Impasse

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Comfort

The russet-brown wolf was so alarmed by Bella's impulsive action of putting her head in his mouth, that it stiffened, before a long shiver tremored down its spine.

Bella, surprised by the gigantic wolf's sudden movement, stumbled backwards, falling on her ass in the mud. Her chocolate brown eyes practically bugged out of her head as she witnessed the huge beast's form shimmer in and out like bad reception on a faulty TV screen. Then to her dismay it disappeared in a blink of an eye, morphing into its human form. Suddenly it was no longer the wolf crouching on the ground – it was Jacob – completely, totally butt naked.

"Jacob!" She shrieked in surprise.

"Oh, shit, here we go!" Leah muttered irritably as she shoved the black wolf's snout out of her way where he was still pressing slobbering kisses all over her face. "Quit it, Sam. Swan is about to have a meltdown."

The black wolf huffed out an approximation of a laugh, earning himself another rough shove from the love of his life. He whined indignantly, but obediently turned around to watch the entertaining floorshow.

Bella bit her lip, eyes everywhere but on Jacob's naked form. He had risen to his feet, his first instinct to go and comfort her, completely forgetting his lack of clothing. He moved closer, with cautious eyes that finally managed to capture her own. "Hey, it's me, honey."

Bella's breathing became softer, her pensive look melting into a smile as soft as the morning light. Her body squirmed just a little as her muscles relaxed. There was something about that gaze of his she would never find in another man, as if in that moment their souls had made a bridge.

"So, you were really inside after all?" She whispered.

Jacob grinned, holding out his hand to help her to rise. "Kinda." He laughed when she took it. He hauled her up easily, helping her to maintain her balance, their eyes never leaving each other's the whole time.

Ordinarily it would have been quite a romantic moment if not for Leah and her perverse sarcasm. "Stop flashing your bits at the poor girl, Jacob, and put some clothes on!"

Bella's blush was pink perfection as she immediately broke eye contact, her gaze turning skyward, gulping in mortification. Jacob wasn't mortified, he was annoyed. Trust Leah to open her big mouth and ruin such a sweet moment. He scowled irritably in her direction and she scowled right back.

"Um…Jake…. perhaps you should put something on." Bella mumbled, still looking skyward, as if intently studying the cloud patterns.

"Fine." Jacob grumbled, throwing Leah another irritated glance.

Leah just gave him the finger in return. The black wolf butted her in the side in warning. Unfortunately, the action was a bit rougher than he intended. Leah emitted a very unladylike squeal as she fell on her butt just like Bella had earlier. She smacked her curled fists on the muddy ground, glaring viciously up at the gigantic black wolf, who whined apologetically. He lowered his head and pressed another slobbering kiss on Leah's cheek, drowning out the sound of her cussing.

Bella spent the rest of the day in La Push, the majority of it in Billy's house. He seemed very displeased at first when he found out what Jacob had done. Father and son exchanged a few sharp words, with Billy the one eventually apologizing.

"I was just looking out for you, son."

Jacob reluctantly accepted this apology, not wanting to have a long, drawn-out argument in front of Bella. Billy turned to the phone and left a message on Charlie's answering machine and at the station, inviting him over to La Push for dinner. Charlie showed up around five, carrying two large pizzas. It was good he brought two larges; Jacob ate one all by himself, much to Bella's astonishment.

She noticed Charlie eyeing the two of them suspiciously all night, especially the much-changed Jacob. He asked about the hair; Jacob shrugged and told him it was more convenient.

Bella knew that as soon as she and Charlie headed home, Jacob would take off- off to run around as a wolf, as he and Sam had done intermittently throughout the day. The thought still blew her mind, though her immediate acceptance of his alter ego seemed to mean the world to Jacob.

Before Charlie's arrival Jacob had again shared the stories he had told her once before during their little flirtation on First beach. Bella had no recollection at all of that event, and Jacob was careful to leave out the part pertaining to the Cullens. That was a conversation for another day. She was already freaked out by the newfound knowledge that vampires (cold ones) existed. To learn that she had dated one might push her over the edge. So, Jacob kept that to himself. She was still recuperating. He needed to be cautious with her, only drip feeding her information until he was sure she was ready to handle the full truth. Though, so far, he had to admit she was taking it all very well. He was so proud of her.

Jacob explained to Bella about his and Sam's role as protectors. They would both keep up a constant watch, looking for any sign that a vampire had dared to trespass on tribal lands.

Hearing that he was going to willfully put himself in danger immediately triggered Bella's worry gene. It took all of Jacob's reassurances, as well as Billy's, to convince her that this was what they were made for.

"No cold one will stand a chance against them." Billy had stated confidently.

Bella had no choice but to take his word for it.

Jacob walked her to Charlie's police cruiser after dinner and lingered by the window, waiting as Charlie said his goodbyes to Billy.

"Don't be afraid tonight." Jacob said, while Charlie continued to waffle on to Billy about their next fishing expedition. "We'll be out there, watching."

"I'm not worried about me." Bella fretted as she battled with her seatbelt. "I'm worried about you."

"You're silly. Hunting vampires is fun. It's the best part of this whole mess."

Bella shook her head and looked at him dubiously. "If I'm silly, then you're dangerously unbalanced. You shouldn't be so complacent. From your description, those bloodthirsty monsters are frightening."

Jacob chuckled. "Get some rest, Bella, honey. You look exhausted."

"I'll try." Bella sighed. "Please, just be careful. Don't do anything reckless."

"I promise."

Charlie climbed into the driver's seat then, ending the conversation. He nodded at Jacob, before giving Billy one last wave.

"See you tomorrow, Bells." Jacob called out as Charlie pulled away.

Bella waved at him frantically through the passenger window, keeping her eyes on Jacob the whole time, until Charlie turned the corner at the dirt track and she could no longer see him.

When they got home, Charlie helped Bella up the stairs and into her bedroom. Bella expected him to bid her goodnight and leave right away, but he lingered in the doorway.

"Is something wrong?" She asked carefully.

Charlie looked directly at her, a frown marring his forehead. "What's going on, Bella?"

"With what?" Bella felt totally confused by his question. There was nothing she had done that she could think of that should make him express such a concern.

"With you and Jacob?" Charlie's frown deepened. "He looks…different." He said, fumbling around for the right word to describe the obvious changes in his best friend's son.

"I don't know." Bella shrugged, trying to make light of it. "Who can understand teenage boys? They're a mystery."

Charlie still looked suspicious. "It doesn't seem odd to you that he cut his hair? Jacob was always so adamant about keeping it long like his old man."

"Maybe he just changed his mind. He said it was easier, or something."

"What does that even mean?" Charlie demanded.

"Dad, I am not a mind reader." Bella laughed, but it sounded forced even to her ears. "Anyway, its really none of our business what Jake does with his hair."

Charlie didn't seem convinced by her cavalier attitude about the whole thing, but he realized he wasn't going to be able to pry anymore information out of her.

"Alright, then, kiddo." He said, reluctantly, giving up. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight."

"Night, Dad." Bella echoed, relieved that the interrogation was over.

That night, Bella lay awake for a long time trying to sort through the day. She worked her way back through the dinner with Billy, Jacob, and Charlie, to waiting anxiously in the Black's house to hear something from Jacob, to her long conversation with Jacob about the old legends.

Werewolves were real. Vampires were real.

The thought of the blood drinking monsters that Jacob might come across made her shudder. She curled into a tight ball as she began to fret and worry. Jacob was so overconfident – too overconfident. She knew he had Sam with him, but there were only two of them. What if they came across a whole company of vampires? Jacob had seemed convinced that they usually only travelled together in groups of two or three at most.

"This is what I'm made for." He had said over and over.

All she could do was trust his judgement.

Bella rolled over and tried to stem the tide of her negative thoughts- and she thought of Jacob and Sam, out running in the darkness. She fell asleep imagining the wolves, invisible in the night guarding her from danger. When she dreamed, it wasn't the usual nightmares, instead she was holding Leah's hand as they faced the shadows and waited anxiously for their werewolves to come home.

A week had passed and already Bella was falling into the pattern of things in La Push. She had spent a surprising amount of time with Leah. The two of them had spent Sunday mostly on the beach, while Charlie hung out with Billy at the Black's house. Jacob and Sam were supposed to be with them, but the boys had other things to do, so the girls wandered the beach together, bickering constantly, keeping the secret from Charlie.

When Jacob dropped in to check on her, he apologized to Bella for ditching her so much and leaving her to put up with Leah for company. Sam was saying the same to Leah. Jacob explained that his schedule wouldn't continue to be this crazy forever, but until others joined them, he and Sam were on red alert.

"There will be others?" Bella had exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes." Jacob said bleakly. "We just don't know who and when."

When they walked (or hobbled in Bella's case) along the beach now, they always held hands.

XXXXXXXXXX

By the end of that same week, Bella finally got her cast removed. She was in the mood to celebrate her newfound freedom. Unfortunately, Jacob was too busy to celebrate with her, which dampened her mood considerably. It meant she was left to honor the momentous occasion with only Leah for company.

The older girl made a sarcastic speech, raising a can of warm soda to Bella as she ended her toast with her usual sardonic smile. "Here's to your newfound freedom, girl." She declared, tapping their cans together. "And here's to me for having the patience to put up with your sorry ass."

Bella had been in the midst of taking a swig of her soda when Leah said the last bit. She choked on the carbonated liquid in annoyance, and it ended up spraying out of her mouth and all over Leah.

"Oh, you did that deliberately to get back at me!" Leah accused, glowering at Bella as she mopped at her face with a paper napkin.

"Maybe I did!" Bella snapped back irritably- though in truth it was a genuine accident. "You deserved it for that horrible speech!"

The two of them were still bickering when Charlie came home from work. When he heard their raised voices, he sighed, bypassing the living room, and heading straight to the kitchen to make himself a snack.

Bella sleepwalked through her days at school. The only highlight was on Tuesday when Jacob showed up unexpectedly at lunchtime to spend time with her.

Mike noticed – and he wasn't too happy about it.

"Are you dating that kid from La Push?" The sophomore?" He asked, poorly disguising the resentment in his tone.

Bella shrugged. "Not in the technical sense of the word. I do spend most of my free time with Jacob, though. He's my best friend."

Mike's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Don't kid yourself, Bella. The guy's head over heels for you. Anyone with eyes can see that."

Bella sighed. "That's none of your business."

"Whatever." Mike said under his breath.

Thankfully there was no chance of running into the Cullens. It had been unusually dry and warm in Forks that week. The sun coming out most days. As a result, the whole Cullen clan had been pulled out of classes by Carlisle and were off hiking in the wilderness somewhere. Bella thought it was odd in the extreme that they were allowed to just up and ditch school like that, but apparently it was an arrangement that had been made with the principal when they first enrolled – the hiking was termed as an educational experience, communing with nature.

Not that Bella cared about the reason- she was just glad of their absence.

On Thursday night, Sam and Leah joined Charlie and Bella for dessert at Billy's house. Bella brought a cake that she had been slaving over for most of the afternoon. It was a big hit – even Leah had to concede it wasn't entirely horrible.

Jacob and Bella skipped out early to get some privacy. They went out to the garage and sat in the Rabbit – an old classic car that Jacob was restoring. Jacob leaned his head back, his face drawn with exhaustion.

"You need some sleep, Jacob." Bella fretted.

"I'll get around to it."

He reached over and took her hand. His skin was blazing.

"Is that one of the wolf things?" Bella asked him. "The heat, I mean."

"Yeah, we run a little warmer than the normal people. About one-oh-eight, one-oh-nine. I never get cold anymore. I could stand like this" – he gestured at his bare torso – "in a snowstorm and it wouldn't bother me. The flakes would turn to rain where I stood."

Bella's eyes opened wide at this pertinent bit of information. "Wow." She breathed in awe.

"And we heal fast too."

"Really?" Bella's eyebrows nearly shot up to her hairline.

"Yeah, wanna see? It's pretty cool." Jacob was more animated now. He reached around Bella to get to the glove compartment and dug around for a minute. His hand came out with a pocketknife.

"No, I do not want to see!" Bella shouted as soon as she realized what he was thinking. "Put that away!"

Jacob chuckled at her overreaction, but shoved the knife back where it belonged. "Fine. It's a good thing we heal, though. You can't go see just any doctor when you're running a temperature that should mean you're dead."

"No, I guess not." Bella considered that for a minute. "And being so big – that's part of it?"

"Yeah." Jacob agreed. His humor vanished as a troubled expression took over his handsome face. "I think my friend Quil is going to be next."

Bella had heard many funny tales from Jacob about his friends, Quil and Embry, but had yet to meet them in person. He had just been about to introduce them before the whole wolf thing took control of his life. Since his transformation he had been forced to avoid them, much to their consternation. They didn't understand why he was suddenly giving them the cold shoulder. Embry, he said, was particularly affected as he saw the Black's house as his second home.

"I'm sorry, Jacob." Bella put her hand over his.

"Quils' grandfather says he's getting big and that he's so hot you could fry an egg on his forehead." Jacob's face turned hopeless. "I worry about him, Bella."

"Why?" Bella probed curiously. "I know it's going to be a big upheaval, but Quil will have you and Sam to guide him." She could think of no better teacher than Jacob.

"That's true – but you don't know Quil. He can be quite reckless sometimes. He will be thrilled it's happened to him; it will be like a game to him. I'm worried he won't take things seriously enough, which means I'll have to issue an Alpha order to put him in his place. He won't take kindly to me stamping my authority on him." Jacob broke off for a moment, worrying his bottom lip with his front teeth.

Bella took a few seconds to absorb this flood of new information. This was the first time they'd had enough privacy to discuss the changes in Jacob's life in depth. She had naturally assumed that Sam was in charge, just because he was the oldest. But the way that Jacob was talking, it seemed that she had drawn the wrong conclusion.

"You're the Alpha?"

"Yeah, I thought you knew?"

Bella shook her head wordlessly.

Jacob then explained that as the great-grandson of Ephraim Black, it was actually his birthright to lead his generation's wolf pack and become its alpha.

Jacob didn't have any interest in that responsibility, though, and had considered briefly whether to hand the title to Sam, but after much forethought he had decided to retain it, especially after being reminded by his father about the treaty that his great grandfather had made with the Cullens. He held Ephraim Black responsible for the reason why the coven felt able to return all these years later and disrupt life for everyone, and allowing Edward Cullen to pray on an innocent Bella. Jacob's newfound transformation allowed him to protect her against the sneaky asshole. The night he had first transformed and come across Edward and his sister spying on Bella, he had lost it, ready to come to blows, until Edward had thrown the treaty in his face to stop him. Every night since, Jacob made sure to circuit Bella's house once or twice a night to prevent Edward getting close.

Not that Bella knew any of this. She was still ignorant of Edward's true nature, and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold off from telling her. He kept expecting her to put two and two together, but so far, she seemed to be doing her best to remain in denial.

Bella was full of questions which he did his best to answer honestly. "But why does it matter who your great grandfathers were?"

"Because Ephraim and Quil were in the last pack. Levi Uley was the third. Its in my blood on both sides. I never had a chance. Like Quil doesn't have a chance."

His expression remained bleak.

"I'm sorry, Jacob." Bella whispered, squeezing his hand. "I'm here for you whenever it gets too much. You know that, right?"

Jacob sucked in a breath and managed a watery smile. "Thanks, Bella, I don't think I would have survived all this craziness without you."

"It's good that we have each other." Bella said, clearly comforted by the thought.

Jacob was comforted, too. "At least there's that." He agreed.

A/N-thanks for reading!