Impasse

Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to SM.

Birthday Girl

Bella slammed the door of her '53 Chevy truck – a shower of rust specks floated down to the wet blacktop – and walked slowly toward school. As she moved, she happened to glance down at her right wrist. It had become a compulsion now, something she did daily, just to reassure herself that the skin was smooth and clear and that no bite mark remained. To her immense relief she spotted nothing untoward. It had disappeared after the onset of her sudden illness – an illness that had never been satisfactorily explained – it was like the high fever had magically drawn out all the impurities in her body, leaving her feeling refreshed and full of vigor.

As she strolled along in her distracted state, she failed to notice Alice Cullen skipping forward to meet her, her pixie face glowing under her cap of spiky black hair.

"Happy birthday, Bella!"

"Shhh!" Bella hissed, glancing around the parking lot to make sure that no one was within hearing distance. The last thing she wanted was for anyone else to find out that she was one year older. She was in no mood to celebrate – especially with a Cullen. "I thought we had an agreement in place that you and your family were to keep your distance."

Alice deliberately ignored her last comment. "I didn't think that included me. Do you want to open your present now? It's a joint one from me and Edward."

Bella saw Edward hovering by his car in the distance. He had one hand on the opened door of the Volvo as he gazed over in their direction with a small smile.

"I don't want your present. We're not friends." Bella mumbled, ducking her head so she wouldn't have to witness the hurt and disappointment on Alice's face.

"Please don't be like that, Bella. We're more than friends. We're sisters." Alice sighed, seeming to finally process Bella's dark mood. She continued to walk by her side, even as Bella hastened her steps in an effort to avoid her. "Did you like the scrapbook your mom sent you? And the camera from Charlie?"

Bella halted abruptly, staring at Alice in disbelief. "How do you know about that? Have you been spying on me again?"

Alice appeared confused for a moment, before realization dawned. "Oh, of course." She murmured. "I keep forgetting about your lapse in memory. This is so tiresome. It's so hard to see your reaction now that you are hanging out with the wolves so much." She flashed Bella a disapproving look. "You really should be more careful around them, you know."

Bella was totally bewildered by Alice's rush of words. She shook her head, trying to clear it. "You are so strange."

"I totally agree." Alice said with a cheeky grin. "Let's just say that I possess an unusual gift and leave it at that for now."

"Whatever." Bella muttered. She had spotted Edward making his way toward them. She began to walk very fast, almost half running in an effort to escape. Of course it was pointless. They were vampires after all.

Edward intercepted Bella before she had reached the school steps. She glared at him, watching in satisfaction as hurt filled his topaz eyes. He quickly hid his reaction and smiled at her.

"Happy birthday, Bella." He said, lifting his hand and tracing one cool fingertip along her left cheekbone before she could stop him.

Bella flinched away from him. "Don't you dare touch me!" She warned.

Edward ran his fingers through his tousled hair and grimaced. "I'm sorry, Bella." He apologized sincerely. "Like Alice, I keep forgetting about your memory lapse." He gave her a mournful look. "I live for the day it returns fully and you remember what we mean to each other."

Bella's glare turned steely. "I already know everything I need to know about you. Even if my memory does return fully, I can assure you my opinion of you won't change."

Edward's smile tightened into a hard line. "I see we've reached an impasse." He murmured.

"If that's what you want to call it – then I suppose we have. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere to be."

Without a further word, Bella stormed off inside the school, her heart stuttering with the usual flutters of panic as the first crack in her composure finally broke through.

An impasse, he called it.

Bella couldn't really see Edward's point, to be honest. Whatever had been between them was over. She couldn't believe that she had ever fallen under his spell in the first place. Being a vampire didn't look the least bit enticing. Bella would rather hang on to her mortality than risk it to become a bloodsucking demon. The Cullens exterior beauty allowed them to hide in plain sight – which was quite terrifying when one thought about it. How many other monsters roamed the earth under cover of their fake humanity?

As much as she wanted to avoid Edward and Alice, it was difficult when they were in all her classes. She stumbled her way to her usual seat beside Mike Newton, thankful for his comforting presence as he leaned in and whispered that Edward was looking at her.

"Oh, God, is he?" Bella moaned in disbelief.

"Don't worry, I've got your back." Mike reassured her with a cheerful grin.

"Thanks, Mike, you are such a good friend." Bella said, making sure to emphasize the word friend.

Mike's grin wavered a little. He had changed over the last few weeks – his face having lost some of its roundness, making his cheekbones more prominent, and he was wearing his pale blonde hair in a new way; instead of bristly, he was growing it out, in a style very reminiscent of Jacob's. When Jacob had first turned wolf, he had cropped his beautiful black hair, citing it was easier as it meant his wolf's fur was less shaggy when phased. But since Bella's continual lament of how much she missed his shiny locks, he was growing it out again. It seemed Mike had taken note.

As the day progressed, Bella began to get continually more uneasy. She was confronted with the Cullens wherever she went. They weren't just in her classes, they also stalked the hallways, intercepting her at every opportunity when they happened to catch her alone.

Bella felt like she had spotlight over her head, and she became klutzier than ever as she tried to keep her head down and not fall flat on her face. She was counting the hours until the interminable day was over.

Even though she had denied to Alice that she wanted to celebrate her birthday, that wasn't quite true. Charlie had arranged a small gathering at their house in Forks for that night – with only a few of their more intimate friends invited. Jacob and Billy would be in attendance, as well as all the Clearwaters, along with Sam and possibly Quil Ateara. Quil was still in Jacob's bad books. He had endured his punishment with very bad grace and had toned down his reckless habits, but he still tried to push Jacob's buttons at every opportunity.

Since her illness a few weeks ago, Jacob had been busy with his pack, confiding in Bella that it was soon to grow. His closest friend, Embry Call, was showing signs of wolfing out. There was the usual growth spurt and sudden bursts of short temper.

"He's not the only one." Jacob admitted, sighing. "It looks like Paul Lahote might be joining us as well."

"What's so bad about that?" Bella had no idea who Paul Lahote was, but Jacob's sour mood indicated that he didn't think his phasing was a good thing.

"Paul likes to think of himself as the res' bad boy." Jacob rolled his eyes. "He's annoying, very short-tempered, cocky and dominating. He's going to be a tough nut to crack. Worse than Quil."

"Oh, Jake, I'm so sorry." Bella had sympathized. She wished there was something she could do to raise his spirits. His burden was a heavy one. It wasn't fair that he had so much responsibility placed on his young shoulders, no matter how strong those shoulders might be. "Is there anything I can do to make it easier."

Jacob had smiled, sprawled across the couch, with Bella perched beside him. He had reached out and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close until she was resting comfortably against his chest.

"Just being with you makes everything easier." He declared, brushing aside her concerns with a small wave of his hand. "Thanks for listening, honey."

"Anytime." Bella concurred, blushing slightly at the adoring light in his dark eyes. "It's the least I can do."

The afternoon finally passed. School ended, and Mike Newton walked her to her truck as he usually did. He held the driver's door open for Bella and helped her inside.

"Have a good one." He said as he closed the door behind her.

Bella rolled the window down and looked at him suspiciously. "What do you mean by that?" She demanded.

"By what?" Mike looked genuinely confused.

"What you just said – about having a good one."

"Oh, I just meant have a nice evening, that's all." Mike responded in bemusement.

"Yeah, of course." Bella mumbled, feeling stupid. She was getting paranoid, thinking the whole world knew about her birthday, when in reality no one really cared. "Thanks. You, too."

"Right." Mike was eyeing her as if she had lost the plot. "See ya."

"Yeah, bye." Bella quickly turned the key in the ignition, the ancient Chevy's loud rumbling engine drowning out her embarrassment.

It was only a short drive home. Bella parked behind Charlie's cruiser in the drive. He wasn't usually home so early, so she assumed he had taken a half day in order to prepare for the small party.

As she climbed clumsily out of the truck, she was both astonished and delighted to see Jacob rushing toward her. He had been waiting on the front porch in order to be the first to greet her when she came home from school.

"I didn't expect to see you so early." Bella gushed, sounding like an excitable little schoolgirl.

"Its your birthday!" Jacob stated with his brightest smile. "I don't want to miss a second." He took her face in his hands, resting his warm fingertips gently against her cheekbones. "You should be in a good mood, today of all days."

"I am…. now." Bella felt her whole body relax at his touch.

Jacob's dark eyes smoldered, sending Bella's heart racing. "Good."

Bella's head was practically spinning by the time he leaned in and pressed his warm lips to her forehead. As he intended, no doubt, she forgot all her worries and fears about the Cullens, and concentrated on remembering how to inhale and exhale….

Jacob's lips lingered on her smooth brow for a touch too long, before he reluctantly let go of her face and stepped back.

"Happy birthday, Bella, honey."

Bella's pulse was thudding in her ears at the affect his physical closeness was having on her body. She unconsciously put her hand over her heart. It drummed hyperactively under her palm.

"I can't believe that I'm turning eighteen already." She said breathlessly, attempting to hide her distraction.

"It happens to us all." Jacob laughed. "Come on inside, birthday girl. Everyone has been eagerly waiting your arrival." He said, capturing her hand in his.

"Everyone is here already?" Bella gasped in surprise.

"Hell, yeah." Jacob said with a smug grin. "We couldn't wait to start the celebrations. We just needed the guest of honor. And now you're here, we can start." He laughed.

Bella laughed along with him, the last of her tension draining away. She didn't know why she had been dreading the day so much. She could be so idiotic as times. "Lead the way, wolf boy." She replied, her chocolate brown eyes dancing with glee. "And let's get this party started."

A/N-thanks for reading!