seriousness left his face.

"Okay." He said, grinning. "That's all."

"Jake – "It felt like there was something big sticking in her throat. Bella tried to clear the obstruction, wondering why she was finding it so difficult to find the one word she needed to accept. But before she had a chance to find her voice, they were interrupted by an angry shout.

A tall, muscle-bound boy strode toward them wearing a furious expression. His black hair was cropped short, his dark eyes focused solely on Jacob.

"I am done with you following me about, Black." He yelled, throwing his arms up in the air. "What the hell are you doing? Everywhere I go – there you are, watching me from a distance like some kind of sick freak. Just because you're the Chief's son doesn't mean you have the right to report my activities to the elders. Just stay out of my life!"

"Ah, fuck!" Jacob groaned in aggravation. "It's Paul Lahote! Great timing!"

"That's Paul?" Bella whispered in disbelief.

"Unfortunately – yes." Jacob sighed. He pressed a quick kiss to Bella's forehead and gave her a gentle shove toward the house. "You better go inside, honey. Just to be safe."

"No." Bella said stubbornly. "I'm not going anywhere. He has no right to speak to you like that."

"Bells, please." Jacob pleaded.

But Bella wasn't listening. She took a step forward, glaring at Paul in annoyance. "Hey, idiot, watch your mouth. Don't you dare talk to Jacob like that, otherwise you'll have me to deal with!" She fumed.

A shudder rippled through Paul as he turned his attention to her. "I'm sure that Black doesn't need his misses to defend him. He can speak for himself."

"Paul! Relax!" Jacob commanded, stepping protectively in front of Bella.

Paul shook his head back and forth, not in defiance, but as though trying to concentrate.

"Bella, get inside the house." Jacob said again, keeping his steely gaze on Paul.

"But – "Bella protested again.

"Bella!" Jacob cut her off by raising his voice, a rare occurrence. "Get inside the damn house!"

Paul twisted his head, focusing first on Jacob, then Bella. He looked her up and down lasciviously. "If he's not enough for you, darlin'. I'm free." He taunted.

Jacob's glare hardened as he gave Bella another less gentle shove toward the house.

"Thanks, but no thanks!" Bella retorted. "Jacob is ten thousand times the man you are."

That did it.

"Then you're easily pleased!" Paul roared in outrage. Another shudder, a convulsion, heaved through his body. He threw his head back, a real growl tearing through his teeth.

"Paul!" Jacob shouted. "For the last time – get in the damn house, Bella, please!"

Bella retreated a few steps in shock as she watched Paul fall forward, vibrating violently. Halfway to the ground, there was a loud ripping noise, and he exploded.

Dark silver fur blew out from the boy, coalescing into a shape more than five times his size -a massive, crouched shape, ready to spring.

The wolf's muzzle wrinkled back over his teeth, and another growl rolled through his colossal chest. His dark, enraged eyes focused on Bella.

In the same second, Jacob was running toward the monster.

"Jacob!" Bella screamed, taking off at a stumbling run after him.

Mid-stride, a long tremor shivered down Jacob's spine. He leaped forward, diving headfirst into the empty air.

With another sharp tearing sound, Jacob exploded just like Paul. He burst out of his skin- shreds of black and white cloth blasted up in the air. It happened so quickly that if Bella had blinked, she would have missed the entire transformation. One second it was Jacob diving into the air, and then it was the gigantic, russet-brown wolf – so enormous she still couldn't believe its mass somehow fitting inside Jacob – charging the crouched silver beast.

"You go get the idiot, Jake." Bella yelled, jumping up and down on the spot as Jacob met the other werewolf's attack head on. Their angry snarls echoed like thunder off the trees. "Teach him a lesson!"

The black and white scraps – the remains of Jacob's clothes fluttered to the ground where he'd disappeared. A piece of his black t-shirt landed on her head, binding her momentarily.

Bella snatched the annoying piece of material out of her way and pumped her fists in the air as she urged Jacob on. "That's it, Jake. Headbutt him. Show him what for. Beat his sorry ass!"

She was finding it hard to make herself heard above the roar of the fighting wolves. They were snapping and tearing at each other, their sharp teeth flashing toward each other's throats. The Jacob-wolf already had the upper hand – he was visibly bigger than the other wolf, and much stronger, too. He rammed his shoulder against the silver-gray wolf again and again, knocking him toward the trees.

As the growling and snapping was fading into the distance, Bella bellowed, nearly screaming herself hoarse in an effort to make herself heard. "By the way my answer is YES, Jake. I will come with you to the dance!"

A/N-thanks for reading!