Luckily for Bella, Charlie discovered the issue with her truck and jumped the battery in it after taking her to school. He assumed she must have left the dome light on, but she couldn't recall using it.

How had it gotten turned on in the first place? She surely would have noticed it before walking into the house, even if she'd done it accidentally. Did that mean someone else had been messing with her truck?

The thought of someone doing it on purpose creeped her out. She couldn't help but wonder if it had something to do with Sam as her earlier thoughts came rushing back. Bella had told him not to think about keeping her from Jacob. Sam didn't seem like the type that enjoyed getting disobeyed.

It was late Wednesday evening when Charlie finally saw Bella's hair in the kitchen light and nearly dropped his beer. Ever observant, Charlie Swan. She couldn't wait for him to see Leah's.

Wednesday and Thursday passed by like a week. Bella called Jacob before and after school on both days, with no answer. It was pissing her off. The least Billy could do was answer the phone or call back to let her know if Jacob was okay. Bella heard nothing from or about Jacob from anyone, and she was missing him terribly. She had spent much more time with him and Quil since Embry had blown them off, and the sudden distance made her feel lacking.

It was just as Quil had said about Embry, as though something was missing. Jacob was important. He knew better than anyone how much his complete silence could hurt her. He'd repeatedly promised never to abandon her, that it was safe to put her trust in him as her best friend as she slowly began healing. Was Sam Uley all it took to break that promise?

Nightmares plagued her Thursday night. In them, Bella stumbled through the woods, searching for Jacob. As Embry had done with Quil, Jacob would suddenly appear, glare into her eyes, and then disappear through the forest. Sometimes, Sam would block her path, keeping her from following him. And sometimes, several enormous wolves stepped in her way. The oddest part about the presence of the wolves was that they seemed to be protecting her rather than the other way around.

What on earth would they be protecting her from? Sam? Jacob? It felt like more than a warning, but Bella had no clue what it meant.

She called from the house phone Friday morning, hoping Billy would think it was Charlie and answer. To her surprise, a groggy, deep voice answered instead - one she barely recognized.

"Jake?"

"Bells?" One word, her nickname, spurred a dozen emotions. Jacob's voice had matured, sounding older and less nasally, as though he'd aged a decade in five days. He seemed almost surprised to hear from her. It confused the hell out of her when she'd called twice a day all week. For a moment, she wondered if he was honestly sick. He didn't sound ill. He sounded older. And annoyed.

"Holy Crow, you sound different," Bella gushed, unsure what else to say. "How are you feeling?"

"Shitty," he grumbled. "I can't talk for long…"

"Okay," she said carefully as his irritated tone grated her. "Are you okay? Do you need anything?"

"You can't come here, Bella," he snapped hatefully.

"I know," she squeaked and immediately blinked back tears. What the hell? "I j-just wanted to make sure you were okay. I miss you."

"I'll be fine, Bella."

Short and not-so-sweet. Okay, then. The sound of another familiar, deep voice in the background made her stomach roll as anger licked her spine.

Sarcastically, she snipped, "I guess I'll go then. Wouldn't want to interrupt your quality time with Sam."

She heard Jacob hiss, visualizing his scowling face and clenched teeth. He'd done all three of them often enough since Embry's abandonment. Her lungs ached as she waited, afraid to take a deep breath and possibly miss what he might say.

"Sam's helping me," Jacob muttered. "Don't blame him when you don't understand."

Per usual, her temper seemed to override her common sense when her mouth instinctively opened. "You're right. I don't understand. You hated Sam five days ago, and you loved me. You're supposed to be my best friend. What's with that sudden change, huh?"

His tone flattened, sounding entirely numb as he lowered his voice. "Well, sometimes things change, Bella, and there's nothing we can do about it."

It was happening, and she couldn't do anything about it. Just as she feared, Sam's ass had parked at Jacob's side, and she was suddenly persona non grata. Bella sucked in a sharp breath as she choked back a sob, unable to disguise the overwhelming sorrow enveloping her.

"Bella, don't be like that…"

" Like what, Jake? Terrified, you'll disappear? That I won't recognize you when I see you again, like Embry? That you will let Sam control you like a little puppet?"

Sounding impatient now, Jacob said, "Bella… this isn't a good time."

"Why?" She spat, "Because he's there? I don't give a fuck about Sam Uley, Jacob. If he has such a problem with me, why didn't he just leave me in the fucking woods to rot?"

Jacob growled, and Bella could have sworn she heard Sam growl, too. Unable to hold the tears back, Bella said, "You know what? Call me when you figure out a good time. I'd prefer it when you don't have Sam Uley up your ass. You know, after last weekend, I thought…" She covered the receiver to muffle the sob that ripped through her.

Nearly whispering, he hissed, " You thought what ?"

He sounded arrogant and distant, entirely detached from any feeling he once had for his so-called best friend.

He sounds like Sam… No. He sounds like Edward. Jacob's tone was as cold and unemotional as Edward had become when he left her. Was it so easy to stop loving her?

And then, with a startling realization, Bella understood what Jacob was doing. It was the same tactic Bella had used on Charlie when she needed to run from James. Jacob was baiting her so that Bella would let him go.

Bella dropped to the floor as her heart shattered, practically ringing in her ears as she landed on her ass, and the cavity in her chest tore open. Everything inside of her instantly went numb. She didn't even hear Charlie step into the room behind her.

Bella said, "It doesn't matter. I miss you, but clearly, you don't miss me. You sound different, but you don't sound sick, Jake. The three of you have lied about it all week, just like Embry did. Is all of your hair gone already? Can't have you looking different from your new mob squad."

Again, Jacob hissed. "Bella."

She harped, "I know something very wrong is happening, Jake. I'm not fucking stupid. We talked about this shit for hours over the last few weeks. Do you honestly think I can't see through your bullshit?"

"Bells…" Jacob said, softening his tone. "I miss you, okay? I do. It's just not safe to be around you right now. I mean, it's not safe for you. I'm not good for you anymore."

She scoffed as the hurt and anger finally overwhelmed her. Nearly hysterical, she yelled, "It's not you, it's me. Really? You're just going to dump me with that tired old line? Life-long connection, over. Just like that?"

"It's true, Bella."

"Whatever, Jake. Call me when you remember other people love and need you more than Sam Fucking Uley!"

Bella slammed her thumb on the end call button, and a startling, pain-filled wail filled the air. As she realized the noise had come from her, Charlie plopped on the floor in front of her, pulling her against his chest.

"Daaad," she wailed and gasped as she struggled for breath. Tears poured from her eyes as the familiar pain of abandonment compressed her chest like a vice. Bella clenched the front of his shirt in her fists as Charlie held her tighter, gently rocking her as she wept harder than she'd ever let him witness before.

"I'm sorry, baby girl… so fucking sorry," Charlie crooned. "I don't understand what is happening with you and Jake, but I'm here. Okay?"

She nodded and sobbed into his chest until she had nothing left to give besides the occasional shudder as she tried to catch her breath. The sharpness in her chest wound down to a dull throb, in synch with her slowly calming heartbeat. Bella was unsure how long they remained that way, but Charlie never complained as he rubbed her back and stroked her hair, murmuring that everything would work out somehow.

Finally pulling away, she said, "Thanks, Dad."

"It's okay, Kiddo," Charlie said as he leaned back and brushed the hair out of her face. "You want to tell me what's happening? I thought Embry was the one suddenly up Sam's ass?"

"Well, apparently, Sam's the bee's fucking knees," she squawked, flapping her hands impatiently while quoting Quil. "I need to talk to Quil. I suppose it's only a matter of time before he stops Quil from spending time with me, too."

Under his breath, Charlie threatened, "Quil is my goddamn family, and I don't fucking think so…"

She almost smiled, grateful to see Charlie acting exceptionally fatherly for a change. Bella stood and held her hand out to help Charlie up from his cross-legged position on the floor - not that he needed it. At Forty-one, Charlie didn't look a day over thirty. Bella hoped she aged half as well.

He stood and hesitated slightly before releasing her hand and asking, "Do you want to stay home today? You've only got another week or two left of school, right?"

She laughed despite herself. "Uh, yeah. I graduate in mid-May. Remember?"

He harrumphed. "Should we still expect to reserve seats for Jake and Billy at Graduation?"

Bella's face fell as she thought about it. The four had talked about spending her and Jacob's graduations together for months, as they were only a week apart. Charlie and Billy wanted them to go on a camping trip to celebrate. Bella and Jacob tried convincing them to go to a theme park instead. It looked as if neither would happen now.

She said, "I honestly don't know. If Jake ends up behaving like Embry has been, I doubt I will see him again soon."

Just saying so aloud made her choke back another sob before the flood of tears could start again. Endless days without Jacob's warm hugs, sunshine smiles, and nothing to fill her now disconcertingly empty hands, free from his warm grip, seemed to stretch like a foreboding horizon before her. She wanted to go back to last Saturday and wrap her entire body around him for as long as humanly possible. The prospect of never doing so again made her shiver as though the loss chilled her from the inside out. Jacob was the main reason she'd fought Charlie about moving to Renee's house in Florida.

Abandoning Jacob was the furthest thing from her mind, but he seemed just fine with pushing her away. And, apparently, he wasn't actually sick at all - just like Embry.

"Well, I don't know what the hell is happening there, but I know one thing," Charlie grumbled as he reached for the home phone. "I'll kick Billy's fucking ass from here to Alaska before he fucking ignores me!"

Bella's heart sank. "Dad, I don't want you two to fight over me and Jake fighting, okay? It's not worth it. He's your best friend. And with Harry in a coma…"

Charlie reached up to gently pat Bella's face before affectionately nudging her backward to give him some room. "You are worth everything, kid. You got that?"

He turned his attention to the phone and began dialing. Bella shook her head as she spun and darted up the stairs to finish getting ready for school. There was no point in staying home when it would just leave her wallowing.

As Bella turned to shut the bathroom door behind her, Charlie began yelling. "Don't you fucking ' What, Bella,' ME, Jacob Ephriam! What the hell is with your attitude toward Bella this morning, anyway?" Snarling, he sarcastically added, "Real bang-up fucking job stepping all over her damn heart, Jake. Where's Billy?"

After a brief silence, Charlie said, "Kid, you haven't seen me pissed." He laughed bitterly. "Yeah. I'm sure."

Bella held her breath, again waiting to hear what came next.

Suddenly, Charlie roared, "Is that Sam Uley? You tell him to shut the fuck up and mind his own business!"

Bella's eyes widened in surprise as she gasped, then had to restrain herself from physically cheering Charlie on.

"I don't give a goddamn, Jake. You tell Sam I said to kiss my ass. Sam doesn't know Jack Shit about my daughter…" After a brief pause, Charlie asked, "What does Sam mean by, I don't know my daughter? He doesn't know my fucking daughter!"

There was another brief pause before Charlie said, "Sam can shove what he thinks he knows about Bella up his ass. Does that little smartass honestly think I don't hear shit about where my daughter is or what she does from multiple sources every fucking day? She was nearly catatonic for months! Of course, I know! Now, last I knew, she was supposed to be safe and sound spending time in La Push with you… "

Charlie's tone lightened, almost sing-song-y with sarcasm. "Well, I guess the person who needs to answer what you two do all the time is you, Jake. Because if Bella is up to something, so are you. Please enlighten me. Maybe you can start by telling me what you both were up to last weekend. Hmm?"

This conversation didn't seem to go well for Sam or Jacob, and Bella couldn't help but feel somewhat vindicated despite flushing with embarrassment after Charlie's comment. She slid down the doorframe and squatted, still listening.

Charlie snorted. "Yeahhh, Jake. That's what I thought. Now, why are you letting Sam fill your head full of bullshit about your own best friend?" Another pause. "Yeah, that's a good question, isn't it?"

Bella wished she could hear what got said on the other end, but judging by Charlie's tone, it was good that she couldn't.

"Look. I don't know what problem Sam has with Bells, but he isn't to go anywhere near her again. From now on, Sam had better walk the other way…"

"No! That's bullshit! She grew up spending time in La Push. She has other friends and family there, too. Bella has every right to be there without harassment from Sam Uley."

What the fuck? Had Sam been bold enough to suggest she stay away from La Push entirely? What had she ever done to be deemed so unwelcome? Bella didn't understand it.

Charlie snapped, "When he's up your ass, you can steer clear of her, too, as far as I'm concerned. I won't have you treating her like shit under his fucking influence, Jake. Every single interaction she's had with Sam thus far has left her upset for days afterward. From all the shit I'm gathering lately, Sam's the one acting like some toxic-ass Alpha-male, throwing his weight around the reservation like he owns the place. He has no right to make that call."

After one last brief silence, Charlie threatened, "Keep the company you keep in mind because I will keep a much closer eye on Sam Uley from now on!"

Bella's heart sank as she realized that Charlie unintentionally had divided them further with his declaration. By proclaiming her off-limits if Sam was around, Bella was sure he'd just made seeing her off-limits entirely for Jacob.

Sighing heavily, she decided maybe she wasn't quite in the mood to go to school. She was unsure Mr. Molina could handle it if she had another outburst, and Mike and Tyler's attention was on her last nerve. She wasn't sure why Sam was trying to push her away from everyone and could only imagine what he would say about her to people now. The thought nearly made her panic. Again, she couldn't help but wonder how soon it would be before Sam tried to isolate her from Quil, too.

Bella stood and hurried to grab her cell phone from the charger beside her bed to call her cousin. He needs to know what's happening.

He answered the phone laughing, an immediately welcoming sound. Bella could hear Old Quil grumble something in the background before Quil choked out a cheerful, "Hello?"

"Quil?" She couldn't help the tremble in her voice or the loud, obvious sniffle that followed.

"Hang on, Bells," Quil said. She heard him shuffling the phone around. A door slammed shut before he asked, "What's wrong? Are you okay? Have you heard from Jake?"

The second that 'Jake' escaped Quil's lips, Bella's ugly wailing restarted. She tried to tell him how Jacob had spoken to her, but her words became incoherent.

"Bella, you gotta try to calm down, sweetie. I can't…"

The phone crackled as it changed hands, and Joy asked, "Hello? Bella? Honey? What's happened? Quil doesn't speak inconsolable girl. But let me try it, okay?"

Bella laughed and took a deep breath before starting over. Joy understood "Fight with Jacob" and "Fucking Sam Uley" easily. Nothing else needed to be said as Joy repeated those two simple details to Quil.

"I see," Quil snarled, and Bella knew he understood without needing the whole story. Bella finally began to calm down as she heard the phone exchange hands again.

Calmer than she expected, Quil cooed, "How can I help you, Bella? What do you need me to do? Because I'll gladly beat the shit out of Sam at this point. The extra excuse would be great…"

"No!" She sniffled loudly, hating the thought of Quil risking injury because of a stupid bully, even if Quil was the stronger of the two. "I don't want you to fight anybody. Besides, Charlie just threatened Jacob and Sam. Literally ."

"Oh," Quil said and chuckled nervously. "Bringing out the big guns, huh?"

Bella snorted. "Will Joy let you skip today? Charlie's letting me stay home, but I still plan on going to Tyler's tonight. I honestly think we all need the distraction. I just hoped she would let you skip with me today, though."

Quil chuckled. "And do what? Watch TV, eat junk, and hate on Sam Uley together?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Call Leah. Maybe she'll feel like skipping work, too. Then you don't have to drive out here to get me and risk running into all of them. I could ride with Leah."

"Uh, Quil?" Bella sniffled again and took another deep breath, unsure she could get it all out a third time.

"Yeah, yeah," he teased. "I know. You can barely talk as it is. Let me talk to my mom, and I'll call Leah. Go, take some deep breaths or something. Clean up your eyeliner."

"Dick," she muttered, somehow sounding both grateful and annoyed.

Quil cackled and promised to call her back before hanging up without a goodbye. Bella was okay with that. She was sick to fucking death of goodbyes.