"Swan residence," Jacob answered the phone like he lived there.

Bella didn't like being interrupted. They were just about to kiss and now he's on the phone! So she reached her hands around his neck and pulled him into a kiss anyway. He was stunned, but not so stunned that he didn't kiss back. He reached around her waist, still holding the phone with that hand. He cupped her cheek with his other hand. He parted his lips, pulling her bottom lip into his, sucking on it gently.

"HELLO?!" The voice coming from the phone was becoming frantic.

"Hold that thought, Bells," then, to the phone, "sorry, how can I help you?"

"Well, I was going to ask for Charlie but if Isabella is there, it would please me greatly to speak to her." The sickly sweet voice made the hair on Jacob's neck stand up straight.

"Sure, sure. May I ask who's speaking?" Jacob was stalling, trying to place the voice.

"This is Edward Cullen."

Jacob felt like he had been slapped, hard. He stepped back from Bella. Handing her the phone he whispered, "it's Edward."

Her eyes went wide. She took a breath and composed herself rather quickly. "Swan residence," she smirked at Jacob and then pulled him back closer to her, tugging him by his shorts.

"Oh, Isabella! I was so worried. Alice saw you jumping -"

"Who is this?" she demanded, reaching her hand around Jacob's waist, pulling him even closer so that their chests were flush against each other. She looked Jake in the eye as she spoke on the phone.

"Love, it's me, Edward, and I've needed to -" again she cut him off.

"Oh, Edward, no need to concern yourself with me, I'm fine," her eyes darted away from Jake, "and I don't want you in my life. You once said that you would respect my decision if I told you to leave me alone. I'm asking you to do that now." Click. She dismissed Edward even faster than she dismissed Alice less than an hour ago.

She put the phone on the receiver. She used her now free hand to reach around Jacob's neck and pulled his face back down to hers. His lips were so soft against hers, and warm, so warm. When Jacob parted his lips again, she took the opportunity to slide her tongue into his mouth, something Edward would never allow. Jacob did not pull back like she feared. Instead, his tongue greeted hers and they danced. Their tongues were stroking each other sensually, exploring how each angle felt when pressed together. After a minute, she had to pull away. She needed to catch her breath.

"Wow," she whispered, then looked up into his face. Jacob was smiling so widely, grinning really. She couldn't help but smile back, then started to giggle. "Did I really just hang up on Edward Cullen?"

He was so proud of her. "Yeah, Bells, you really did. It was great! What do you think he wanted?"

"Well, I obviously didn't hear him out, but I'd guess the same thing as Alice. I wish there was a way to stay out of her visions completely." She wondered what had caused Alice's vision to go black in the first place. She just hoped that they both listened to her wishes. They never did in the past though. That was exactly why she didn't want them in her life anymore.

"I don't know, Bells. But we'll keep you safe if they ever show their face here again." He pulled her into a tight hug.

"You know this is kind of fucked up, Jacob, us getting together while Charlie is planning Harry's funeral." Bella was already a little stressed about the timing of their first kiss. Her dad was devastated and the whole community would be mourning and they were making out.

"Whoa, whoa! Who ever said we were together? We just kissed, sweety. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Jacob declared.

Bella looked up at him, trying to disguise her crestfallen face. She saw the twinkle in his eye and knew he was playing. So she swatted his chest, but not hard enough to hurt herself. "Fine," she said, backing out of his arms.

"Oh no you don't," he held her tight , "if you want us to be together, I'll consider it, you just have to ask." He loved teasing her

"And if I don't?" she countered.

He let go of her immediately lifting his hands in an 'I surrender,' pose. "If you don't want to be together, I'll respect that." he answered sincerely. Then he leaned down, his lips dangerously close to her ear, he whispered huskily, "but I was so hoping that you would."

Damn. When did little Jacob Black get so hot and seductive? She turned her head towards his, their lips brushing together. The next thing she knew, they were on the couch, her hands running up and down, chest to abs and then up to his shoulders and then back down again. His hands were on her back, inching lower toward her ass. Their mouths were attacking each other. They were both wide open, trying to feel every millimeter of each other's mouth with their tongues and their lips. It was aggressive and full of need and exactly what they both had been yearning for.

And then the phone rang again. Bella started getting up. She looked wobbly on her feet so Jacob darted up. "Don't move a muscle," he instructed. He grabbed the phone from the wall. "Swan residence," he answered.

o.~*~.o

When Jacob phased to run home after his make out session with Bella, he learned the true catalyst for the heart attack that took Harry's life. Leah Clearwater had phased. Harry had been convinced that Leah would not phase, even though she showed symptoms. He trusted the old wisdom that only boys phased. The shock of it set off the heart attack that was likely inevitable anyway due to his lifestyle choices. The shock of that mess caused Seth Clearwater to phase at the age of fourteen.

Jacob knew through the pack mind that Seth was handling it pretty well. He had been able to phase back the same day. Seth was devastated that his dad died but as a silver lining, now he got to hang out with the cool older kids and his life had a real purpose now.

Leah, on the other hand, was not taking it well at all. Leah and Sam Uley had a bitter break up over a year ago when Sam left her for her cousin Emily. Leah hated seeing inside Sam's mind, seeing his memories of Emily, learning that Emily was his imprint, his soul mate. Like that should make her feel better? Even more, she hated that Sam could see into her mind, see her rage, her bitterness, her pain. It was that discomfort that first got her to phase back to human just to keep him out of her head. So she was in control of her phasing by the next afternoon.

Still, she was in agony all the time. She felt responsible for the death of her daddy, she turned into a giant monstrous wolf when angry, and her nasty ex boyfriend could read her mind and had actual, binding power over her as alpha of the wolf pack. This was absolute hell. She felt suicidal and the whole pack knew it. They also knew she would never do anything to cause Seth and her mom more pain than they were already in, so they didn't take it too seriously when she fantasized about ways of ending it all.

Since they didn't take it seriously, she felt fine about her fantasies. 'I could phase to human during a vampire fight,' she fantasized. 'The vampire would shatter my bones, causing so much internal hemorrhaging that I would definitely bleed out before I was able to heal. And mom wouldn't need to know that it was a suicide. But Seth would know so I couldn't do that…'

That was the thing. It would have to look like an accident to both her mom and Seth. And Seth already knew about her dark thoughts.

CUT IT OUT. Paul's voice boomed in her head.

Yeah, patrols. How could she help but daydream when wandering around the woods sniffing for vampire scents?

Still, she'd rather patrol than go home during daylight hours. There were so many people at her house all of the time. She didn't want to talk to any of them. She didn't even want to talk to her mom. She knew her mom must hate her for killing the love of her life. How could she not? Maybe she wouldn't even be upset if Leah killed herself. Maybe it would be a relief. Her mom hadn't looked her in the eye since her dad died and Seth seemed to be avoiding her too. Maybe she didn't need to worry about them being hurt by her death. They didn't want her around anyway. Since her Daddy died, it felt like no one wanted her around.

SHUT UP! If Paul had any authority in the pack, she would have to shut up, but he didn't, so she didn't.

She was a little mad at his insistence. She was pissed, actually. What did he care, anyway? It was no secret that having a girl in the pack put a damper in everyone's style. And she is the alpha's bitchy ex no less. Paul wouldn't care if he didn't have to patrol with her anymore. Sam would be relieved with her being out of his pack forever. She just had to end it quietly, not be a drama queen. She didn't want a bunch of gossip surrounding her death. She just wanted to stop existing.

Then she noticed what Paul was seeing. He was no longer in the woods. He was approaching a small white house with blue shutters. Shit. Sam's house. She ran as fast as she could toward her own house. When Sam stepped out of his house, she phased back to human. She did not want to deal with his bullshit. If he made an alpha order about what she was allowed to think about… she was so angry just thinking about it that her body was vibrating.

No! She was phasing back to wolf. When she phased in, she saw Paul replaying her thoughts for Sam. So frustrating. What did he care, anyway? She quietly phased back to human. They knew she was there but Sam did not have time to process Paul's memories and place an alpha order before she left.

She started running to her house on two legs. She'd rather deal with house guests than Sam. She found a dress she had stashed in one of the trees near her house and slipped it on before stepping into her backyard. Only Jacob and Bella were in the backyard, lips locked. Jacob pulled away when she was halfway to her house.

'Hey Leah, I'm so sorry about all of this…'

She just kept on walking, not even looking at them. Who makes out when visiting a grieving family? Pricks.

She stepped in through the back door. Billy and Charlie were sitting with her mom in the living room. She nodded a silent greeting at all of them then hurried to her room, saying nothing. Sam might be mad that she was skipping patrols or that she was thinking about things that made the pack uncomfortable or whatever. She didn't care. She didn't care about the pack at all. She didn't want to be a protector, an 'honored spirit warrior. '

She flung herself on her bed. No tears had come since her daddy's death and today was no different. But she was exhausted and she quickly fell asleep.

o.~*~.o

Bella went with Charlie to visit the Clearwaters two days after that first kiss with Jacob. She hadn't seen him since then because of school and patrols but they had been texting. She made a double batch of lasagna so she could bring one with her to the Clearwater's. It was just good luck that Jacob was visiting with Billy at the same time. Her face lit up when she walked in the door and saw Jacob on the couch. His face split into a huge grin when she walked in. Not appropriate for visiting a grieving family, he thought, shit. He glanced up at Sue but she seemed amused, not angry. She was a good woman.

"Bella, can we talk outside for a minute," he invited. He stood from the couch to guide her by the elbow, trying to look casual in front of Charlie.

"Uh, yeah," Bella agreed. She was happy to see Jake but wasn't sure what the appropriate etiquette was for this situation. "Sue, where do you want me to put this lasagna?"

"Try to find room in the fridge, dear." Sue did not move from the living room to help her. "That is so sweet of you."

Bella found a spot on the top shelf of the fridge. She grabbed Jacob's hand and walked into the back yard with him. The Clearwater's yard was large, surrounded by trees, so private. There was a picnic table and grill to the left. Jacob led her to the right.

"I missed you," he whispered, leaning in to kiss her. Their mouths were quickly intertwined, then Jacob pulled away, looking across the yard. Bella turned to see what he was looking at. Leah was stomping toward the house wearing only a dirty dress, no shoes. Her hair was shorter than Bella remembered only a few weeks ago when she saw Leah last. Leah was still strikingly beautiful now, but she didn't look good, grief stricken and angry.

'Hey Leah, I'm so sorry about all of this…' Jacob offered. Leah didn't even look up. Bella wasn't even sure Leah heard him.

"Is she going to be okay?" Bella asked.

"Eventually." Jacob sighed. "She phased. It startled Harry so much, he had a heart attack. Then Seth phased in his grief."

"Oh my God!" Bella gasped, tears in her eyes thinking of how she would feel if that happened to her. "That must be terrible for her. I didn't even know girls could be wolves."

"No one did." Jacob was being completely honest. "That's why Harry was so startled."

"Shit." Bella shifted her weight where she stood. "I wish I knew that Seth and Leah both phased. I would have brought two lasagnas."

Jacob smiled at her thoughtful nature. "I'll be sure to tell you next time this exact situation happens again, I promise."

"Is there anything else that has been going on? I've missed you, too."

Jacob paused, not sure how much he should tell her about the leech. "Victoria has been making a lot of attempts. We've extended patrols around Forks, so you're as safe there as you are at the rez. She's never gotten that far, though, not even close. It's pretty routine. She runs at us, we chase her off, she heads to the cliffs. Even when we have guys stationed around the coast, she always manages to evade them. But we'll get her, don't you worry. We'll keep you safe." He leaned down and kissed her temple, wrapping his arms around her shoulders.

"Mmmkay." She breathed. "We should probably go in. We're being rude."

"Yeah," Jake smiled. He slung one arm around her shoulder and held her close to him as they walked back in the house. The chatter of the parents stopped immediately when they stepped inside. Jake had heard them outside, speculating about their relationship. He would have to talk to Charlie soon. But Bella was a little surprised. She teased her dad about being a gossip but this was a little much. She looked at all of their faces and they were smiling at Jacobs' arm around her. Well, at least she could provide a little merriment for them. She guessed that would make up for only bringing one lasagna.

o.~*~.o

Leah was awoken by a rich male voice wafting in from the living room. Sam. Fuck. A second feminine voice accompanied him, one she hadn't heard in a long while. Emily was here too. How could they? She started vibrating again. No phasing! She had to maintain control. She looked around for a place to hide or a way out. She could go out the window. No, Sam would be able to follow her trail without any trouble. Sam would know if she was hiding in the closet or something. But he wouldn't have the audacity to rummage around her room looking for her with her mom watching if she hid. Or would he? Maybe she could pretend to be asleep. Before she even decided what to do, her mom opened the door.

"Leah, Honey, Sam and Emily are here to see you. Do you want to come out or shall I tell them that you're too tired." Wow. Her mom was giving her such an easy out.

"I'm really tired, thanks Mom." she answered without turning to look at her mom.

Sue Clearwater had shed some tears since the death of her husband. Some were for the overwhelming loss she felt, but most were for the pain her daughter was going through. She didn't want to lose Harry, of course, but she had been warning him for years that his lifestyle was going to catch up to him. In many ways, he did this to himself. Leah did nothing to deserve the misery she was going through.

"Sure thing, honey. I've got Bella's lasagna in the oven. I want to make sure you get some before Seth eats it all. It will be ready in about half an hour and Sam and Emily will be long gone by then. Okay?"

"Thanks, Mom," Leah answered, still not lifting her head. She would be there for that

lasagna.

o.~*~.o

It seemed like all of the reservation and half of Forks attended Harry Clearwater's funeral. There was also a large Makah presence, as the Clearwaters had a lot of family there. Uncle Mike, Harry's brother, came down with his three daughters. Leah was closest to the oldest, Jen, who was 17. But she really didn't have the patience to socialize. She couldn't tell Jen what was really bothering her. She couldn't talk to anyone.

Leah still hadn't shed a tear over her daddy's death and she didn't know why. She wore sunglasses to the service. She was ashamed at her lack of outward grief. With the sunglasses, people would think she was crying underneath. They would think she was ashamed of the tears, not ashamed of their absence.

It seemed like everyone else was wearing sunglasses at the service, too. That made it so she didn't have to worry about eye contact. She couldn't bear it.

As soon as the service was over, Leah bolted for the trees. No one at the reception could offer her any solace, nor could she comfort anyone else. Most of the people in there didn't know that she killed her daddy. So they would say kind and comforting words to her that she didn't deserve to hear. It was all so awkward and forced anyway: everyone making small talk, eating finger foods, watching the pack scarf down everything in sight. If anyone from the pack even noticed she left, they would just think she phased in anger. But she didn't phase. She was just walking in the woods, away from the pack mind. She hated the pack mind.

Sue did notice Leah's absence, of course. But she was okay with it. She wanted to spend more time with her daughter but this was not the time. She understood that Leah did not have the patience for a reception. Seth was much better suited for this task. Forcing Leah to attend would only widen the gaping divide between them. So she let her go, for now.

Jacob and Bella arrived at the reception with their dads. Bella had made six trays of mini sandwiches, two trays of devilled eggs and five batches of cookies. Emily brought a similar quantity of muffins, cookies and mini quiches. Some of the Clearwater's family brought fruit and vegetable trays, chips and dips, and a large assortment of beverages. The food was covered.

Conversation at the reception was light. People shared their favorite memories of Harry. Seth and Sue were his closest family present. Billy and Charlie were his best friends. The four of them received most of the condolences.

Bella felt a little lost in the event. She loved Harry. She was so sad for her father's loss. But she didn't know how to talk to anyone about it right now.

"Want to take a walk?" Jake offered, sensing her discomfort.

"Yeah," she sighed, "thanks."

With his hand on the small of her back, he steered her to the back door. In the backyard, a lot of Harry's Makah relatives had gathered, most of them still wearing sunglasses on this rare sunny day. Jacob steered Bella around them towards the woods. There was a log down a little ways into the woods. He walked her over and they sat down on it, holding her hand.

"This sucks," she pouted. "They were like the three musketeers and now they're down to two. Do you think Sue will step up and take Harry's place?" Bella wondered, smiling at the image of Sue fishing with the dads.

"Maybe…" Jacob began, "actually I've been a little worried about that. Two single dad's and one single mom. It could be a disaster. But," he thought aloud, "probably not for a while. Sue is going to take some time to grieve and our dads won't push her. Hopefully that time will allow for fraternal bonding." He rubbed the back of his neck, awkwardly.

"Hmmm, I hadn't really thought about that. My dad has been single for a long time." Charlie still didn't seem to be over Renee, Bella's mom.

"Don't I know it!" Jacob exclaimed. "I think our dads have an unhealthy codependency. With Harry gone, maybe they'll seek something more. I just hope nobody gets hurt in the process."

"Mmmm," Bella agreed. Putting her head on Jacobs shoulder. "So how are things going with Leah and Seth? I brought more food this time."

"Well, Seth is doing really well. He's a great kid. It sucked that he had to phase so young. He's only fourteen."

"That's what I thought. Has anyone else phased that young?"

Jacob squeezed her hand. "No, at least not in our written history. But he's taking it like a champ. He has a positive attitude, takes direction, is friendly and patient with everyone, even Paul."

"Wow, patient with Paul? He sounds like a saint." Bella liked Paul, but she knew that not everyone did.

"He kind of is. Paul was annoyed by it at first. Seth has all these healthy communication tactics, active listening and understanding. It drove Paul nuts the first few days!" Bella giggled at that. Jacob smiled down at her and continued, "but Paul started seeing him as a brother, half little brother, because he is so young, and half big brother, because he is so wise. He's become a sort of role model to Paul. Every once in a while, I've heard Paul use the healthy communication techniques. It really is hilarious."

"That's great!" Bella enthused. "And how is Leah doing?"

Jacob groaned. "Bad. She's the only girl in the pack and she feels responsible for Harry's death. She's just so angry and sad all the time. She's kind of a bitch… all the time."

"Jacob, have some compassion." Bella had not been able to put Leah out of her mind since she learned how Harry died. The situation was devastating.

"I'm trying." He pulled Bella tightly against his chest. He didn't want to tell Bella the full reason for Leah's anger, all of the history with Sam and Emily and the imprinting. It had taken so much work to convince Bella to give Jacob a chance. If she knew the dangers of imprinting and how fragile their relationship might be, she'd bolt.

o.~*~.o

Jacob was at the Swan residence the very next Tuesday. They were having a homework date. Bella was nearing the end of her senior year, so her homework was light but she still took the assignments seriously. Jacob was finishing his sophomore year, so he has a fairly heavy workload and lots of homework. He needed to buckle down during these study dates.

Instead, he had Bella in his lap on her couch. He held her by the ass, saying he needed to hold her that way so that she would stay balanced.

They had been making out for more than twenty minutes. His hands had been on her ass that whole time, his tongue caressing hers. She was a great kisser, active, but not slobbery. He felt like he could do this for days. The only dilemma was that he couldn't figure out how to effectively touch both her ass and her boobs at the same time. He had to choose one or the other and usually he chose ass.

He heard Charlie pull into the driveway. Jacob smoothly placed Bella on the seat beside him. "Charlie's home," he explained.

"Oh, I need to check on supper." Bella remembered.

"Wait two minutes so it doesn't look suspicious. Nothing is burning or anything like that. I would be able to smell it if it were. Just wait, ok?"

"Sure, sure," she said, smiling. "Aren't you talking to him today, though?"

"Yeah, but if he shoots me, I won't be able to say anything."

"He wouldn't… I don't think." Bella thought Jacob was probably safe, unless he accidentally mentioned how much he loved touching her ass.

Charlie hung up his coat but not his holster. "Hi Bells, hi Jake. What are you working on?"

"Homework." They both said in unison.

"I'm gonna check on the oven." Bella said. "I'll be a minute." She whispered to Jake.

Ok, this was his time. "Charlie, can you sit down for a second?" Jake invited him toward the living room.

"Sure kid, what's up?" Charlie said after grabbing a beer from the fridge.

"Well, you know Bella and I are spending a lot of time together and I just wanted to know if I, I mean, if you would give me your blessing to date her officially?" Jake couldn't look at his face.

Charlie said nothing. He just waited. Several minutes ticked by before eventually Jacob asked, "Did you hear me, sir. I thought I said all that out loud."

"Yeah, kid, I heard you. Are you telling me that you and Bella are not currently seeing each other? You are very handsy for just friends." Charlie raised an eyebrow but Jacob still wasn't looking at him.

"Well, I really like her and I have kissed her but I just want to make it official and I want your blessing and you're really important to her and she's really important to me so…." Jacob was rambling.

"So? What if I say no? Will you leave her alone?" Charlie enquired.

"I mean, if that's what she wants." Jacob admitted.

"So my blessing doesn't mean anything to you?"

Jacob was getting flustered. He took a deep breath and tried again. "She means everything to me, sir. And you mean everything to her." He finally looked Charlie in the eye. "So yes, your blessing means something because it will make her happy and that's what I want."

"Ok," Charlie was so relieved this was almost over. "If her happiness is what you want, you have my blessing. But if you mess up her happiness or hurt her in any way…"

"I understand sir, you're armed and dangerous." Jacob wasn't really afraid of that, but he pretended to be.

"And it's Charlie. We've been over this, son. Call me Charlie."

Jacob smiled, relieved. "Thank you Charlie."

"Yeah." Charlie did not like this, even if it was his best friend's son. "What's Bella doing? Need help in there, honey?" He called into the kitchen.

"No, it's almost done." She called back. Then she ran into the living room and gave her dad a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, daddy."

He sighed. "Yeah, sure thing, Bells."

o.~*~.o

Three days later, Jake and Bella were walking down First Beach, hand in hand. "Bella, I need to ask you something."

"Shoot, Jake."

He stood in front of her, halting their walk. He looked deep into her eyes and said, "Will you take me to your senior prom?"

She laughed. "Why? You know I can't dance."

"Well," he spoke hurriedly so she couldn't interrupt. "I was thinking, by the time I have senior prom, you'll be like, 20, and you won't want to go with me to a high school dance, so this is my only chance to go."

"Hey there," she put her hand on his chest. "Who ever said we'll be together when I'm, like, 20? You'll definitely be sick of me by then."

Jacob didn't hesitate. "Never. I'll never be sick of you Isabella Swan." He lowered his mouth to her ear, knowing this gave her chills. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you," he whispered.

She knew he meant it. "Fine," she decided. "But that's like two weeks away, Jake. You'll need a tux and I'll need a dress. We're going to have to work fast to make this happen."

"I already reserved a tux," he told her, cockily.

"What if I had said no?"

"You didn't. So, do you want me to be your escort for dress shopping? I can help you pick out a dress. I love watching you try on clothes." He wrapped his arms around her, his hands landing on her ass, his favorite spot.

"Uhhh, no. I'll see if Seth can take me and Angela or Kim. Angela will be thrilled I'm going. If Seth goes, the dress will be a surprise for you." She reached up and kissed him, then turned him around so they could continue their walk.

o.~*~.o

First beach hosted the celebratory bonfire that welcomed the pack mates and imprints. At the bonfire, Billy would tell the legends of the tribe. The legends tell how the first shifters came to be and how the powers of the wolf are used to protect the tribe from the cold ones to this day.

After their walk on the beach, Bella and Jacob went up to the bonfire to hang out with the pack before it started. Bella wanted to sit next to Kim, her best friend in the pack. Heck, maybe Kim was her best friend in the world. She and Kim clicked the moment they met. They liked the same books and movies, matched each other's energy, had a complementary sense of humor, and cared for each other to the core.

"He asked me to my prom." She whispered to Kim.

"But you hate dancing! What did you say?"

"I said yes. The way he asked was really sweet." Bella looked starry-eyed thinking about it.

"Tell me later."

"Obviously."

"Do you want to go dress shopping together?" Kim asked. "I mean, I have mine already but I'd love to help pick out yours with you."

"Oh Kim, I would love that so much. Do you have time this weekend?"

"Tomorrow afternoon?" Kim suggested.

"Let me see if Seth is available. He's the best chaperone."

A minute later, Bella returned, nodding her head. Seth would come! The plan was to meet at Kim's at 1pm.

Seth was so excited for his first bonfire. There was so much food and no one got mad at him for eating too much. The whole thing was an exclusive club of elders, the protectors, and their mates. Seth was a protector. The whole situation dulled the sting of his father's death. The pack was a huge, built in family and he could talk to them about anything.

Leah hated being forced to go to this bonfire. Pshh. In her honor? Why didn't they take her wishes into account when they honor her?

She had to sit with the pack, which were a bunch of teenage boys, a few lame girlfriends, her ex boyfriend and the love of his life.

It wasn't long after Leah phased that she learned what actually happened to her relationship. Her ex, Sam, had dumped her and then ignored her like she didn't even exist. It was pretty painful. Now she knew that he had imprinted on her former best friend and cousin, which meant the spirits told him that she was his soul mate and he was now obsessed with her. And she came to every pack function on his arm! She couldn't get away from them. She had no peace.

The only good thing that came from being part of this pack of dogs was the running. She didn't know she was a runner before. Both as a wolf and as a woman, she could run like the wind now and it was fabulous. But not right now. Right now she had to sit through the bonfire and the stories.

There was food and that was good because she was always hungry, but she'd rather just not be always hungry. The amount of food she had to shovel into her face was embarrassing. She tried just not eating so much just to see what would happen. It was painful, like her stomach was trying to devour itself. So, she had to keep eating to ward off the pain.

At least she could stare at the flames. That was probably why they had a fire at these, so people wouldn't just wander away in their boredom. Flames were enchanting.

o.~*~.o

For prom, Bella had chosen a fire-red, strapless dress. She wanted it to be totally different from the blue, modest gown that the Cullens had put her in last year. She told Jake the color, but nothing else. That way, he could coordinate if he wanted.

Jake drove Billy over to her house that night so that Billy could see them together. They were going to take her truck to prom. When Jake unfolded himself from his dad's sedan, Bella was awestruck. He looked amazing in a tux. There were no words.

Jake was also stunned. He kind of wanted to skip the prom and just ravish her in the woods. But he was going to be patient. He would not rush her. But he really hoped that tonight would be the night he went all the way with his dream girl.

Charlie and Billy took too many pictures like a couple of mother hens. Then Jake and Bella were off.

The prom was in the gym with overflow dancing outside. Bella assumed it was beautiful but she couldn't take her eyes off of Jake. He looked so hot. He pulled her right onto the dance floor. The first dance was slow. Bella could handle that easily. She just clung to Jake as they swayed around together.

Then there was some electronic dance music, clearly designed to get people moving and maybe create some space between couples that were too close. Jake whisper-yelled to her, "Let's do silly dances."

"No problem!" She yelled back. She only knew silly dances. She spent half the time laughing at Jake's contorted movements. He knew how to dance. Being a wolf gave him grace. But he wanted to have a good time with Bella, so silly dancing was the way to go whenever they couldn't slow dance.

About an hour later, Bella was getting tired of the dance. She was glad to be here for Jake, but it wasn't exactly her scene. Bella wouldn't say anything though. As Jake had said, this was his shot at senior prom. She knew they'd still be together in two years. They just fit together perfectly.

Jacob leaned to her ear, "Do you want to go?"

"We don't have to." she insisted.

"I know that," Jake chuckled, "but do you want to go?"

"Yeah," she admitted.

He grabbed her hand and led her to the truck. "I figured you wouldn't last the whole time," he said, turning over the old engine of the red Chevy.

"Yeah, sorry," she apologized.

"No, Bells, it's fine. That's why I have a contingency plan."

"Oh yeah?" She was amused. He knew her so well but loved her still. Her happiness felt surreal sometimes.

Jacob drove them to first beach. The moon was full and the beach was bare. He grabbed a bag from under the passenger's seat and walked her down to the beach. They walked a little way under the full moon until they got to an opening in some of the rocks. He pulled a blanket out of his bag and laid it out for them to sit on. He then grabbed two champagne glasses and one can of coke.

"Hold these." He instructed her. She held them steady as he poured half of the can into each glass. Then he sat next to her and took his glass. "To our love, a love that endures." They clinked glasses and drank. He put both glasses on a flat part of the ground, not on the blanket. "Isabella," he said, looking into those lovely eyes that made each day worth living. "I meant what I said. I want to be with you forever. I know we're too young to be engaged but I made you this promise bracelet. When we're both ready, I intend to make you mine, forever."

He held out a bracelet made with a leather cord. A small carved wolf hung off of it. "Did you carve this?" She looked at him. He nodded, proudly. "Oh my god, Jacob, I love it. I love you." She crashed her mouth onto his, trying to show how much she loved it. This was exactly the reaction Jake was hoping for.

"Hold on, let me put it on you." She was straddled in his lap but he could still tie the bracelet onto her wrist as she kissed down his neck. Once he secured the bracelet, she pulled her hand from his so that she could start unbuttoning his shirt. He didn't want to push her, so he didn't move to undress her, not yet. It took her several minutes to get all of the layers of his tux off and she took her time, touching his arms and chest as she went. When his chest was bare, she reached up and put her hand on the back of his neck. She pulled him down to her face, kissing him, deeply, slowly, then more hurriedly before she pulled away. She stood up and stepped back.

"Where are you going?" He did not like her over there. He wanted her to come back. She reached behind her back, grabbed the zipper of her dress and slowly pulled it down. She let the dress fall around her onto the sand. All she was wearing underneath was thong panties. She never wore thongs. He can always feel the panty lines on her ass. He didn't feel them tonight but he thought she got those fancy, no-line underwear that he couldn't feel through the tulle in her dress. Oh my god. She had planned this too. He reached for her. She stepped back.

"Not yet," she breathed. She turned around, showing her ass, watching him over her shoulder. She pulled down the thong over one hip, then the other, slowly moving it down her pale and flawless legs. She turned back and stepped forward, straddling him again. He was hard as a rock, pulsing with need. She was wearing only her red pumps and he loved it. She could feel his erection and she started to squirm in his lap.

He had to make this last. He grabbed her hips to hold her still. "Not yet," he whispered her words back to her. Their faces were only inches apart. He kissed her beautiful lips, then moved down her body to her breasts. His back was twisted in a weird way to enable his lips to reach them. So, he lay back down, clutching her to his chest, and rolled them over. He put one hand over one breast, just enjoying its softness, palming it slowly. His other was on the ground, holding him up so he didn't squish her.

Bella wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled his center into her crotch. Yes, he was still hard. She was relieved. He rubbed himself against her. He could feel how wet she was as it seeped onto his pants. He moved his focus south.

He kissed down, past her wet center down to her right knee. Then he started kissing his way back up along her inner thigh. When he got to her mound, he breathed deeply. She giggled at that. "You smell amazing."

"Uh huh," she said, hoping he would touch her already.

He opened her lips and just stared. He was so thankful that prom fell on a full moon. He started licking her outer lips, making his way toward her clit. He sucked it into his mouth and she screamed in surprise. "Shhh, I don't want your dad to shoot me," he reminded her. She didn't want that either. He reached one finger in and she gasped. She was so soft, warm, wet, he could just imagine how it would feel to be inside. His erection was beginning to ache. He licked her clit again, carefully so that she wouldn't scream. He started to feel the clit trembling on his tongue. It was amazing. She was squirming but he gently held her hips in place.

He slid off his pants, hoping to relieve the tension from his pulsing erection. It did nothing. He lifted himself up to her face, placing a soft kiss on her lips. Again, she wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him down to her. His tip was poking her tight entrance. "Can I?" He asked.

She nodded, "Please."

He reached his hand down, perfectly lined his member up with her entrance, and started to inch his way in. It was so soft, so tight, but he didn't want to lose control so he had to go slow.

"God, you are so tight," he whispered.

As Jacob was slowly inching, Bella decided to assist. She made sure her feet had a decent grip on his ass and she pulled herself up as far as she could, plunging him balls deep inside of her.

"Oh shit!" He exclaimed. Then after a moment, he smirked, "I was going to get there."

"I know, I just, ah," she was breathing heavily. "I just… wanted… all of you, like now."

He wasn't moving inside of her, partially because he was paranoid he'd come too soon, and partly because he didn't want to hurt her.

"Are you okay? Does it hurt?"

"No, it feels amazing," she said, smiling, then giving him a quick but sultry kiss.

"Ok, I'm going to start to move now. You've got to tell me if anything hurts or feels uncomfortable. Anything, okay? Promise?"

"Of course, Jake, and you too, let me know if I'm hurting you." He could see in the moonlight that her eyes were twinkling. She was perfect.

He devoured her mouth with his as he started to pull out a little, then slam back into her. He slammed into her over and over. It was paradise. And she was right there with him, enjoying it and showing her pleasure with her kisses and licks and moans. He completely forgot about his fear of finishing too soon. Instead, he remembered her quivering clit and wondered what it felt like now. He reached between them and started stroking it, gently this time so that she wouldn't scream on a public beach.

He kept thrusting steadily as he explored her with his fingers. She was with him for every thrust, grasping her breasts, moaning her pleasure, until, suddenly, she wasn't. She threw her head back and her eyes started to roll back.

"Bells, you okay?" He wasn't sure he could stop now. He was almost there.

"Im… I'm coming" she hissed and then he could feel it. He could feel her grip him as her body spasmed with pleasure. He felt it in her twitching clit. Incredible. One more thrust and he was with her, filling her with his seed and scent.

His head dropped to the blanket beside her cheek. He didn't want to squish her but he was dead tired. He rolled her so that he was flat on his back and her head rested on his chest.

"That. Was. Amazing." He breathed. "I love you, Bella."

"I love you, too," she sighed. "So did you know I was going to seduce you tonight?"

"No, Bells, I planned to seduce you tonight."

"No way. When you asked me to prom, I knew that it would be the perfect night, even if prom sucked. Which it didn't, thanks to you." she poked his chest on the "you."

"Nope." he said, looking down at her. "I planned to seduce you before I asked you to prom. So I win."

"Jacob Black," she countered sternly, "did you take me to prom just so you could get into my pants?"

"I… no… maybe." He grinned sheepishly.

"Well it worked." She affirmed.

"No, it didn't. You were wearing a dress. We'll have to do this again when you're wearing pants."

"Hmm," she considered, "You are probably right."

Jacob grinned even wider. He wanted to hold her on that beach all night but he knew he'd have to take her home before too long. He longed for the day when they could have their own place. She could sleep in his arms every night and he'd make love to her as often as she let him. He wrapped the edges of the blanket around them and held her close to his chest.

"Do you have any more soda?" Bella asked, a little embarrassed. "That made me so thirsty."

"Of course, sweety." He reached into his bag and grabbed another soda.

"Thanks," she said, trying to take a sip without moving too much and without spilling it on Jacobs chest. "You are amazing."

"I was thinking the same thing about you." he chuckled, taking the soda from her when she was done." So, Bellz, where were you planning on seducing me?"

"Promise not to laugh?"

"Of course." He would try his hardest.

"Your bedroom! It was perfect really. Billy can't get home until you drive him. So, we would have the run of the house for as long as we want. And your bedroom is so romantic with all your pictures and sketches."

"Ok," Jake considered, "so why did you resist leaving prom when I suggested it?"

"I didn't want you to be mad at me! You said it was your only chance at senior prom. I wanted you to have a good time, butter you up so I could have my way with you after."

"Oh, Jeez, Bells, I can't argue with that." They laid like that for a while, quietly enjoying each other's naked bodies pressed together.

After that night, they made love as often as they were alone long enough, many times a week, several times a day if they could. Bella found Jake's warmth and physical affection so fun to experience after Edward's cold distance. Jacob found Bella so sexy that he had endless stamina for her. He was never satisfied and he always wanted her again. He had a constant and deep yearning to demonstrate his passion for her through physical love. He was a horny teen boy.

o.~*~.o

Patrol was pretty easy for Jacob. He just had to walk in a loop, the border. The objective was sniffing out a vampire, which his wolf could do in his sleep. So he just had to walk, trot, run, whatever his wolf felt like. It was 12 hours, so that was a hassle, but he didn't understand the hate from some of his pack mates. Turning into a wolf made him a hottie. Being a hottie helped him get Bella. He was living his dream.

The scenery was beautiful and his mind was free. Once again, he was thinking about his favorite topic: fucking Bella. It had been less than a week since his first time with Bella and he had fucked her about a dozen times already. He thought through yesterday afternoon in her bedroom in Forks. He took her from behind first. She was on all fours on her bed when he plunged into her. A little while later, she rode him so hard he thought her skin might be chaffed from the friction. But it was so great, watching her grab her boobs as she-

CAN YOU PLEASE SHUT THE FUCK UP.

OH LEAH, YOU KNOW YOU LOVE IT. YOU'RE NOT GETTING ANY SO THIS IS MY GIFT TO YOU.

YOU FUCKWAD. DOES BELLA KNOW THAT YOU HAVE THESE MEMORIES ON A LOOP FOR ALL THE PACK TO SEE? I BET SHE'D BE IMPRESSED.

DO NOT TELL HER!

DO NOT SHOW ME HER AND I'LL HAVE NOTHING TO TELL. LEARN TO GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS, DUMBASS!

In Leah's opinion, Jacob Black was the worst pack mate to run patrols with. All he thought about was Bella Fucking Swan for months. And now that he had gotten her into bed, all he thought about was Fucking Bella Swan. It was annoying, even though Bella was so pretty. She wasn't the worst thing to look at in the pack mind but Jake was so obnoxious about it. At least the other guys had diverse interests. Some of them could even guard their thoughts so she didn't have to listen to them at all.

Leah still hated her life, but she was getting used to it. Patrols were, as always, the worst. She hated the pack mind, the pack, and her form as a wolf. But outside of that, things were feeling more normal. Her mom wasn't mad at her, or at least didn't show it. Seth welcomed her into the big sister role like the bitchiest phase of her life didn't just happen. They played video games together and watched tv together. He was probably her best friend, which was really pathetic but also kind of nice for them.

o.~*~.o

The next weekend, Jacob had to pick up his sister from the airport in Seattle. Rachel had just graduated college. Hurray. She probably needed a place to crash until she had a job lined up. So that meant he had to chauffeur her around and spend his whole Saturday on this dumb road trip. His dad didn't even let him bring Bella since Rachel had so much luggage.

When they got home, Jake was exhausted. He sent Bella a quick text and went to bed.

Rachel slept on the plane. She was not tired at all. She didn't particularly like having to be on the rez but the job she had lined up didn't work out. She didn't have a choice, but she'd get out of there as soon as she could.

While she was stuck here, she wanted to enjoy her favorite part: the beach. She had been inland for most of her college years and she did miss the ocean.

She was walking along the water's edge in the sand. She saw this insanely sexy man about forty feet away walking toward her. He was native but she didn't recognize him. He was maybe 6'4" with chiseled abs, wide shoulders, strong arms, and a gorgeous face. As they drew nearer, she realized he was eye fucking her. The nerve! His eyes moved up her body slowly and when they landed on her eyes, he stopped. She stopped too, not quite sure what game he was playing.

As their eyes met and lingered, she felt something, some sort of electrical pulse between them or something. What was that?

"Hi," he said.

"Hi," she said.

"I'm Paul."

"I'm Rachel."

"Rachel Black?"

"The one and only."

"Hmmm," he said with a hint of seduction in his voice. "Good. Can I walk with you?"

"Yeah," she was intrigued.

o.~*~.o

The word of Paul Lahote's imprint on Rachel Black spread like wildfire through the pack. Jake kept Bella away from all pack functions for a while. For everything that wasn't mandatory, he hung out with her in Forks. For mandatory events, like the bonfire in Rachel's honor, he told Bella that he had patrol that night.

He was terrified of Bella learning about the imprint story. Even if it was happening to some of the other guys, and even his own sister, it didn't mean it was going to happen to him. After all, he was the true alpha. He had heard his dad and Old Quil talking about a theory that maybe the true alpha doesn't imprint because they can't have mixed loyalty. As the direct descendant of Ephraim Black, it was assumed that he was the true alpha. Everyone knew it wasn't Sam Uley. Sam was great with a clipboard but mediocre in battle and his leadership was meh.

Jake didn't need Bella to be freaked out. He couldn't let her go. She was so wonderful, fun, funny, sexy, and so fucking smart. She was into him just as much as he was into her. It was bliss. But he felt shitty deceiving her. He just didn't know what to do.

HOLY SHIT, BLACK, SHE DOESN'T EVEN KNOW THAT IMPRINTING IS A POSSIBILITY?

SHUT UP, LEAH.

YOU ARE A TOTAL PIECE OF SHIT.

YEAH, OKAY.

o.~*~.o

Bella graduated with honors a week after Paul imprinted. Jake and Billy went to the graduation with Charlie. Jake was so proud of her. There weren't many high school seniors being hunted by a vengeful vampire. But she graduated with honors anyway.

Charlie took them all out to a fancy dinner at the Lodge. It was really crowded and didn't have the kind of food that Bella liked, but she thought it was a really sweet gesture from her father.

Afterward, Jacob took her to La Push for a romantic evening. He brought a snacky picnic and lots of blankets to make a comfy place for them.

On patrols, he had found a secluded place near a decent parking spot for the truck. The secluded place had a great view of the ocean but was almost invisible to anybody on foot or in a vehicle.

Jacob had been feeling a lot of insecurity about Bella recently. Part of that was his own fault. He hadn't been honest about the imprints in the pack and he was paranoid about her finding out about them. But there was nothing he could do about that right now.

He laid down the blankets, one on top of another to make a soft place for them to get comfy before the sun set.

"This is really, really romantic, Jacob Black." Bella said, grabbing his arm and turning him around to kiss her.

"I was hoping you'd like it, honey. I've been planning this for a while, to celebrate you." Jake explained. He kissed her again then got back to setting up.

When they both got comfy on the blankets, he spoke slowly, deliberately, "I know we have the summer together, and I know you're kind of stuck here until Victoria is eliminated, but I feel like no amount of time with you is enough. I'm just crazy about you Bella. And I'm scared. I didn't even know I could feel this strongly about anyone, but every day, I just love you so much more. And I don't want to lose you."

Bella reached out and touched his cheek. "You won't lose me, Jake. We're forever. I'll never meet anyone that I can love the way that I love you. You've got to believe me, just like I believe how much you love me. You've got to trust me when I say I'm not going anywhere."

They spent hours demonstrating their sincerity with their bodies joined as one, over and over until they both fell asleep in exhaustion.

o.~*~.o

Jacob and Bella decided to go down to the beach the next day. She was still sore from their feverous romp the night before but it should be a good time. The whole pack was there, even Leah, which was rare when pack events were optional. Leah brought her cousin, Jen, who Jacob remembered as Leah's second favorite cousin. Now that Emily was definitely not her favorite, he imagined Jen was Leah's new favorite cousin.

Leah was sitting on a towel, playing with sand between her toes with headphones on, listening to music. She was content, but she didn't really want to be there. No, that wasn't right. She loved the beach. She just didn't want to be there with the pack. But she would endure it. Jen needed to get out, socialize. She wanted Jen to have a good time so she brought her to the pack beach trip. She didn't know what else to do with Jen. Jen came to be a friend to her but she couldn't talk to her, so she just kind of endured the visit.

Jen was sitting with Kim. Jen didn't remember Kim but she found the two had a lot in common. As Jacob and Bellla approached, hand in hand, Kim introduced Jen. She thought Jen would get along well with Bella, too.

"Jen, this is Bella," Jen shook Bella's hand warmly, smiling "And Jake, Bella's boyfriend."

Jen looked up at Jake and their eyes met. He dropped Bella's hand. He felt a warm dizziness looking into Jen's dark eyes. Oh shit. He imprinted.

Bella was stunned that Jacob dropped her hand. He was always so affectionate. She looked up at him and saw the look of adoration on his face as he gazed at Jen. Sure, Jen was pretty, but there were lots of pretty girls in La Push and Jake had never looked at another girl in front of her before.

"What's going on, Jake?" Bella asked.

Jake acted like he didn't hear her. Maybe he didn't. "I'm pleased to see you, Jen," he said, reaching out his hand.

Jen was a little confused. Jake was being rude to his girlfriend but there was also something about him that was drawing Jen to him. He was handsome, like a lot of the other guys in La Push, tall, muscular. But there was something about him in particular. Forget it, Jen, she said to herself. He has a beautiful girlfriend. She reached out and shook his hand. The touch felt electric. He was still staring at her.

"Well it was nice to meet you both." Jen said, stepping away.

"Wait, can't we get to know each other." Jake did not want her to walk away from him.

"Jake, what is going on?" Bella asked again. Jake finally realized Bella was right next to him. Oh no! Was his imprint going to think he was with her? Then he remembered the horrifying truth: he was with her.

"Jen, give me a minute. I'll be right back." Jake told his imprint.

He put his hand on Bella's shoulder and started walking her toward her truck. "Bella, I can't see you anymore. I'm sorry this is ending this way, but we can't be together anymore."

Bella was stunned. She didn't know what to say. How could this be happening? He loved her. She knew he loved her. Had that all just changed?

Bella turned around to ask him what he meant but Jake was already back at the beach approaching Jen again. Bella drove home in silence.

When Edward left, Bella was devastated but she understood. It didn't make sense to her, him loving her, it never made any sense. She never really trusted that Edward did love her. Even now, he felt more like a dream than a memory. What she had with Edward wasn't real.

Jacob was her life. She knew that Jacob loved her. He had loved her fiercely. Yet he still left her. It made her feel like nothing. She was not worth noticing, not worth thinking about, not worth loving. That is what life in Forks had taught her.

At least it was summer. No one was expecting anything from her so she couldn't disappoint anyone with her moping.

o.~*~.o

Leah didn't even notice that Bella had been at the beach. She just noticed Jacob being very flirty with Jen. It didn't seem like anyone was bothered by it. She didn't have any particular loyalty to Bella, so she figured they broke up and that didn't bother her. The timing seemed weird, though, since Jacob had only very recently succeeded at getting Bella to sleep with him. Usually guys would hang on to a girl if she could be a regular fuck buddy, even if the relationship as a whole wasn't perfect. But then again, from everything she saw through Jacob's memories, he had a strong bond with Bella, which was unusual for high school sweethearts.

After the beach, Jen had a lot of questions about Jake. Leah told her to ask him herself. She said she didn't really know him that well. That wasn't exactly true, but Jen didn't need to know about the pack, nevermind the pack mind.

Leah and Jacob were patrolling the next day. She had told Jen she had to work, which wasn't too far from the truth. From what she knew, Jen was going to hang out with Kim for the morning.

When Jake phased in, Leah showed him her memories of Jen's questions. Leah felt a sense of love and adoration from Jake when she showed him Jen, but when Jen started asking questions about Bella, he started getting antsy.

WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN YOU TWO? Leah asked. IT SEEMED LIKE YOU HAD A GOOD THING GOING. Leah reminded him of a time when Bella was under him, naked and wide open. Jacob growled at that image.

STOP! He commanded. I DON'T WANT TO SEE THAT!

WHY?

HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW? EVERYONE KNOWS. DO YOU NOT TALK TO ANYONE OUTSIDE OF PATROLS?

NO I DON'T. Leah was not ashamed of that. SO WHAT HAPPENED?

I IMPRINTED ON JEN.

WHAT THE HELL, JACOB? SO YOU JUST DROPPED BELLA LIKE A HOT POTATO TO PURSUE MY COUSIN? If Leah wasn't already a wolf, she would have phased from the rage that was growing inside of her.

YEAH, KIND OF. At least Jake looked ashamed.

Leah spent most of that patrol muttering obscenities to Jacob, trying to dispel her rage. Jacob spent most of the patrol reliving his memories of the beach, which did not help with Leah's rage. He was also devising ways to see Jen again. Leah vowed to never help him with those plans.

Leah was pissed when she got home. She told Jen she couldn't sleep in her room and that she didn't want to see her at all. She told Jen to go home.

Jen was defiant. This didn't make any sense to her. She didn't want to leave La Push yet. So she went for a walk with no destination.

"Hey! Hey!" She heard a voice that reached into her soul. She turned around and saw that hot guy from the beach that Leah refused to talk about. Jake.

"Hi Jake."

"Hi Jen." He had caught up to her but had no plan. He couldn't mess this up. He only had one imprint. "What are you doing?"

"Just walking," she said, swinging her arms.

Jake thought she was adorable. "Where are you headed? Can I walk with you?"

"No destination. I just needed to get out of there." She nodded toward the Clearwater's house.

"Did something happen?" Jake looked concerned. He was concerned. Leah had just gotten off of patrol. Had Leah said something to her?

"I think Leah kicked me out." Jen pouted.

"Oh, stay with me then." He said without hesitation.

Was he serious? They had only met once. They didn't know each other at all. She didn't even know where he lived. And what about that girl he brought to the beach? "What about your girlfriend?"

"My ex doesn't get to decide who I have in my home." He said assertively. He would not allow Bella to ruin this for him.

"Well it's not like I have many options," she said. "Can you help me get my things?"

"Oh absolutely!" His imprint was really going to move in with him! This was the best thing that had ever happened to him in his life.

He knocked on the Clearwater's door. Leah answered. Leah punched him in the face, hard, and slammed the door.

"I just need to collect her stuff, Leah. Don't be such a bitch!" He checked his nose to make sure it wasn't broken before it healed.

"It's in the trash by the back door. That's where you both belong." Leah yelled out.

Jen didn't understand why Leah was being so mean, but she knew it had something to do with Jake. Did she used to date Jake? Was she loyal to Jake's ex? What had happened between those two?

Jen and Jake got her stuff out of the trash bins. Leah had mixed it up with the trash really well. It was pretty disgusting. Still, Jake held it all in one bundle, squeezed to his chest. He grabbed Jen's hand on the other side and walked back to his house.

Jake put all of Jen's clothes in the washing machine and started a load of laundry. Then he opened the door to his room and turned on the light to show her where she could stay.

That was the moment that he realized he had fucked everything up. His room was basically a shrine to Isabella Swan. But maybe Jen wouldn't notice... The corkboard was plastered with photos of her and photos of them together. Above the bed was a red lacy bra and panty set that he had convinced her to let him keep. He had pinned them to the wall as a display. There were sketches of her all over the wall, sketches that he had painstakingly drawn. Some sketches had her sleeping sweetly. Some were her posed, naked body in various positions. Some were just body parts, but he was pretty sure Jen wasn't stupid. Why would the spirits choose someone stupid for his soul mate?

"Jen, I…" he didn't know what to say.

Jen was standing in front of one of the sketches. It had Bella, squatting down low, ass wide with a tiny waist. The sketch showed her back with her hair flowing down but Bella had turned so that part of her face was visible too.

"This is stunning." Jen had tears in her eyes.

"Jen, I don't want her anymore."

She looked up at him. He was stunning, too. "What do you want?" She asked him.

"Just you." He said. "I just want you."

Jen gulped. He put his hand on her cheek. It was so warm. She was drowning in his dark eyes. If she just focused on his eyes, everything was going great. He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. He would persuade her with his touch.

He put his hand on her waist and pulled her closer to him. His lips felt so good to her. They were soft and full. He started going under her shirt with his warm hand.

"Can I remove this?" He asked, pulling at the hem of her shirt. As long as she looked in his eyes, it all seemed like a good idea. And he was keeping his eyes on hers, not letting them drift away for too long for fear that she would run.

Before long, they were naked on the bed, eyes still locked, consummating their connection.

Afterwards, she had her head on his chest and her eyes drifted to the wall again. She saw aloof the drawings again. She screamed. What was this place? Why had he brought her here and seduced her? Why did she allow herself to be seduced by him after seeing his devotion to another woman?

This was a nightmare. She would never be as precious to this man as the woman on his walls. She needed to leave. She wanted to leave. But she had nowhere to go and her clothes were still on the spin cycle in this man's laundry room.

Jacob saw the crazed distress on Jen's face. "What can I do, baby? Do you want me to burn it all?"

She nodded. She lay in the bed, curled up naked with her eyes squeezed shut while Jake ripped everything off the wall and put it in his small metal trash can.

"Come with me to watch it burn, Jen." He requested.

She quietly got dressed and went outside with him. He took one of the sketches, it looked like a boob and belly button from below. He lit that on fire first and then tossed it in the bin. He got lighter fluid from the barbecue and poured it on his memories.

"I didn't mean for you to see all that, Jen. I was so excited when I saw you walking down the street. I wasn't thinking straight. I had forgotten all that stuff was in my room."

Jen didn't know what to think at all. Why did he have this power over her when their eyes met? Was this some sick psychological mind game he was playing? Had he started out the same way with Bella? And now she was tossed aside, her memories ash to him.

She didn't know who to turn to for answers. She felt so hopeless and alone and this was the only person offering her any help.

Maybe she should call her parents when the laundry finished drying. They would probably agree to come and pick her up early.

"Can we check on the clothes?" she asked.

"Yeah, come on." Jake held her hand as they walked back to the laundry closet. The washing machine was done.

She started moving stuff to the dryer.

"I'm sorry, Jen, the dryer is broken. We've been line drying for a while now. We could go to the Laundromat though, and dry it there."

She didn't know if this was more psychological torture or what. She took a deep breath and set her jaw. "I guess we'll line dry it," she huffed. She didn't have any money and from the look of this place, he probably didn't either.

"I have a small drying rack in my room. I always put a few things on there and the rest outside. Then if it rains, I still have something dry."

She looked up at him and their eyes met again. "Ok," she whispered.

"I'll get my laundry basket." Jake jogged to his room and dumped out his laundry basket so that she could use it. He brought it to her and they filled it together.

"Do you want to hang stuff on the drying rack and I'll hang the rest outside?"

She nodded and picked out the clothes that she definitely wanted to dry soonest. He pointed to the drying rack and headed outside with the rest of the laundry.

She was placing the garments on the rack one by one when she saw the laundry pile on the floor. It wasn't there before. He must have dumped everything out so she could use it. That was really sweet of him. She kept lining out the clothes when she noticed some black lace in the pile. What was that? Panties. Her stomach dropped. There was also a camisole and short shorts. Oh, and ladies' socks. She was going to throw up. She didn't even know where the bathroom was. She ran toward the kitchen, trying to make it outside before-

"BLARG. Blarg… blarg blarg blarg."

Shit. There was vomit all over the floor. This was a mess and it smelled terrible.

She just wanted to leave.

She went outside. "I need to call my parents. Where is your phone?"

Jacob walked over to her. He could smell the sick on her. He looked her in the eyes. She wanted to look away but couldn't. "Baby, have you been sick? Are you ok?"

She looked down, embarrassed. "Yeah. I was sick. I need to call my parents. Where is your phone?"

He lifted her chin so that their eyes met again. "Let's get you cleaned up and then we'll talk about that." She agreed.

He showed her where the bathroom was. He gave her his toothbrush and said, "I'm clean." Then he left.

When she was done brushing her teeth and rinsing her mouth out, she went back to the kitchen to help clean up. Jake wasn't there and neither was the mess. Even the smell was gone.

She checked his bedroom. He was sitting in his bed, clutching his ex-girlfriend's clothes and sobbing.

"I'm sorry I hurt you." He whispered. Who was he talking to?

"Jake, where's your phone?" Tears were pooling in her eyes. She couldn't take this.

He looked up at her, startled. His face lit up with recognition. "Jen," he breathed, wonder in his voice.

She darted her eyes away before they met his. He stood and strode toward her. She saw his hand approaching her face.

"Please don't touch me." She breathed.

His hand froze. "Please look at me. I want to talk to you."

"You can talk to me but I can't look at you." she answered solemnly.

"Fine, why do you want to leave me so soon?" He was pleading. "We just found each other."

"You're in love with her, Jake. I don't know what you're doing with your eyes or how it works but this is freaking me out. I need to go home."

"What I'm doing with my eyes?" He asked.

"Yeah, when I look in your eyes, I do whatever you say. It's not fair."

"It's because we're soul mates, Jen. That's how it works with soul mates." He wasn't sure that was true, but he thought it sounded beautiful.

"What are you talking about?" Jen demanded.

"That connection with our eyes? We are bound together. Please don't leave me. I just found you. I can't lose you now."

It was getting late anyway. Maybe she'd call in the morning.

"I'll throw these away and then finish lining the clothes outside. You hungry?"

She nodded.

He made her fried egg sandwiches for supper. They were good.

"Let's lie down." Jake suggested. "You don't have to look at my eyes if it makes you uncomfortable."

"It's not that, it's that… I don't know. Okay, let's lie down." She didn't realize how tired she was until her head touched the pillow. She fell asleep almost instantly.

"I've got to work tonight." Jake told her. "I won't be here when you wake up but I'll be back around noon." Jake fell asleep with his imprint in his arms. Even though today had been wild, this was an amazing feeling.

The next morning, Jen woke to an empty bed. Where was Jake? Was this all a dream? No, this was his room. She heard voices coming from down the hall. Jen walked toward them. A man in a wheelchair said, "Who the hell are you?"

"I'm Jen, Jake said I could stay. Where is he?"

There was a tall guy and a pretty girl also at the table with the wheelchair man. "She's Jake's imprint," the tall guy said. "I hope Jake took good care of you last night." He winked at her.

"What did Jake tell you?" The wheelchair man asked.

"He said that he wanted me and that we were soul mates." Jen explained.

"So you moved in?" The pretty girl asked, incredulous.

"I stayed over, but yeah, Leah kicked me out."

"And you didn't have any questions about all that?" The pretty girl was shaking her head as she spoke.

The wheelchair man was chuckling. That made Jen mad. Why were they laughing at her? "Do you know where Jake is? Anybody?"

The tall guy answered, "he's working. He'll be home at noon."

"Can I use your phone?" Jen asked.

"Yeah, but we don't have long distance," the wheelchair man said. "You'll have to go into town or try to borrow someone's cell phone."

Ugh. She decided to wait outside for Jake to return. She had nothing to do here except watch her dew dampened laundry dry. It was more boring than Leah's.

o.~*~.o

Three days after that fateful beach trip, Bella pulled herself out of bed and took her first shower since she'd been dumped by Jacob Black. She had tried texting Jake a few times but he didn't respond. She had called Billy once, but all Billy said was "I'm sorry it ended this way Bella, but it's over." Charlie was pissed but no one had any answers for him.

Bella didn't want this to be her life, moping around all day. But she was still confined to Forks and La Push until Victoria was killed. But how would she know when Victoria was killed if Jake wouldn't respond to her calls? Maybe she could talk to Sam. Or Emily.

After her shower, she called them.

"Hello?" Sam's rich voice answered.

"Hi Sam, it's Bella."

"Oh, hi Bella," his voice sounded softer, maybe compassionate, she wasn't sure. "Emily's not here right now. Do you want me to take a message?"

"No, can you just, uh, can you just tell me when the Victoria threat is over so that I can know when I can move on with my life?"

"Of course, sweetheart, I was already planning on it. And we're still patrolling around Forks. Nothing has changed there."

"Okay, thanks."

"Oh and Bella?"

"Yeah?"

"Please stay in Forks or La Push until then. If you need to go to Port Angeles or something, let me or Jared know and we'll be sure you have an escort."

"Thanks, Sam. I plan to stick around until the coast is clear."

"Okay, well, bye."

"Bye."

That day, she got dressed and went downstairs. Charlie was so relieved to see her. She ate some lunch, half a sandwich and an apple. Later she made supper, a simple pesto and salad. She was making progress.

She went to bed early. She wanted to read herself to sleep. Wuthering Heights was too painful for her now. She had thought that Jake had loved her like Heathcliff loves Catherine. She settled on Jane Eyre. She fancied herself the crazy Mrs Rochester, confined to the attic while Mr Rochester wooed his true love, Jane, or Jen in her case.

The next day, she headed into town. There were a few small businesses where she could inquire about a part time job. She had burned bridges at Newton's shop. She asked at the diner. They had an opening for a dishwasher. That would be a last resort. She took an application. The coffee shop was hiring for a barista, so she took an application for that as well. The library was always looking for volunteers, but there was no paid work for a high school graduate.

When her father got home, she was filling out the applications. She was stuck on references. She didn't want to put the Newtons because she had called out too many days because of the Victoria threats. But she might need to call out again because of that. Maybe she wasn't ready for this.

"You can put teachers as references. Billy would be a character reference." He offered, kissing the top of her head as he walked by. "I didn't know you were looking for work, Bells, but I'm proud of you. Any plans for the fall yet?"

"No," she couldn't tell him about how her life was on hold because of Victoria. "I was thinking about the community college in Port Angeles, though." She really hoped they had online classes.

"That's great, Bells. You know, we're looking for a new secretary at the station. It is part-time. Ever since Mrs. Fitz retired, we haven't been able to keep anyone for more than a week. But it's only 20 hours, and flexible hours at that, as long as you keep up with the paperwork. You could do two 10 hour shifts on the weekend or four hour shifts each weekday. Like I said, it's flexible. Would you be interested?"

"Yeah, actually. My only leads in town were dishwasher and barista. I know I could handle being a dishwasher but serving coffee is definitely not my thing."

"Great, I'll pick up an application for you tomorrow."

Two days later she was hired. Two days after that, she was fully trained.

Charlie had talked to Billy twice since Isabella came home from the beach in tears. Each time, Billy apologized about how it all happened, but said there was nothing he could tell Charlie about the reasoning and that this break up was final.

Charlie decided to go down to La Push and get answers from Jacob himself. He knew that Rachel had been taking Billy to his doctor's appointments and he knew that he had an appointment on Thursday afternoon at 3. That was when Charlie decided to visit La Push.

As Charlie approached the Black residence, everything looked a little more run down than usual. The lawn hadn't been mowed lately. The screen door needed repair. Those were usually Jake's tasks. Maybe he was as broken up about all this as Bella was, poor kid.

But then why did they break up in the first place?

As Charlie came closer to the house, he noticed the door was ajar. He heard a thumping from the house, probably from an off balance load in the washing machine. Good, that meant someone was probably home. He pushed open the door, calling, "Hello? Jacob?"

He stepped inside the dim kitchen only to see the most horrific scene he could ever imagine. There was some native girl, naked, bent over the kitchen table. Jacob Black was standing behind her, also naked. That was the pounding sound.

Jacob turned to him, "Hi Charlie," he smirked, then a look of recognition crossed his face. "Oh shit. This is not what it looks like."

Charlie turned around and headed to his cruiser. He had seen more than enough.

Jacob stopped him at the door, naked, and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Charlie, it's not what you think. Let me explain."

Charlie turned around and decked him in the face as hard as he could. Ouch. Charlie's shoulder had a searing pain in it. Jacob didn't even flinch from the blow.

"Charlie, she's the love of my life."

"I know," Charlie said, trying not to cry from the pain, now hurrying toward the cruiser. "So why are you fucking this girl?"

"No, that girl is the love of my life. Her name is Jen and she is the best thing-"

Charlie shut the door of the cruiser and started driving away. He didn't want to hear anymore. He went straight to urgent care. The pain from his shoulder was almost blinding. They said it was dislocated. As soon as it popped back into place, he could pretend the whole thing never happened. He would definitely not tell Bells the findings from this trip.

The only bright side to the trip was that Jacob wasn't injured. Charlie had assaulted a minor. He could lose his job for that. Since Jacob wasn't injured, he probably wouldn't press charges. And if he did press charges, it would be a he-said she-said case. It wouldn't stick with no injury.

o.~*~.o

Leah had been chewing on the Bella problem for over a week. From the pack mind, it sounded like the only person that had spoken to her since the imprint was Sam. Sam didn't explain the imprint to Bella. Instead, he reassured her that she'd be kept in the loop about the Victoria threat.

But Bella deserved to know, dammit! After Sam had left her, Leah had this feeling of inadequacy and insecurity and unworthiness. If she had been told the truth, that wouldn't have happened. Bella needed to know the truth!

These feelings built up inside of Leah. She decided they needed to talk. She made the call.

"Swan residence," Bella answered the phone.

"Hi, is this Bella?" an unfamiliar voice enquired.

"Yes it is, can I ask who's calling?"

"This is Leah Clearwater."

"Oh, hi Leah. What do you want? " Bella didn't want to be short with her, but she didn't want to be reminded of the pack business right now. She knew they still patrolled, that she was still safe. It was just all still too painful.

"I was thinking, it would be nice if we got together for lunch or something. I think we have a lot in common. And it would be nice to have someone to commiserate with."

Bella was taken aback. This seemed like a soft side to Leah. But she was still too bitter to be kind. "I can't imagine what we have in common. Were you rejected by a vampire too? Or was it a werewolf that shoved you aside for a new love?" Okay, that was harsher than she wanted, but she didn't have the energy to apologize right now.

"Uh," All of the passion died from Leah's voice. She sounded so flat and Bella felt bad. "The second one."

"Oh, ok. I'm sorry." she hurried, "Yeah, ok, let's meet. We could go to the diner and chat. Can you do breakfast tomorrow at 9?"