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TIBC Ch12

Chapter 12

Jacob’s mouth opened slightly as he tried to process what he was seeing and what it was that he had just heard. His emotions were at war, overwhelming joy because Bella was here, she had come for him, panic because she told him that she needed him, and frustration because all he wanted to do was scoop her up in his arms and hold onto her for dear life, but something was keeping him from it. He wasn’t sure if it was the fact that Paul was standing there with a dumb ass look on his face, or because he still didn’t know how he felt about moving on so quickly. Either way, when Jake felt a small hand clasp his forearm he was pulled from his thoughts, “Ephraim, is everything- oh! Hello,

I’m Sarah, and you are?”

Jake felt the little woman pushing at his arm. Catching sight of Paul’s shoulders already shaking and Bella’s confused face, he moved to the side letting Sarah stand in the doorway in front of Bella.
Shooting a confused look at him, Bella held her hand out and moved forward so Sarah could grab it,

“I’m Bella Swan.”

Jake heard Sarah’s quick intake of breath before she turned, gripping her walker to look at him, the glint in her eye and the smile on her face causing Jake to blush. He could feel the heat at his cheeks when his eyes met Bella’s, he noticed a nervous smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

“Come in, come in. Ephraim was just on his way back to you, Bella. I’m glad you showed up when you did, otherwise you may have missed one another, and I might never have gotten my curtains.”

If Jake’s face could have burst into flames it more than likely would have right then and there. With a groan Jake shook his head, sidestepping further into the house as Bella hesitantly made her way into the small entryway. Shooting a look toward Paul, Jake wished for once in his life that death rays were included in his enhanced wolf senses. His shoulders were still shaking as small noises escaped his lips that were pressed tightly together. Just as Jake opened his mouth to speak Sarah was back at his side, “Ephraim, aren’t you going to invite your friend in?”

Paul straightened when he realized that Sarah was now watching him. “No ma’am, I have to get back to the rez, I just wanted to make sure-”

“Oh nonsense, come in, come in, you must be hungry after your drive. If you’re anything like Ephraim here, I‘d say you could empty my fridge in one sitting.” When Paul looked at Jake he merely shrugged his shoulders and waved him into the house too.

As they walked back to the kitchen Jake was able to pick up the sound of Bella’s slightly elevated heart rate, and the bouncing of her knee. When he pushed through the kitchen door his eyes immediately went to her. She sat stiffly in the chair closest to the back door, her hands fidgeting on the table top. When Jake scooted Sarah’s chair out for her Bella’s head shot up, her eyes locking with his. Giving her a half smile he watched as Bella nodded at him, then her eyes swung toward Sarah who was now sitting at her side smiling as her eyes darted between the two of them. Paul pulled out a chair for June and then sat himself down between the two older women.

Always the charmer, Paul seemed to dominate the attention of the women while Bella and Jake ate silently but completely aware of the other. When Bella wasn’t watching Jake out of the corner of her eye he was watching her. Toward the end of breakfast their eyes met long enough for Bella to mouth what at him. Shrugging his shoulders Jake didn’t answer as the corner of his lips tugged up before chuckling at something Paul said that also made Sarah and June giggle like a couple of school girls.

When June got up to clear the table Paul stood along with her. To Bella’s shock, he walked around the table gathering the dirty dishes as he went. After the sink was loaded Paul wiped his hands on his cut-offs and told Sarah and June he had to be getting back to the rez. Bending at the waist he gave Sarah a quick hug, his eyes meeting Jake’s over her shoulder. Standing back at his full height, he jerked his head toward the front of the house. With a quick look at Bella, Jake followed Paul out of the kitchen.

~TIBC~

The second the door clicked closed behind them, Paul spun on Jake. “She’s staying with you. Sam sent me here to bring you back, but I can’t stand another minute with her mopey ass.”
Jake’s skin crawled at Paul’s words. Fighting the growl that was trying to break free, he cleared his throat instead before narrowing his eyes. “I was coming home.”

“Yeah well it wasn’t quick enough. That fucking leech hasn’t left us alone since the other day when her and Leah pissed him off. The pack is fucking exhausted man, and it’s only going to get worse since I’ve been gone. You need to come home, Jake.” When Jake opened his mouth to speak Paul raised his hand cutting him off, “Look, I know it’s fucked up what’s going on and if I would have thought about it I would have known she was going to cause this much trouble. I wouldn’t have went and gotten her. I thought she was going to help. You seem better, you’re talking and eating and-” Paul’s words hung in the air as he looked around the yard, “human again. She’s done some of that, but it seems like Sarah is helping more than anything, so if you really want to stay here its fine, but you need to bring her back to the rez, tell her that you don’t need her and send her on her way. Plus, your dad and Rach deserve to see you like this, maybe they will realize that this is what you need right now.”

“I have to do a couple more things here for Sarah and then I’ll be home, we’ll probably leave tonight.”

“Well, make sure you do. Sam, Rach, Billy and me are the only ones that know where she is. Charlie is going to find out sooner or later and you know the leech has to be keeping an eye on him for information on her. The sooner you get her back on the rez the better.” Turning swiftly, Paul made his way down the sidewalk and on to the road without a backwards glance.

Turning around, Jake was caught off guard to see Bella sitting on the porch step, her eyes locked onto Paul’s retreating form. “How long have you been there?”

When she looked up at him, Jake was hit with all her worry and concern. “Long enough to know that sneaking away without telling Charlie might not have been the best idea.” When her eyes met his he could see the unshed tears sitting on her lashes. “I’m sorry, Jake.” He could barely hear the words, her face in her hands attempting to hide the fact that she was now full-out crying. Sitting down beside her, Jake bumped her leg with his knee and waited for her to respond. When her breath hitched and then she continued to cry, he put an arm over her shoulder. He didn’t like the fact that she tensed under his touch. “Hey Bella, it’s ok.”

“No it’s not,” she replied, shrugging Jake‘s arm off as she stood.

“It’s not ok. I’m supposed to be helping you and all I did is drive you away because… because,” a groan of frustration slipped from her mouth as she looked down at him, “I shouldn’t have done that Jake and I’m sorry ok, I’m just-you were right, maybe it was a mistake, me coming here. I just-”
Jake stood, his arms reaching out for her shoulders. “Maybe it wasn’t a mistake.” He watched as her mouth fell open and her brows pinched together.

“It wasn’t?” Letting out a long breath, Jake looked down at her. “I don’t know, maybe.”

“You’re not sure if it was a mistake or not?” Bella urged hoping to gain some sort of insight as to what he was thinking.

Running his hands down his face, Jake didn’t really know what to say so he settled with, “Bad timing.”

The look on his face and the way the words came out, Bella wasn’t sure if he meant it as a statement or if he was asking her a question. “I guess,” she replied, stepping around him.
.
With a sigh of frustration, Jake turned back toward her. “I don’t know, Bells. It’s just...hard.”

“Well I’ve already said I’m sorry for making it so hard, Jake.”

“It’s not you,” Jake growled out, locking eyes with her, “it’s the situation, don’t’ you get it? I understand why the pack brought you back. You went through it with him. They thought since you knew what it was like you‘d be able to help, and it did. You helped me,” Jake said as he thumped the place above his heart. “You were helping me until my wolf-I don’t know what is going on with him, Bella because he started making me want things. Things I knew I shouldn’t want or think I had a right to.” Jake watched Bella’s eyes go wide, the sound of her heart speeding up. “It wasn’t you Bella; it was the wolf and me. We’re just not on the same page.”

“What page do you want to be on?”

Looking away from her, Jake didn’t know the answer to her question. Did he want to let himself fall for Bella again, knowing the risks involved, or did he want to continue to live the life he was living now and someday maybe let himself get over Dakota and the guilt he carried surrounding her death?

“I don’t really know.”

Feeling a twinge of disappointment, Bella dropped herself onto the porch beside Jake, looking out at the street in front of them. They weren’t staring at anything in particular when the door behind them slowly creaked open. At the same time Jake and Bella turned toward the door, their knees bumping. A blush fought its way to Bella’s cheeks before she scooted back far enough that she could still feel the heat coming off of Jake, but so that their bodies weren’t touching.

“Ephraim, why don’t you show Bella around town while you go out and get me those kitchen curtains?”

Standing, Jake wiped his palms on the front of his cut-offs, “sounds good, what do you say, Bells?” Extending his hand, he stood, waiting for her reply.

Timidly she reached out slipping her small hand into his much larger one. When their skin met she had to fight back a contented sigh. Feeling his heat made her entire body warm and relax. She didn’t realize she was staring at Jake opened-mouthed until Sarah cleared her throat. The two of them jolted apart. “Here’s some money, Ephraim. Could you see if you could find the same ones?”
Nodding his head, he let Sarah place the money in his now-outstretched hand, a small wave of guilt washing over him; after all he was the reason she was in need of new curtains. He didn’t have any money, though and he still did plan on doing a few things around her house before he left. “We won’t take too long, there are a couple of shingles on the roof that still need to be fixed and that branch is getting a little close to the upstairs window. I’ll take care of them before I leave today.” Waving them off, Sarah turned and slowly made her way back into the house.

~TIBC~

As they walked through town Bella took it in. Browning was like La Push in many ways, the houses ranged from run down with dirt driveways to small ranch homes with manicured lawns. The people are friendly from what she can tell; neighbors are helping other neighbors and practically every one that sees them either smile, waves or addresses Jake directly. There are things that are different from La Push too: it’s bigger and busier, and while these people talk to Jake none of them call him by his real name. None of the young guys that see him run up to him and pat him on the back or punch him in the shoulder like the pack would. Bella watches him closely when they stop and make small talk with an older man and while he smiles as he talks, it isn’t as sunny and wide as it used to be. When he introduces her as a friend she draws in a deep breath and realizes that while the air is crisp here, she can’t smell the salt from the sea or the cleanliness of the rain.

The man keeps talking after Bella introduces herself. Not wanting to eaves drop on the conversation, she focuses her attention on the little strip of businesses not far down the road in front of them. Every now and then she hears the man mention Dakota and she notices when Jake starts to shift on his feet away from her. He seems to be getting agitated. Grabbing his wrist she gives it a squeeze, “I’m sorry to be rude, but Sarah sent us out for a few things that she needs for supper.” Thankfully the guy takes the hint gives Jake a quick shake of the hand, turns and walks back toward the yard he just came from. Bella watches Jake relax and when he looks down at her and smiles she finally lets go of his wrist. The heat of his body lingers on her hand as they continue to walk down the road.

“Who was that?” Bella found herself wondering aloud.

“That was Dakota’s old boss,” he replies quietly thinking it’s going to prevent the pain from showing in his voice. The look on Bella’s face confirms that he didn’t do a very good job of it.

“I’m sorry for-”

“You don’t have to say you’re sorry when someone mentions her, Bella.” He didn’t mean it to sound as harsh as it did but the flinch indicated that she took it that way. He felt himself getting frustrated but didn’t know how to explain it to her. Every time someone gave him that sympathetic look it made the wolf claw at his skin, and all these memories would flood into his thoughts. He didn’t want their sympathy. “I didn’t- a lot of people knew her. She worked at this little shop and got along with every one, so we are probably going to run into at least a couple more people that ask about her, and I don’t want you to feel like you have to say you’re sorry if they talk about her.”

Nodding, Bella stopped herself from saying she’s sorry again, Jake cocking his eyebrow as if he knew she was about to slip. Throwing her hands up in the air letting him know she isn’t going to say them even though she really wants to, instead she settles with, “So why is Sarah making you buy curtains?”

Jacob’s child-like growl causes Bella to chuckle, “Well?”

Stopping in his tracks, he turned toward her, a guilty expression on his face. “I made breakfast yesterday.” He watched as her eyes widen and her mouth drops open. For the first time in a long time he actually laughed, a full on deep laugh.

“Jake!” Bella practically screeched, “you didn’t- is everything else ok?”

Jake feigned hurt before rolling his eyes and grumbling out a quiet, “Yes,” as Bella tried to hide the fact that she was laughing now too. Shooting a look down at her when they started walking again, Jake felt lighter than he had in a long time. The feeling made him believe that he could maybe one day live a life without the guilt that came from Dakota’s death.

~TIBC~

As Jake and Bella walked into the pharmacy they passed by a group of teenage girls whose giggles peaked when Jake nodded in their direction. As he continued on, one of the girls spotted Bella walking not far behind him. Jabbing her friend in the rib, she pointed at Bella while shooting her a glare. Reaching forward, Bella fisted the back of Jake’s shirt and pulled herself closer to him. All the while her eyes stayed locked on the glaring girl. Not realizing what she had done Bella squeaked out in shock when her body slammed into Jake’s back, the air whooshing out of her lungs. The girls’ laughter caused her cheeks to flush with embarrassment. The heat in her face only worsened when Jake looked at her over his shoulder, and then looked up at the girls, a smile playing on his face.
Dropping her hands from his shirt, Bella pushed her way around Jake. It took everything in her not to stomp into the next aisle. As Jake followed closely behind, Bella could feel his eyes boring into her back.

After picking up a set of curtains that matched the ones already hanging in Sarah’s kitchen they slowly made their way around the store filling up a small abandoned cart they found along the way. Rounding the corner to the checkout Bella nearly rammed the cart into the back of Jake’s legs when his body froze in place. Her eyes got wide thinking the worst: that somehow Edward had found her. The sound of a woman spitting out Jake’s name made Bella realize it was worse.

“Eileen,” Jake responded with as much kindness as she had given him.

The woman’s eyes turned into slits as she peered around Jake and took a long sweeping look at Bella, “Well look what we have here, you kill off my niece and come back here parading around some náápiakii [white woman].”

Jake lunged forward so quickly that Bella sucked in a shocked breath as the woman stumbled back into a magazine rack. Noticing movement out of the corner of her eye, Bella realized that the young girl at the register was wide-eyed and pale, reaching for the phone that sat on the counter beside the register. Shaking her head no quickly Bella shoved the cart to the side and made her way to Jake’s side.

Slipping her hand over his forearm, she was stunned at the heat coming off his body, “Jake, you need to calm down.”

His other hand shot forward, the tip of his index finger almost touching the woman’s nose, “I loved her more that you or anyone in your family did, you worthless bitch.”

“Jake,” Bella warned slowly as she jerked on his arm again, this time letting her fingernails dig into his skin. She could see the muscle twitch in the side of his jaw before he jerked upright and took a step back.

The woman’s ashen face quickly turned red as she pushed herself off the magazine rack and took a step in Jake’s direction. “You’d better never touch me boy, or I’ll have this tribe on your ass so fast you won’t even be able to blink.” Flinging her ratty hair over her shoulder, the woman stomped out the door, shoving a younger man to the side as she went.

Bella was still watching the woman’s figure slowly disappear into the parking lot when Jake’s hand slowly covered hers and removed it from his arm. When she looked up at him she thought her heart might break. His face was full of panic and his eyes laced with tears. “Jake,” the plead fell on deaf ears. She didn’t blame him for the way he reacted. Even though she didn’t know what the woman had called her, what she said about Dakota was bad enough.

“I can’t,” he whispered as his head dropped, a single tear dripping onto his shirt.
She wanted to take him into her arms and hug him, let him know that she wasn’t upset with him or disappointed in the way he behaved, but as her eyes fell onto the girl behind the register and then slowly scanned the store, she realized that nearly everyone in the place was watching them, open mouths, astonished looks on their faces. “Go ahead, Jake.” He didn’t nod or speak, just simply reached into his left front pocket and pulled out the roll of cash, placing it in her hand before walking out the door.

Focusing her attention back on the cart, Bella swallowed the lump in her throat to keep herself from crying. As quickly as she could, she loaded the groceries onto the belt and waited as the girl rang her up. Her eyes never left the money that was clenched tightly in her fist. By the time the girl told Bella the total, the tears were stinging the back of her eyes and she had to force herself to look up. The girl wasn’t scared or angry like Bella thought she would be, no she actually had a smile on her face. “Don’t worry about it, Eileen is a trashy bitch and she treated Dakota like shit. Everyone knew it.” Unable to respond, Bella snatched the bags off the counter and quickly made her way out of the store.

~TIBC~

Once outside, Bella wondered if she would be able to actually remember the way back to Sarah’s house. For the most part, she knew how to get to Sarah’s house once out of the center of town, the problem was getting there. Not only that, but the bags she was carrying were already starting to dig into her arms and she wasn’t even out of the parking lot yet. Fighting with the bags, Bella re-arranged them before starting back toward the house.

With the help of a ten-year-old girl and a Radio Flyer wagon, Bella was able to make it back to Sarah’s house without losing any groceries or breaking a limb. She was more than thankful when the little girl offered her wagon if Bella bought a box of candy she was selling. As they walked along, Bella’s mind didn’t have time to wonder to Jake at all. The little girl chattered on about school and a turtle she found in her back yard, before quickly switching to the subject of Sarah when Bella told her where she was headed. During the short walk Bella learned about Sarah and the role she played within the tribe. When they stopped in front of the house the little girl hugged Bella around the waist before quickly turning her wagon around and running down the street.

~TIBC~

Slipping into the house as gracefully as she could, Bella made her way back to the kitchen. She could hear Sarah and June talking in hushed tones and while she couldn’t understand what they were saying, she knew that if Jake were around he would be able to hear every single word. Both of the women gave her a sad smile as she piled the groceries onto the counter by the sink. Turning toward the window, she saw Jake sitting with his back pressed up against the old barn with his arms crossed and his head hung low. As she turned quickly to excuse herself Sarah cut her off, “Go to him. He needs you right now.”

With a swift nod Bella walked as calmly as she could toward the back door. Tentatively, she made her way over to Jake unsure of what to say. She didn’t want to do anything to upset him but the urge to at least touch him won over. Squatting down beside him Bella’s hand hovered over his head before she let it rest on the back of his neck. She felt his body jerk at the contact and then quickly relax. He didn’t look up, nor did he say anything. His breathing remained normal as she slowly started to squeeze the back of his neck in an effort to smooth away the tension. When the back of his neck seemed less tense Bella went to pull away from him. Instead, she found herself half in his lap, his face pressed into her neck. With his lips and nose both touching her skin, it was a fight for Bella to keep herself from melting into him.

“We have to get out of here, Bells.”

The sound of her nickname rolling off his tongue made it even harder for her to not throw herself at him, wrap herself in his warmth and let him feed off of her anyway he needed to. Gathering her strength, Bella nodded as her hands made their way down his back, “Ok.”
He was up and walking them toward the front yard before Bella could process what he was doing. When they rounded the side of the house, Bella thought about telling Jake that they should talk to Sarah but both she and June were already sitting on the front porch, both of them a little surprised at the sight before them, neither one of them speaking a word of it. When his foot hit the pavement, Jake slowly dropped the hand that was under Bella’s knees and waited until her feet touched the ground before he took the porch steps two at a time and kneeled in front of Sarah.

She couldn’t hear what he said to her, but Bella saw the old lady swallow hard before placing her hand on the top of his head. Leaning forward in her chair, she hugged Jake around the neck before patting his back and pulling away. June simply offered a sad wave when Jake nodded in her direction. As he walked back toward her his eyes never met hers they stayed focused on the junky Honda at the end of the sidewalk. Bella turned to follow him as he passed her, but her name being called out stopped her. Turning back toward the house, Bella flushed at her rude manners and quickly made her way up the steps.

Once on the porch Sarah waved Bella forward until she was close enough that she had to bend over to hear her. Grabbing the back of Bella’s neck, Sarah urged Bella forward, “Don’t let him push you away.” Pulling back, Bella gave the woman a nod before attempting to rise, Sarah’s shaky grip stopping her, “He might say things to you, hurtful things, he might do things that frustrate you or make you want to give up on him, but don’t. He needs you right now more than anything.” Moving closer when Sarah’s grip on her neck tightened just the slightest bit, Bella was surprised when the old woman’s soft lips touched the shell of her ear, “That boy loves you still,” her breath hitched at the words, “even after what you put him through, after Dakota. Don’t give up on him, he needs you.” Sarah’s hand slowly dropped to her side and Bella stood, not taking her eyes off the elders; her face growing serious with what she was about to say. “I won’t. Ever.” Sarah gave Bella a quick nod before waving her away.

~TIBC~

They had been on the road for six and a half hours when Jake finally spoke, telling her that he would take over driving. It was already dark and it wouldn’t be long before they got close enough for them to run into Edward. Bella happily pulled into a gas station to make the switch. As she ran inside to use the bathroom and get refreshments, Jake pumped gas with money from the glove box. When she got out to the car he was already sitting in the driver’s seat waiting. As she slid into the seat she smiled at the warmth that was still there. The last thing she remembered was him getting back on the interstate.

A loud snarl pulled her out of her sleep. Jerking around in a panic, Bella calmed when Jake’s hand landed on her knee. “We’re in Forks, Bella; he’s been following since Port Angeles.” At the mere mention of Edward Bella’s body went cold and locked in place, her head slowly turning toward the window, she prayed that she wouldn’t see him. When her eyes scanned through orange-yellow glow of the street lights she didn’t see anything, surprisingly her tension didn’t ease. When Jake’s hand tightened on her knee she shot a panicked look at him. “Bella I won‘t let him near you, it‘s ok.”
Her brows pinched together as she bit down on her lip, trying hard to keep her emotions in check, she squeezed her eyes shut and forced her head back against the headrest.

When his grip loosened and she felt him rubbing a small circle across her knee cap, Bella knew they had crossed over the line into the rez. Dragging in a deep calming breath, Bella slowly peeled her eyes open. Jake was studying her face as he drove slowly down the road, when he looked back toward the road Bella squeezed her eyes shut again, an attempt to calm herself further. When she peeled them open again Jake was looking at her. “You ok?”
A jerky head nod and a stuttered yes was all that she could force out.

~TIBC~

As the little brown car slowly made it through town, Bella watched as Jake visibly relaxed in his seat. The tension that was in his jaw before was now gone, both hands no longer gripped the steering wheel causing his knuckles to turn white. She was still looking him over when Jake’s head turned toward her. “I feel- I don’t know, something seems different.”

TIBC Ch11

Chapter 11

By the time he burst through the tree line just south of the cemetery, some half of a mile later, Jake’s hands were covered in dried blood, dirt and splinters of wood, the path of toppled saplings a clear indication of what had just happened. Storming across the damp ground, Jake’s nostrils flared and his fists now permanently clenched. His eyes locked onto the Sitka tree at the far end of the cemetery and his anger seemed to triple. By the time he reached the tree, Jake’s arm was reared back and ready to strike. Taking the last steps toward the tree, his foot bumped into his mother’s head stone and his anger burst. “Fuck!” His voice echoed off the marble spread throughout the clearing. Gripping his head in his hands, Jake began pacing, the attempt to calm himself seemed futile.

Jerking to a halt, Jake spun his eyes settling on Dakota’s stone. “What am I supposed to do,” he yelled, his voice quivering with emotion.

Silence, as if the stone were going to answer him. The eerie quiet of the cemetery caused Jake’s anger to dissolve. Dropping down to his knees, he laid his hands on either side of her head stone, his forehead pressing into the top, the cool of the marble seeping into his skin. “Cody, I don’t know what to do here.” As a tear rolled down his cheek Jake felt the wind pick up. He could hear the leaves and grass swirling through the cemetery as the branches on the trees groaned and scrapped against each other, a smell invaded his senses. When Jake jerked his head up he just knew she was going to be standing there watching him, but she wasn’t. The smell still wrapping around his body. He didn’t know how it was possible, “Bella?”

He waited, his hands still on Dakota’s stone, his eyes scanning the woods as his ears tuned into his surroundings. He could hear everything plain as day, but there was no heartbeat, no slow and steady breathing as if she were hiding. There was no Bella. Looking back at the stone, Jacob’s brows pinched as he pushed himself up. When his hand pulled back from the stone the wind stopped and Bella’s scent drifted away as if it were never there. Leaning forward Jake considered touching the stone again to see if it would come back but thought better of it. He wasn’t sure if he did want it to come back, he wasn’t sure of anything right now, the phenomenon only added to his confusion, the events making him wonder if he was breaking down again.

He had to think, and the only way he could do that was to get away from here. He couldn’t be around his father and his sorrow-filled eyes, his sister’s hurt and anger aimed right at him, the pack and their constant concern and worry. Most of all, he couldn’t be around Bella. The pack thought they were doing good by bringing her here and maybe it was good, Jake thought, at least until the lines began to blur and Jake realized that not only was Bella blurring them but so was he. Bella didn’t belong to him, she wasn’t his imprint and her loyalty obviously wasn’t to him or the pack, yet here he was in the same role as before, trying his hardest to keep her away from the vampire that did have her loyalty and love. He couldn’t do it again, be her doormat. He had too many things going on in his own life to let her take over like she had done before. With one last glance toward Dakota’s headstone, Jake knew what he had to do, knew what was best for him. Jerking his shorts off, he bent at the waist and tied them around his ankle just before phasing.

~TIBC~

The commotion Jake had made as he trudged through the woods on his rampage had the pack on edge. Uncertain of what he was going to do next, Embry and Quil followed more than a mile behind Jake as he left the reservation. They didn’t know where he was going or why, they just wanted to make sure that he was ok, and more importantly that he wasn‘t going to do something drastic. As they followed behind him Sam ordered them to only go so far. Edward Cullen was still skirting along the border making trouble, something that he kept promising he would continue doing until Bella left the reservation for good. As the wolves followed behind, trying their best to hide their thoughts, Jake knew they were there, knew that they were checking up on him, it pushed him to run faster.

When they got to Canadian border, Embry and Quil slammed to a stop, their paws digging into the earth as they both fought hoping one of them would be able to break the Alpha Command from Sam. When neither of them could see nor hear Jake any longer they gave up. Shifting back into human form, they slowly began the walk back to the rez.

When the two finally made their way through the rez and to the little red house their hearts went out to Bella. They had ripped her away from her life, basically forced her to try and help Jacob heal and look where it had gotten them. Edward was making trouble for the wolves, their friend was gone and Bella was just as confused as Jake was now and they really weren’t sure weather she was helping at all.

She was sitting at the kitchen table when they got in; smelling her tears they knew someone had already told her Jake was gone. Embry pulled a chair out on one side of her, at the same time Quil pulled out the other. Leaning forward on their elbows, Embry looked at her and his heart broke, she had been crying for a while, her eyes were puffy and red rimmed, the tip of her nose too, and a wadded up tissue was firmly clasped between her hands.

“It’s my fault he’s gone,” Bella blurted out before Embry could offer his apology for dragging her into this.

“What! No,” they both replied at once.

“Bella,” Embry started off slowly, “he just isn’t ready to let us in. It’s not in any way your fault.”
Bella’s head snapped up, her eyes practically wild. “Not my fault!? How is it not my fault? I went to Edward even though I knew he wouldn’t want me to, let him touch me, his smell was all over me! I was stupid to think that Jake wouldn’t react to that, especially with the way he has been around you guys.”

“Bella, he’s you’re boyfriend.”

“Exactly!” She screeched her hands gripping the tissue ball tighter, “I have a boyfriend and I know Jake is messed up so why in the hell did I throw myself at him in my truck? I practically dry humped him!”

Embry and Quil both sat straight up at that, their eyes wide but locked onto Bella. They watched as Bella’s chest heaved and she dug the palm of her hands into her eyes, whispering over and over again that she was stupid. Neither of them knew what to say at that. Instead, they sat by her side their hands rubbing soothing circles on her back.

~TIBC~

Less than twenty-four hours later Jake was standing by a stream overlooking the small reservation town of Browning, Montana. Dragging in a deep breath, the familiar smells assaulted his nose and he realized just how much he had missed being here. As he squatted down to wash his arms and legs in the stream, tears formed in the sides of Jake’s eyes. Would she welcome him back into her home, would she judge him for not protecting Dakota like he should have? He was scared to learn the answers, but he was tired, hungry and he knew the only way he’d find out was to face her head-on. Standing, Jake started the walk to Sarah’s house.

The sun had set when he finally made it into her back yard; he smiled to himself when he heard the chickens in the coop begin to scurry about. The back porch was empty aside from the two rocking chairs slowly rocking in the breeze. His eyes scanned the house as his ears picked up the faint sound of her heartbeat. From what he could make out, she was in the living room, but slowly making her way to the back of the house. His brows pinched together when he heard wheezing. Swiftly, Jake made his way to the back door and jerked it open. Startled, Sarah jerked forward letting out an silent cry and grabbed at her chest, “Ephraim!” Rushing to her side, Jake grabbed her arm and slowly helped her into one of the chairs at the kitchen table.

Clearly shaken, Sarah looked up at him and shook her head. “You should know better scaring an old woman like me.”

Shaking his head profusely, Jake jumped up to get her a glass of water. “I didn’t-I’m sorry I was just in the back yard and I heard you, I thought something was wrong.”
Sarah looked up at him, her eyebrow cocked, when Jake mentioned that he could hear her from the backyard but didn’t say anything. Taking the glass, she sipped it, watching as he moved around the kitchen, pacing. His eyes kept darting her way and every time hers would catch his, he would look away quickly.

“Is something wrong, Ephraim?”

Jake halted in the middle of the kitchen, his shoulders slumped. Slowly he turned toward Sarah, tears already glistening in his eyes. “I don’t know.”

“Something must have brought you here all the way from Washington. Come,” Sarah said as she patted the chair beside hers, “tell me.”

She watched as Jake hesitated, before he slowly walked to the chair near hers. She was proud of him, the first time he had showed up on her doorstep it took him months to talk to her, tell her what was plaguing him. The trust was still there, she realized as Jake sat down beside her and drew a deep breath. “Everything,” another deep breath as his eyes shot around the room, “I am so messed up. I’ve been messed up since Dakota…” his voice trailed off as his head fell into his hands.
When a sob shook his body, Sarah placed her hand on the back of his head. Closing her eyes, she felt a twinge of pain as she pictured the young girl. “She was a great girl, Ephraim.”
Nodding under her hand, Jake didn’t want to look up, didn’t want Sarah to see the tears that were streaking down is face. “It was my fault what happened to her I was supposed to protect-”

“You did protect her!” The change in Sarah’s voice caused Jacob's head to jolt up.

“But I didn’t, she- she died because of me.” Jacob practically yelled, he was tired of people telling him that he did the best he could when he hadn’t. It was his fault, his alone.

The hand that was on Jacob's head was now resting on his shoulder. With a slight squeeze from her shaky hand, Jake turned to look at her. “You protected her. Look at what you took her away from. Those people were not good people and you helped her escape that.”

“Only so she could die at my hands a couple of months later, we should have just stayed here.”
Sarah’s hand dropped from his shoulder and she slowly leaned back in the chair. Reaching for her walker, she pushed herself up and walked away, leaving Jacob sitting there his mouth hanging open.
Looking over her shoulder when she reached the hall, she motioned her head. “Come with me, there’s something I want you to see.”

Confused, Jake slowly stood from the chair and followed Sarah down the hall. When they reached her bedroom door he paused as she made her way into the room and over to the closet. Standing at the door, she turned toward him, “Well, come in, I can’t reach. Up top there’s a box I’ve been wanting.”

Nodding, Jake walked into the room and tried the best he could to keep his eyes from wandering. A large bed sat in the middle of the room, nightstands with matching lamps on either side. The side he assumed was Sarah’s had pictures of her lost children and husband at the base of the lamp. The opposite stand had an open book the pages yellow and the ends curling up, with a pair of glasses sitting in the middle. A layer of dust covered the stand.

When he reached the closet, Sarah pointed to a small sliding door on the right and stepped back. Sliding open the door, Jake noticed that it was empty. Clothes from the left, Sarah’s clothes, neatly hung on the other side of the divider. Reaching above his head, Jake grabbed the only box he could see. When he turned to ask her where she wanted the box he realized that she had already made her way to the door.

Back in the kitchen she motioned to the table and waited until Jake sat the box down and opened it before digging through it. Slowly she emptied its contents. As the photo albums, intricately adorned jewelry, boxes and trinkets began to fill the table, Jake wondered what it was that she was so desperate for him to see.

“Ah, here it is.” Sarah’s voice caught his attention. When he looked up he could see the faintest hint of a smile on her face.

Pushing the box out of her way, Sarah sat in her chair and slowly began flipping through the pages. Jake watched her face as she flipped, her facial expressions were happy at times, sad at others. He could smell the dust and the glue, hear the crackling of the pages against one another, and then the book was sliding on the table toward him. “This is my Everett,” Jake watched as her lips turned into a full-on smile as her finger ran slowly over the face in the picture, “and he died right in front of me.” A bolt of pain shot through Jake after hearing her words. When he looked up from the picture her eyes were on his face watching and waiting.

“What happened?” Jake wanted to kick himself as soon as the words made it out of his mouth, but Sarah looked as though she were about to tell him any way.

“We were out in the barn one day, we had cows back then, most of this land around here was pasture,” Sarah motioned all around her, “I had to sell it little by little over the years. Everett had this bull, he was a beauty but mean as thunder. One day we were out separating the cows, getting them ready for market. Everett was in the lot doing the separating and he had me behind the gate, insisted that I stayed there even though I’d helped him all those years.” Jake watched as Sarah shook her head. “He was stubborn and wouldn’t let me out, just wanted me to swing the gate open when a cow we were keeping came along. We were more than half-way through the herd when that bull finally came up. We watched him, made sure he wasn’t going to do anything. Eventually Everett carried on about his business paying no mind to that bull. I kept reminding him to keep an eye on him, but he wouldn‘t listen. Eventually he got aggravated with me reminding him of that bull every couple of minutes and told me to head to the house. As he was making his way through the lot the bull just charged at him. Everett was quick enough and got out of the way, but that bull spooked the rest of the cows and they all just went crazy, slamming into the corral trying to get out any way they could. If I would have jerked that gate open, all them cows could have gotten out, I knew it and so did Everett. He must have known it was on my mind because just as my hand made it to the latch he started yelling at me not to, that I’d get crushed by the herd coming, there was no where for me to go. When he fell I didn’t care, I opened that gate and those cows came barreling toward me, after the first one hit I blacked out and don’t remember anything until I woke up in the hospital two days later and they told me that he was gone.”

Jake waited for the tears that never came. Looking up from the picture, Sarah’s eyes met his. “I blamed my self for a long time, but eventually I realized that there was nothing that I could do, letting myself slip into this hole wasn’t going to bring him back, and no matter how much I blamed myself for not opening that gate sooner than I did, it didn’t make me feel better, or right for that matter. I lost my husband of thirty years, but eventually I had to forgive myself and move on with my life, the one he wanted me to live.”

The two sat in silence just looking at each other, Sarah’s hands clasped over Jake’s. “Her dying in that wreck was awful and sad to hear Ephraim, but it wasn’t your fault. These things, these terrible tragic things, just happen and there’s nothing we can do but forgive ourselves and move on from them. Live the life that we should live, the life that we were fortunate enough to keep. The way I went on after his death, the way you are going on now, is not what they would have wanted, they would want us to be happy. You’re too young for this. You’ve had a hard past but you need to realize that your past is behind you, look toward your future and what you can do with it.”

“How long did it take you to get over it?”

Sarah sat back with a huff, her hand dropping from Jake’s. “You’re a stubborn one just like him. I let myself drown for three years before I realized I was wasting the life he gave his for, and realizing that almost sent me over the edge. I know she hasn’t been gone long, but Ephraim, what you are doing isn’t healing. You’re sinking.”

It was Jake’s turn to sit back with a huff. “Well I am trying alright, things have just gotten, things are complicated now.”

The sight of Sarah, a seventy-something year-old woman, rolling her eyes at him caused his skin to itch, his anger slowly building from the bottom up.

“Any excuse to keep on this way. I know that all too well. How complicated are things? Tell me. Is your family blaming you for what happened, telling you that it is your fault? Have they turned their backs on you, what is the complication that is keeping you from healing Ephraim?”

The tone Sarah had taken was one that reminded him of Leah and it grated on his last nerve. Jumping up from the chair he saw fire in Sarah’s eyes when the it clattered to the floor, and he knew then that nothing but the truth was going to get him out of one hell of a scolding. “It’s Bella, alright!? She’s back and she’s trying to help me and she’s doing these things that are driving me crazy and I’m-” grabbing his hair, Jake looked at the ceiling, his eyes studying the cracks. “Damn it, I’m letting myself fall into that same role, that same person I was and it’s killing me.”

Sarah had visibly settled when Jake looked down at her. He could still see the flush on her face from where her own anger flared, but she seemed calm enough, her heart beating at a steady pace. “And who is that person?”

Shaking his head as he rubbed his palms into his eyes, Jake thought of what a mistake it was to come here. He wanted to get a way from all things Bella and here he was being forced to talk about her.

“Why are you asking me this stuff?”

“Because you need to face this complication head on, what person are you becoming?”
Frustrated again, Jake bent down and scooped up the chair, then strode across the kitchen floor, distancing himself form Sarah. Leaning up against the counter, he crossed his ankles and then his arms , standing defiant against her request. He didn’t want to say it out loud-hell Jacob didn’t even want to admit it to himself. He hated himself for feeling this way. What was Sarah going to think of him if he did tell her?

The kitchen became so still and silent it was almost eerie. Sarah was watching Jacob and he was doing anything he could not to look at her. His anger and guilt and shame swirled inside of him. He just wasn’t ready yet to say the words, admit what was going on with him. Maybe if he didn’t they wouldn’t be real?

As he leaned against the counter, eyes locked on the slowly ticking clock, Jake heard the album close and Sarah’s chair creak. His eyes quickly darted down to her, making sure she was ok. He may be trying to avoid her questions, but he wasn’t going to let something happen to her because he was being defiant.

Making his way to the chair, Jacob helped Sarah up, grabbing her book of the table when she moved to leave the kitchen. “You can stay Ephraim, but we need to talk more about this later. I’m tired and need to sleep now.”

Nodding his head, Jake walked closely behind her as she shuffled her way down the hall. When she got to the bedroom door she took the book from Jake, placed it under her arm, turned, and then looked up at him. “Your room shouldn’t be any different. I have someone who helps me during the day. She cleans up there every now and then.” Dropping her hand, Sarah made her way into the bedroom.

~TIBC~

The next morning, Jake woke before the sun rose, his dreams plagued by the scene in the graveyard. Every time his head would hit the stone and he told Dakota he didn’t know what to do, a flash of Bella’s face would snap him awake. He would roll over and stare at the wall until sleep would claim him, only to be jerked out of the dream a short time later. At one point in the night Jake was in the back yard before he knew it, ready to phase until Sarah’s low shallow breathing changed his mind. He didn’t think she was sick, but her breathing was different now, and the fact that she used a walker rather than her husband’s walking stick had him a little on edge. As he hung his head and walked back toward the house, Jake knew it was only matter of time before the dream plagued him again.

~TIBC~

As he slowly made his way down the stairs the next morning he could still hear Sarah’s breathing, her heart slow and steady. At the foot of the stairs the phone caught his eye and he thought about calling his father before deciding against it. He just needed some time to get things sorted out in his head before he called home. He didn’t want to hear the same pain he heard in his dad’s voice the last time he left him. As Jake thought about his dad he began to feel restless. The needed to run was itching at him, but he wouldn’t dare leave Sarah here alone; at least until the woman who was now helping her showed up. Instead he chose to go outside.

As Jake made his way around in the chicken coop gathering eggs, he couldn’t stop himself from rolling his lip back over at his teeth. Sarah’s poor chickens huddled in the corner trying their hardest to get away from him, the smart ones ran out of the coop as soon as he opened the door. The sound of metal clanking against metal alerted Jake to Sarah’s presence and the fact that she knew what he was up to. Scaring her chickens sort of became a sport for him while he was here.

Walking out of the barn, a sheepish look on his face, Jake tried not to laugh at the sight of Sarah in her floor-length flowered night gown, a stern look on her face as she held the small pot and metal spoon against her walker. “Young man! What have I told you about scaring those chickens?”
Jake couldn’t help but laugh as he walked past Sarah into the house holding the full bucket of eggs. “I was just getting the eggs,” Jake held up the bucket and pointed inside, an innocent look on his face.

Shaking her head, Sarah smacked at his shoulder with the spoon before making her way to the chair. She watched as Jake washed the eggs in the sink. He had to hold back his laughter when he heard her muttering about not having eggs for a week. When he turned around Sarah was watching him again, and he knew. “Can we have breakfast first. I’ll tell you then.”

Sarah simply nodded her head, sat back in her chair and watched as Jake struggled to put together breakfast.

~TIBC~

Thirty minutes, a dozen eggs, one singed curtain and a smoke-filled kitchen later, breakfast was done. Jake didn’t think any of that was very funny, but Sarah, although serious before he had started cooking breakfast, was now smiling with a glint in her eye. “It’s been a while since I’ve cooked anything, ok?” Jake said to her a smile splaying across his own lips. “I’ll run to the store and get you a new curtain.” Nodding her head, Sarah continued to eat her breakfast in silence.

When he was finished eating, Jake stood, carried his plate over to the sink and began to wash dishes, anything to avoid the conversation he knew Sarah was going to make him have. As he washed the dishes Sarah’s first question took him by surprise. “I assume your father doesn’t know where you are?”

Shaking his head, Jake turned to face her. She was sitting back in her chair studying him. “I was going to call-”

Her brows rose before she spoke, “But you are putting it off, much like the conversation you know we should be having. I’ve never seen anyone more interested in breakfast and dishes than you are this morning.”

At her words the thought of Bella flashed through Jake’s head, how before everything happened she would come over to his house and make him and his father breakfast and lunch, the dinners that they would have at Charlie’s house and how he used to watch Bella as she worked around the kitchen, she loved that kind of thing.

“You were thinking about her weren’t you?” Sarah’s remark pulling Jake from his thoughts.

Looking up at her Jake saw Sarah’s face. He knew she figured out why he was here, but, Sarah being Sarah, he also knew she was going to make him talk to her. Breathing out a heavy sigh, Jake pulled out the chair across from her pleading with her through his eyes in a last attempt to get her to ignore why he was here. The cock of her head and the thinning of her lips told Jake that it wasn’t going to happen.

Rubbing his hands over his face, Jake leaned forward on the table, took a deep breath to still his resolve and started. “After Dakota died, I just kind of-” Sarah watched as Jake leaned back in his chair and rubbed his closed fist over his heart, the action making Sarah wonder for the first time if making him talk about it was the right thing to do. “I lost it, I was barely able to hold it together at the funeral and then after it just got... worse. One of my friends found out where Bella was, went up to Alaska and took her.”

Sarah jerked slightly in her seat. “He made her believe that there was something wrong with her dad, it was the only reason why she came back, why she left him.” Jake didn’t notice the growl coming from his throat until he looked up at Sarah and saw that her face had paled slightly. “Are you-I’m sorry if I scared you.”

Nodding her head, Sarah motioned for him to continue.

“When she got to the rez I just kind of split into these two different people.” Jake watched Sarah, wondering if she was going to question what it was that he was talking about, talking to her about his life this time around was so much more difficult than before. It was easy to leave out the wolf last time, but now the wolf was the reason he was here. The wolf and the man were at odds and it was making him crazy. “One side of me wanted Bella all to myself, she was there and she was helping me and I just,” rubbing at his eyes Jake shook his head before staring right at Sarah, “I took her out in the woods and didn’t let anyone near us for a day. The entire time I was out there with her I thought I was doing the right thing: protecting her from them, from her boyfriend who I knew was coming for her. The other part was mad at her because I shouldn’t have been there protecting her or even worrying about it, I should have been with Dakota.”

Sarah held up her hand to stop him. “Why did you think that?”

Gawffing at the question, Jake leaned back in his chair. “Why wouldn’t I? I let her down once, I couldn’t do it again.”

“You didn’t let her down. You have to realize that Ephraim, and what were you doing? How were you protecting her?”

This is when he started to feel the panic, what was she going to think when he told her that he had been sleeping in the cemetery beside his girlfriends grave? “After the funeral I couldn’t leave her.”

“Oh Ephraim,” Sarah practically cried as she began pushing herself up from her seat. When she took the seat beside his she reached for his hand and he let her take it. “You can’t do that to yourself. It’s not healthy.”

Jake nodded his head before continuing on, “When Bella’s boyfriend came for her the urge to protect her kicked back in and I took her from him, took her back to my dad’s house and then just left. I had to go back to Dakota, I just couldn’t. I don’t know what to do. I still don’t know what to do. I told you about what happened to her when he,” Jake spit the word, “what she was like. That’s why they brought Bella to the rez. They said I was like that and they were worried, that she knew what it was like so she’d be able to help me, but she’s not helping she’s messing everything up.”
Jake felt her hand on his back, rubbing one of his shoulders as the tears streamed down his face.

“How? How is she messing everything up?”

He looked at her, the ache in his chest so strong that he didn’t think he was going to be able to breathe through it. When Jake opened his mouth the words wouldn’t come out, the only thing the two of them could hear were small chocking noises as he tried to make his voice work.
“Oh I see,” Sarah replied nodding her head up and down, “they’re back, aren’t they: the feelings you have for her.”

A cry of guilt erupted from Jake’s throat as a wave of relief crashed into him. Once again his emotions were at odds. “I don’t know why, she didn’t love me back then all she did was use me and break my heart when she left with him.” Looking up at Sarah, tears still hanging on to his lashes, his eyes bore into hers, “I know she’s going to do it again. She keeps trying to help me, she’s so understanding about everything the way I’ve been acting and it just-it’s messing me up because one part of me wants her, wants to believe that maybe she does love me, that she really cares and the other part knows better and hates that I’m feeling like this again. That I’m even letting it happen.”

“Why are you fighting it?”

Jerking away from her his jaw dropped open in shock. At the same time a twinge of anger bubbled up inside of him, “Why am I fighting it!?” He responded shaking her hand off his back, “I’m fighting it because Dakota has been gone barely a month, I shouldn’t have feelings for anyone. Because BELLA tossed me aside like I was trash even after everything I did for her.”

“You loved Bella deeply before you met Dakota, Ephraim. It doesn’t surprise me that-”
Jake’s chair slamming into the counter behind him cut Sarah off, “It doesn’t matter what I felt for her before! I shouldn’t be feeling it now, not after meeting Dakota, not after everything Bella put me through. It’s wrong!” Jake began pacing around the kitchen in attempt to calm himself down, it wasn’t really working. “Look, you don’t understand what Dakota and I had it’s- it was complicated and I can’t explain it. Even if I could I’m not sure that you would understand, but my feelings for Bella are supposed to be non-existent.”

“Who says? Does your heart say that?”

“It doesn’t matter what my heart says. Dakota’s only been-”

“I know how long she has been gone.” The tone of Sarah’s voice catching Jake off guard, “You can’t let yourself die with her though, force yourself to stay at her grave because you feel like you didn’t protect her well enough. The sooner you learn that, the better off you’re going to be. You’re young and from the way it sounds to me, you have a girl who still cares for you too, whether either of you like to admit it or not. You need to forgive yourself for what happened with Dakota, even though it wasn’t your fault,” she said as her stare intensified. “You are young enough you can still move on, be happy with your life.” When Jake opened his mouth to protest, Sarah held her hand up and shot him a warning look. “I’m not saying it has to be now, or with her, but you need to open yourself up. Let her help you, she is obviously willing to do so. Let your family and friends help you. Otherwise you are just going to waste your life pining over something that isn’t there, something that never will be again, while everything else passes you by.” With that, Sarah slowly stood from the table, grabbed her walker and shuffled out of the kitchen without another word or sideways glance in Jake’s direction.

When Jake heard the front door open and the porch swing begin to sway, he dropped back down into his chair. Gripping the back of his neck, Jake replayed the words in his head and came to the conclusion that everything she said was true for the most part. He wasn’t really sure about moving on, though. Weather it be now or in the future, would he really be able to do that, just move on with his life as if his imprint with Dakota never happened, as if half of his soul wasn’t gone? Shit, he was still as confused as ever. Now he felt bad for involving Sarah in the shit storm that was his life lately. Standing from the chair, Jacob slowly made his way over to the telephone. Might as well get this over with, he thought to himself as he picked up the receiver. As the phone rang, realization hit him that Bella might be the one to pick up. The thought caused him to pull the phone from his ear. Just as he was about to hang it up, his father's voice flowed through the line. Relieved, Jake pulled the phone back to his ear. “Dad,” the crack in his voice was embarrassing, shaking it off he continued on, “I’m at Sarah’s. I just wanted to call and let you know so you wouldn’t worry.”

The silence that filled the line made him wonder where everyone was. His advanced hearing didn’t even pick up sounds from the TV. He could hear Billy breathe out a long sigh before his own cracked voice came through the phone, “It’s good to know you are ok, son. How long are you staying this time?”

Leaning his arm against the wall, Jake rested his head on his forearm. “I don’t- I’m not really sure, not as long as last time, I promise, Dad.”

Jake heard Billy’s throat clearing before he whispered out, “OK, stay in touch, Son.”

“I will, Dad.”

~TIBC~

Four sets of eyes were on Billy as he hung up the phone. “He’s in Browning, again with her.” Billy stated out loud for those in the room without super hearing. Rachel’s eyes turned into slits before she turned and stomped out the back door. Bella’s went wide before she shot a glance toward Sam, “I have to go get him, tell him I’m sorry. It’s my fault he’s there.” Paul’s snort caught Bella’s attention. Shaking her head at him, she turned back at Sam. “Please.”

Sam’s eyes scanned the room, from Bella’s pleading eyes to Billy’s and then back again. Finally they landed on Paul, “You’re going with her.”

Paul opened his mouth to argue, but a growl from Sam put a stop to it. “I suggest you find a way to cover her scent so the leach doesn’t smell her and we’re not telling the others so he doesn’t catch wind of it. I’d hurry too, in case Jake suspected something and runs again. Paul’s eyes turned into slits, and his lips pressed into a thin line when he shot a look toward Bella. “No problem, Boss.”
One hour later Bella was stuffed behind the passenger seat of a practically broken down Honda Accord. Her hair was already sticking to her head, but Paul warned her not to move, at least until they got past Port Angeles. The quilt she was hiding under was one off of Rachel’s bed and Bella didn’t want to know what was on it. Sam had said he couldn’t pick up any trace of her scent, and as far as she knew they had made it out without Edward catching on either. She would hide under a quilt as long as Paul told her to as long as she was able to get to Jake.

~TIBC~

Hanging up the phone, Jake shuddered as his skin began to crawl. He really needed to phase, it had been too long. Sarah, still swinging on the front porch, stopped him though. He wasn’t going to leave her. Instead he all but stomped out to the barn, jerked the mower out of its spot and attacked the yard. As he was mowing he saw movement out of the corner of his eye and realized that someone was watching him. Dropping his hands from the mower, Jake wiped his sweaty palms on his pants as he walked toward the woman. She was older, maybe in her late fifties, long black hair hung over her shoulder in a braid. As he walked closer he watched as the woman’s eyes went wide and she took a step back. Forcing a smile, Jake came to a halt a good ten feet from the picnic table that she had sat a pitcher of lemonade on. “Hi I’m Jacob you must be-”

Shaking her head the woman walked forward and grabbed his out stretched hand and froze. “Are you sick?” she blurted, her face going red and her jaw dropping just slightly. As she took a step back Jake could hear her scold her self and the she waved toward the lemonade. “I’m sorry that was rude of me, I’m June, Sarah told me you might need something to drink.”

Jake thanked the woman before downing half of the pitcher of lemonade and going back to work on the yard. When he finished with the yard, Jacob still felt the itch to phase. Knowing that June was here with Sarah made Jake feel a little more at ease, but he knew running wasn’t going to solve anything, especially with the way things ended with Sarah this morning. If anything, it would get him into more trouble. Making his way toward the barn, Jake decided it would be best if he just stayed around the house and worked off this feeling.

By the time the sun set, Jake had the yard mowed and edged, fed and terrorized the chickens, fixed the hanging gutters on the front of the house and even went as far as filling the bird feeders. When he walked into the house that night dinner was ready for him on the table and, from what he could hear, Sarah was already in her room. The sound of book pages were the only thing he heard as he devoured his food and then headed to the bathroom to take a shower. As he lay in bed that night, Jake thought over his conversation with Sarah,. He knew she was speaking from experience, yet he couldn’t help but wonder just how much.

~TIBC~

As Jake made his way downstairs later the next morning, he could hear bacon sizzling in a frying pan. Sarah and June were talking about nothing in particular. When he opened the door Sarah looked up at him and nodded her head, June giving him a little wave before she went back to cooking the bacon. Pulling up a seat at the table, Jake leaned forward, getting Sarah’s attention. “I called him yesterday, he knows where I am. Do you think we could talk real quick?”

“How long did it take you to move on?” It would seem like an odd enough question. Sarah was still alone but Jake had been thinking and if he was right he would get his answers.

Looking up at him, Jake noticed the sad smile on her face and he almost felt triumph. It was hard though, seeing as the old woman was didn’t look as happy has he felt. “I was wondering when you were going to figure it out, Ephraim. You’re a smart boy though, I never doubted you.”

“Jon and I were much like you and your Bella. We had known each other since we were kids-well there was a group of us really, but me and Jon were really close and when we got old enough we started dating-behind my daddy’s back, mind you.” Jake watched as the smile turned into a happy one, the memories clearly good ones. “When we were seventeen we loaded up in his old pickup and ran off for a while. It was hard, we were working these jobs that hardly paid anything, but we were together and that was all that mattered. When we finally came back I thought my daddy was going to skin him alive. We weren’t married, never got that far, but we wanted to. Jon had these dreams of this life that I wasn’t sure we would ever have, but he was a hard worker and eventually he was able to buy this house. It was broken down and we fixed it up together.”

Jake’s jaw dropped open at hearing that. “But you lived here with Everett, your kids.”

Humming her agreement to that, she looked up at Jake before continuing on, “One day I was plucking my flowers and I got a call that there was an accident at work. Jon didn’t even make it to the hospital. It was hard on me, living in this house that we built together, seeing all of his things. I let myself get like you, locked myself in his closet for a week before Everett came along and drug me out of there by my hair. He kept me going at first, but then when he wasn’t around I’d slip back into this hole, so he stopped coming by and that about broke me too, but I realized what he was doing. He wanted me to get better, make it on my own, and I did because by that point my feelings for Everett had grown and I realized I was in love with him. We got married less than a year after Jon died and he moved into this house with me. People had their talk, which wasn’t a surprise to us, none of that mattered. We knew what we had. Our marriage was a good one, one that outlasted many around here and eventually people let it go.”

“So that was that.”

Nodding her head in agreement, Sarah looked past Jake out into the back yard. “That was that. That’s how I know what you’re going through, Ephraim. And why I know you need to open up as much as you can, let your family and Bella help you. You don’t want the girl to give up on you and if you keep running away from her, she just might. You can’t care about what other people think either. If you are falling for that girl again then that’s something between you and her, not everyone else and what they think. Just because you love this girl doesn’t mean you didn’t love Dakota, and I’m sure the ones closest to you will know that, too.”

Sitting with his hands on his knees, Jake thought about Sarah’s story and how it was so mush like his own. The difference, Bella didn’t die. She was still there willing to help him-at least he hoped she was still there. She wouldn’t have left already, would she? Jumping up, panic struck Jake at the thought, . Was she still there? He didn’t hear her when he talked to his dad last night, and the way he left her there in her truck, telling her what they had just done was a mistake. He knew the words had torn into her, he could hear her crying as he stomped away. The more he thought about it the more Jake realized that what he had done was a mistake, one that could have possibly driven her right back into Edward's arms.

“I have to go!” The words rushed out of Jacob’s mouth as he ran into the house. Jerking the phone off the wall wincing when the base came with it. As calmly as he could, Jake waited for the rotary telephone to finish clicking through the numbers and then it rang, and rang, and rang. What the hell? Jamming his finger down on the hook, he waited for dial tone and dialed again. This time the phone rang once before Leah picked up the phone, “Black’s.”

“Leah!” Jake shouted over the phone, which was promptly met by a growl from her, “Damn it, Jacob. An ear drum would be nice, you know.”

“I need to talk to Bella,” Jake grit out, doing his best to bite back the snarl that was in his voice.
He heard a humph on the other end of the line before Leah spoke, “Haven’t seen her since she pulled in here the other day crying like a baby. Funny Jake, her shirt was on inside out, you wouldn’t know anything about that would-”

“Damn it, LEAH where is she?”

The silence on the other end of the line only infuriated Jake even more than the words that followed. “Fuck if I know where she is Jacob. You went running off again and left us to deal with her lunatic of a corpse. He’s been being a real pain in the a-”

Trying to get the now-hanging phone back into the jack was a lost cause, so when June walked toward him he shoved the phone at her, nodded his head at Sarah before giving her a hug and made his way toward the front door. It was the middle of the day. Back yard or not, there was no way that Jacob was going to be able to phase until he got out of town. At least walking down a busy street would quell the temptation. Just as he reached the front room, the scent of strawberries assaulted his senses and before he knew it he was jerking open the door. The action startled Bella enough that she jerked back and stumbled backward off the step. Paul, of course, was close enough behind her that he was the one who caught her. Jake growled at the sight of his hands wrapped around Bella’s waist and Paul instantly shoved her toward him.

As Bella stumbled forward, Jake opened his arms and caught her. He could feel her body tense before she slowly wrapped her arms around his waist and rested her head on his chest. With his chin on the top of her head, Jake mouthed thank you to Paul before pushing Bella away so he could look at her.“What are you doin' here, Bells?”

Bella studied Jake as the words came out of his mouth. Had it not been for the look on his face, she would have wondered if he was upset by her being there. He was bent at the knee, almost eye level with her with bumps just above his brows; he was confused. The realization made Bella's brows pinch as well. Did he really think she was just going to give up on him? Yes, she was hurt after he said that what happened in her truck was a mistake, but the more Bella thought about it, the more she came to realize that she was just pushing him too much. Her need for him was overshadowing the fact that she was actually there to help him. Still, she couldn't stop the words from coming out of her mouth as she reached forward and smoothed away the bumps. "I needed you.”

TIBC Ch10

Chapter 10

The walk through the woods to Billy’s house felt like the walk of doom. Bella was walking even slower than her short legs would have normally carried her, biting her lip and fidgeting with her shirt as she went. Seth, in wolf form, walked just as slow along side of her, letting out a whine when she would let a worried sigh escape and nudging her back when she would all-together stop.

When Bella could clearly see the back of the little red house she stopped again, not willing to move even when Seth nudged her as he had done many times before. She wasn’t ready to go in there and face the music, didn’t want to look Charlie in the eye and see the disappointment clearly written across his features for her choice when it came to dating and eventually becoming engaged to and almost marring a vampire. She felt Seth nudge her lower back and she turned to look at him, tears already gathering in the corners of her eyes. When she shook her head they fell. Quickly she covered her face, it was bad enough that Seth could smell her tears she didn’t think he needed to see them, too.

She stood there, her back turned to the little red house and let her thoughts consume her; Charlie was going to hate her. Everything he had done for her, his need to protect and keep her safe, all seemingly pointless because of the choices that she had made. She had let him down and not only was he going to be upset with her, he was going to be disappointed in her. She didn’t want to see his disappointment. It was mere seconds after the sob escaped her mouth that she was wrapped into a hot embrace, one hand clutching her shoulder while one soothingly rubbed down her hair. She could feel the vibration in his chest as he quietly shushed her and told her that everything was going to be OK, but she wouldn’t allow herself to believe it. Another ugly sob and he was clutching her tighter now rocking her as she stood. Odd that he was cradling and soothing her almost like a baby when in reality Seth Clearwater was nearly five years her junior.

Nodding into his chest she felt Seth’s arms drop and his heat disappear as he took a step back. Furiously, she rubbed her hands across her face trying to rid any sign of the tears and cleared her throat in an attempt to calm herself further. When she met his eyes she shot him a forced smile, one that more or less told him that she was OK, at least as OK as she was going to be given the situation. With a nod of his head he turned her around, slung his arm over her shoulder and took a step forward. When she shuffled forward Seth squeezed her arm and they began the trek into the back yard.

Her heart was slamming in her chest when she rounded the corner of the house, her feet freezing in place when she saw the entire pack sitting on the front porch. Embry and Quil shot up when she looked at them and acted as though they wanted to rush forward and pummel her with questions, but Sam let out a low growl and they quickly scrambled back down. Seth moved her toward the porch slower now, obviously feeling the tension in her shoulders and back. She was sure that she was about to have a heart attack. When her foot hit the bottom slat of the ramp Bella thought she might fall over. She could hear Charlie in the house still talking to Billy their words not angry but light.

She looked around, clearly confused. Had they not explained anything to him?

Stepping into her line of sight, Sam gave Seth a nod and he backed away to lean against the side of the porch. He pushed a small wad of fabric toward her and she grabbed for it. Unfolding it she realized that it was a pair of Emily’s jeans. She jerked them on and quickly snapped the buttons as Sam bent down so he was eye level with her. All she could see was the mask that he so often wore. “The only thing we left out was Edward, the Cullens, what they are. It was for his protection only, he knows everything else.”

Bella’s head shot up at his words and in that moment she wanted nothing more than to hug Sam Uley, and maybe for the first time in her life do a happy dance. The excitement quickly washed away at the thought that she was happy to be hiding something important from her father. Lying to him, shaking her head she brushed it away. It was for his own good.

Sam quickly moved out of her way as Charlie appeared in the door way, “We have some things to talk about, Bella.”

Nodding her head, Bella didn’t dare look at the pack as she shuffled her way up the ramp and into the house. When she got in the kitchen she almost chose the seat next to Billy like a coward before sitting directly across from Charlie. Let the interrogation begin, she thought.

“Billy has pretty much cleared the air as to what has been going on these last couple of years, and while I’m not very happy with you for keeping this kind of secret from me, I understand it.”

Bella’s head shot up and her mouth popped open, this really was not what she was expecting this conversation to be like.

Holding his hands up at her to stop her from talking, Charlie pressed his lips into a thin line and leaned across the table holding her eyes, “Don’t you lie to me again about any thing, do you hear me young lady?” and just like that Bella felt like child. She could see the anger and the hurt in Charlie’s eyes as he said it. The bad part about all of it was that she was still lying to him. He didn’t know anything at all about Edward and what he was, but she couldn’t let him either. Under no circumstance was she going to put his life in danger over a choice that she had made when she was a love-struck teenager.

Biting her lip, she simply nodded her head, forcing her eyes to stay on his so he couldn’t detect the lie. He sat there staring at her; she knew it was a cop thing, his eyes watching hers as intently as hers watched his.

Billy cleared his throat and tapped on the table, grabbing Bella’s attention first. Her eyes snapping to his before she heard Charlie settle back into his seat, grumbling under his breath as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Charlie has agreed to keep our secret. This is not something we take lightly, as you know Bella; even now the only people that know of this are the imprints, the council, the pack and the two of you. It was never our intent to share this with your father,” Charlie grumbling under his breath caught Bella’s attention before Billy‘s tone changed, “but I am the Chief of this tribe and I made an executive decision when I told Sam to stop you before you got off the reservation. It was what was best for my son and ultimately what I think is best for the tribe, and for the pack.”

Both Bella and Charlie nodded their heads at the same time, for two completely different reasons.

Rolling his chair back from the table, Billy nodded at Charlie and then looked at Bella, a sad but thankful smile on his face, “Is he OK?”

Looking at Charlie, Bella saw that he too was waiting for her answer. What could she tell them really? “He seemed OK when I left; he was calm, almost put together.” Nodding his head in response, Billy turned the chair around and made his way into the living room. The sounds of the evening news filtered into the kitchen not long after.

Dragging her eyes back to Charlie, she took a deep breath. He was looking at her again, trying to peel away the layers until he got what he wanted from her: the truth.

“Dad I’m really sorry I-”

“That’s not what we need to talk about right now, Bella. I think you know how upset with you I am for keeping this from me, for keeping everything from me. But there’s something I need to tell you and to be completely honestly with you, I didn’t want to tell you this but both Billy and Sam insisted on it.” Charlie looked at her clearly frustrated now; she could see the flush of red starting to peek out from the collar of his uniform shirt.

“Edward came to the station this morning; he told me that you had been kidnapped by Paul, that’s one of the reasons why I came down here. The other is to prevent something going on with him and Jake. Jake isn’t in a good place right now and if Edward came down here like he said he was going to to get yo-”

“WHAT!” Bella screamed before her chair slammed back onto the floor. “He can’t- dad we have to, he can’t come here.”

Charlie was up and around the table gripping her arms before she knew it. Bending to her eye level, he waited for her to stop ranting, “He’s not coming here, but you have to talk to him, Bella. He said he wanted to see you, make sure that you were OK. My word,” Charlie grit out the last words, “apparently even as Chief of Police, isn‘t good enough.”

Bella’s eyes began darting around the room and her head quickly starting shaking back and forth, “But I can’t go what about, what about Jake?”

Opening his mouth to tell her that Jake would be just fine, Charlie didn’t get a word out before Sam cut him off, “Jake is going to be fine, Bella. We’ll keep an eye on him, let him know that you are OK and Leah said she would go with you for,” quickly Sam’s eye shot to Charlie and then back to her, “support.” Which really meant backup Bella knew; she also knew that Leah didn’t offer up this so-called support.

Looking from Sam to Charlie and back again, Bella wasn’t so sure. She really wasn’t sure that Sam or the pack knew how fragile Jake really was right now and she really didn’t want to be the one to set him off again, especially if she wasn‘t going to be there to calm him down.

“I don’t know Sa-”

Stepping around the table, Sam came to Charlie’s side, “I will personally make sure that he is fine, Bella. This is something you need to do; Edward needs to know that you are OK.” His eyes burned into hers with such intensity it almost made her cower in front of him. Bella knew then that it was something she had to do, and maybe she could go talk to Edward and be back before Jake realized that she was gone. If not, the truth in Sam’s eyes told her that he would do everything in his power to keep Jake calm until she was able to get back to him.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, Bella pulled back from Charlie and squared her shoulders, “Where’s Leah, we need to go as soon as possible.” With a curt nod, Sam strode out of the kitchen, Bella hot on his heals.

Leaning back against the table, Charlie rubbed his forehead, something was missing. He didn’t know what it was, but he was going to find out.

~TS~

I took everything Bella had not to peel out of the driveway. Leah, riding shotgun, had told her not to do anything to draw Charlie or Jake‘s attention. On the ride through the rez Bella’s grip on the steering wheel grew with the same intensity that Leah’s attention grew on the forest.

When they crossed over the treaty line Bella blew out a breath of air that she hadn‘t realized she was holding. They had no sooner gotten around the curve when Bella slammed on the brakes sending Leah flying toward the windshield, cussing as her hand smashed into the dash. When the dust settled around the car it was like déjà vu, but this time it was Edward who stood in the middle of the road a little more than disheveled his lips a thin line and his eyes angry.

Leah growled at the sight and grabbed Bella’s arm when she went to unclip her seatbelt, “Just wait a minute.”

Bella saw Leah’s eyes tighten and her lip tuck into her teeth, and then with a nod of her head Leah’s grip on the seatbelt loosened, “Tell him not here, that you’ll talk to him either at Charlie’s or at the diner.”

Nodding, Bella pulled the door handle and slowly climbed out of the truck. Tucking her hands into the back pocket of her jeans, Bella slowly walked toward Edward, eyes down cast, she didn’t want to look at him. She was feeling guilty for making him worry and panic like he was.

~TS~

Edward wanted nothing more than to run up to Bella, snatch her and run back to Alaska, but Leah was in his head screaming profanities at him, letting him know just what would happen if one hair on Bella Swan’s head was out of place when she got back in the truck. When Bella came to a stop in front of him his stone heart ached. She smelled like the mutts, not one trace of his scent was on her skin and he could barely detect her own.

~TS~

She stood there long enough for an uncomfortable feeling to settle over her and she wondered if Edward was trying to devise a plan to take her back. The thought made Bella shuffle a step away from him, as if it would really help. When she saw his lips turn downward and a frown play on his face she wanted to move forward, she really did, but she couldn’t make her feet move.

“They haven’t harmed you, you’re alright Bella?”

Shaking her head no Bella couldn’t make the words come out of her mouth, the tears already stinging her eyes.

Reaching his hand out, Edward held a breath that really didn’t need to be held and waited for her to come to him. The longer he waited, his hand outstretched, the more painful it became for him. Eventually Bella stepped forward and laced her fingers with his, but resisted when he tried to pull her into his chest. His non-beating heart cracked.

“Can we talk at my dad's or the di-”

“How about the house, I’ve made sure everything is-”

“Charlie’s or the diner leech, otherwise her ass is back in the truck and we leave.” Bella felt Leah’s heat at her back and Edward’s hand slip from hers as he dropped down into a fighting stance, hissing out his anger.

Bella couldn’t take her eyes off of his, they were jet black and his face contorted to look nothing like she had ever seen. She shuddered and took a step back from him, her back bumping into Leah’s chest.

“Edward,” Bella said hoping to gain his attention. When he hissed again Leah jerked Bella behind her body growling at Edward as she did so.

“Don’t fuck with me Cullen, I may not be phased but I’m pretty sure I can still beat your pasty white ass.”

Another hiss from Edward and he snapped to his full height, “When we get there you’re staying outside. I need to talk to her alone.”

Leah took a step forward, a nasty smile playing on her lips, “Your little brooding, brainwashing shit isn’t going to work this time bloodsucker, and if you think I’m leaving you alone with her, you’ve got another thing-”

Bella stepped between the two, a bold move that shocked herself, “Alright can we just, I mean we’re on the side of the road, people could see.”

Quickly realizing his surroundings, Edward backed off and straightened the non existent wrinkles in his button down shirt, “I’ll see you at Charlie’s, Bella.”

Her hair flew around her face in waves and before she could get it out of her eyes she heard the Volvo’s tires screeching as he pulled back onto the road. Turning around she saw that Leah was standing a foot behind her, her arms crossed over her chest still clearly pissed.

Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, Bella went to move around Leah but her hand grabbed a hold of Bella’s wrist and jerked them face to face. “Don’t even think of falling for his shit again. We brought you down here to fix Jake and that’s what you are going to do. You owe it to him; you owe it to the pack for keeping them here and bringing all this shit down on us.”

Jerking on her arm, Bella fought to get away but Leah’s grip on her wrist only grew tighter, “Tell me you aren’t going to leave with him. Look me in the eye and tell me.”

“If he sees red marks on my wrist do you really think he’s going to LET me come back with you Leah?” Bella made sure to emphasis on that word while quirking her brow.

With a growl and a warning squeeze Leah dropped her wrist and marched back to the truck, slamming the door so hard it rocked from side to side.

~TS~

Bella made sure the ride back to her dad’s house was a slow one. She didn’t know what she was going to say to Edward to get him to understand that she wouldn’t be leaving with him, at least not now. Jake needed her more than anything right now and if she were completely honest, it was nice to be around humans for a while, even if the days were nothing but drama-filled. Not only that, but in the few short days that she had been back here she realized that her feelings for Jake weren’t really something that she had gotten over like she had thought. She cared about him and there was no doubt she felt the need to protect him and comfort him at any cost, and right now that cost just might be Edward.

Pulling onto her old street, Bella let the pressure on the gas pedal decrease even more. Biting her lip, she could feel her heart pick up pace.

“It’s not like I’m going to let him do anything to you Swan, calm down a little will ya?”

Gripping the steering wheel, Bella glared at Leah, “I know he isn’t going to do anything to me Leah, its just-” was she really going to spill her guts to Leah Clearwater of all people?

“I don’t want to hurt him; he’s already got himself worried enough about me.”

“You know it’d be nice if you worried about someone else besides the sparkly vamp for once.”

Anger bubbled up in Bella. Slamming on the brake, she wanted to laugh when Leah’s head jerked forward and shot her a death glare, “Care about someone else for once!?” Bella seethed, her chest heaving, her face on fire.

“My life was basically put on hold when Paul came up to Alaska and kidnapped me in the middle of broad daylight. The second I found out it was about Jacob I stopped fighting and came willingly, and look at where it’s gotten me! Edward is out of his mind with worry, who knows about the rest of the Cullens, Charlie knows that the legends are true now which puts him in danger, none of you could give a shit less about me and worst of all Jake isn’t my Jake anymore he is her Jake and she isn’t even here!” Bella’s hand flew to her mouth, her eyes wide as saucers at the little admission that she let slip. She watched in horror as Leah’s tight flat lips twitched in attempt, Bella assumed, to fight a smile.

Jerking her head back toward the road, Bella didn’t even want to see what Leah was doing now. Dealing with Edward seemed like the lesser of two evils at this point so she pushed her foot down on the pedal and drove down toward the house, grumbling under her breath as Leah’s eyes never left the side of her head.

~TS~

When they pulled up to Charlie’s, Bella let out a sigh of relief seeing Edward calmly leaning against the side of the Silver Volvo, his arms hung loosely at his sides, legs crossed at the ankle. Turning off the car and opening the door, Bella continued to watch him as he pushed off the car and slowly made his way toward her. The sight of him reminded her of the Forks High School parking lot and the way he would wait for her and walk to her completely at ease. When Leah stepped in their mutual line of sight Bella could hear Edward’s hiss and Leah’s returning growl. Rolling her eyes, Bella turned and made her way to the door.

~TS~

No sooner than Leah got in the house was she pushing Bella out of the way and making a bee-line for the opposite side of the room, not for safety purposes, Bella quickly learned, but so she could throw open the two small windows on the outer wall.

“This needs to be quick, I’m not going to be able to stand the stink very long and,” Bella saw the evil glint in Leah’s eye and then just as quickly noticed Edward’s posture stiffen before she finished her sentence, “we don’t want to keep Jake waiting.”

Bella felt her eyes turn into evil slits once more and she wished more than anything that for one second Leah could hear what was going through her mind.

Edward held his hand out to Bella then, without a thought Bella moved toward him. Looking from his hand to his eyes, Bella took his hand out of guilt, fighting a shudder when his cold hard hand slid into her warm, now-sweaty, palm.

Leading her over to the couch, Edward sat them down, his hand lightly resting on her knee. He shot a look toward Leah who was practically hanging out the window before he spoke. “Bella, I really think it best if you come back to Alaska with me this evening. You were able to visit with Charlie and see that Jacob is well intact, there’s nothing more for you to do here but get hurt, I’m afraid.”

Hearing a snort from the other side of the room, Bella knew this conversation wasn’t going to end well, but Leah was ordered, as far as Bella could tell, by Sam not to leave the two alone.

“Look leech no one is going to hurt her in the near future, that is unless you plan on draining her dry to get her away from Jake.”

“I’m not with Jake, Leah,” Bella’s protest was waved off with a flick of Leah’s wrist before it fully came out of her mouth.

“Edward, you have to know I’m not with him, nothing is going on with Jake-” Another snort cut Bella off, but before Leah could open her mouth to speak, Bella shot her best death glare at her which in turn had Leah smiling.

“They aren’t hurting me, no one is saying or doing anything to hurt me, I’m fine. I swear.”

“But Bella, they will, it’s in their nature. They are all very angry and volatile right now, half of the pack is worried that Jacob might do something to you. I’ve read it in their minds. Leah,” Edward said while nodding in her direction, “has the same-”

Jumping up from the windowsill Leah charged toward Edward causing Bella, to jerk back into the couch and Edward to fall into a protective stance, “You stay out of my head, bloodsucker.”

“This is exactly the behavior I’m talking about, Bella look at her. You can see it in her eyes, I can hear it in her head. You want to rip me apart right now, don’t you?” Leah snarled her response.

“You wouldn’t mind doing the same to her, would you, dog? I can see it Leah, don’t try to deny that you dislike Bella, or pretend that you actually want her here. You’re putting up with her because you have to in order to get what the pack wants, and what is that Leah, what exactly do you and the pack want with her? Why is she here?” Edward continued pushing for answers he knew that he wasn’t going to get out of Bella at least not today. He was going to make this mutt crack; find out the real reason why Bella was here.

Bella watched in shock as Edward continued to push and Leah began to shake, her knuckles digging into her temples with each question Edward shot her way. Bella knew it was true for the most part that no one really wanted her there, she was a simple means to an end. But while watching on as Edward continued with his barrage of questions, Bella felt sorry for Leah, and she would be damned if Edward was going to break her. She didn’t want that for Leah, didn’t want her to let the pack down.

Grabbing a hold of Edward’s shoulder Bella jerked, she could feel her elbow pop when he resisted, “Edward stop, leave her alone.”

But he didn’t want to stop, “What’s going on with Jacob, Leah? Why did Paul take her, what’s in it for the pack?”

“Edward,” Bella jerked on his shoulder again this time winching when a pain shot through her arm, “Edward leave her alone right now! I’ll talk to you, just stop it!”

In an eerily slow way Edward, still crouched, turned on the ball of his foot, his face almost looking sinister when he spoke, “You know why you’re here, why they’ve brought you down here. Tell me, Bella.”

Bella looked at Leah who had moved a few paces back but was still shaking; the look in her eyes said it all. She didn’t want to lie to Edward, but she knew if she told him the truth he would grab her and run. Jacob was on the very fringe of losing it completely and she was there to rescue him. That definitely would not fly with Edward.

One more look at Leah and Bella blurted out the first thing that came to her mind, “They wanted Jake to come back, he’s been gone since the week before the wedding. They brought me down here to get him to come back.” In all fairness it wasn’t really a lie, Jake had been gone, and they did want him to come back, right?

She watched as Edward’s eyes turned into slits. She knew he wasn’t buying it. Grasping at straws and remembering what Edward had accused the pack of the night before in the woods, she looked at Leah, took a deep breath and said, “Its true Edward, they think I’m his mate, that’s why they did it. The fact that he came back a day after I got here only seems to prove their point.”

Edward was up on his feet and had Leah around the neck before Bella could even blink, his face only inches from Leah’s, her eyes were wide-not with fear but with pure hate. “You brought her back here to whore her out to him, I knew it!”

Leah’s hand wrapped around Edward’s wrist, Bella watched as a crack formed under her now white fingers and spread up his arm. He was hissing, Leah was sweating and grunting out as she fought to jerk his arm from her neck.

“Edward stop, stop Edward please!” Bella was pulling on the back of his shirt but he wasn’t letting go. Leah’s body began to slowly slide up the wall as the crack spread further down his arm. Tears were running down Bella’s face as she watched the tips of Leah’s shoes leave the floor. Bella heard a crack before Edward stumbled back into her with enough force to make her fall onto to the floor, the air whooshing out of her lungs. He was by her side, his eyes black and swirling again, his hands clearly wanting to make contact and sooth her but she could see the hesitation in his eyes. She could hear Leah coughing as she sat against the wall, “Just go.” Bella wheezed before she squeezed her eyes closed.

When she opened them he was gone and Leah was crawling toward her, an angry red ring around her neck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know what to say or do, I just wanted him to stop and he wouldn’t. I knew he wasn’t going to stop, he can’t find out what-” Leah’s hand covered her mouth, silencing Bella immediately.

After a couple of minutes Leah moved around on the floor bumping Bella’s shoulder with her own, clearing her throat before she looked at Bella. “You did fine,” she croaked.

Bella winced for Leah, the sound of her voice beyond rough. “I can’t believe he did that to you, I’m-” Leah stood and held her hand out to Bella, “Believe it, it’s what he is, what they do.” With that Leah turned and walked out of the house. Bella watched as her nose went into the air and she took in a deep breath before having a coughing fit. Rushing toward the front door, the realization struck that for the first time she was actually scared Edward might be waiting for her. She had never wanted to get back to the reservation more in her entire life.

Bella followed Leah hesitantly when she stepped further onto the front porch. Slowly she scanned the front yard before looking at Bella over her shoulder. Well, I pretty much think we’re done here, we should get back. It’s already been close to an hour, I don’t want to get back too late and have Jake looking for you already.

The thought of Jake made Bella hopeful; she fought the urge to ask if she really thought he would be looking for her, choosing to simply bob her head up and down in agreement. Locking up the house, she had to fight her hand to stay steady enough to slip the key in the lock and then shove it back into her pocket. When she turned, Leah was still on the porch scanning the yard, “He’s gone for now.” With that she moved to the side and let Bella in front of her. Leah stayed close though, close enough so Bella could feel the heat at her back, still on high alert.

When they got to the car Bella thought about asking Leah if she wanted to drive, the decision was made though when Leah slid into the passenger seat. Sliding in quickly beside her, Bella didn’t even hesitate when she put the truck in reverse and backed out of the drive.

~TS~

The ride back to the rez was quiet and quicker than the ride into Forks, Leah’s eyes scanning the town and then the forest as they drove. Bella stopped herself more than once from asking if Edward were following them. In the back of her mind she knew that he was out there in the woods, more than likely running along side of the truck. The shiver down her spine was a clear enough cause to push her foot further down on the accelerator.

Bella watched out of the corner of her eye as Leah honed in on something, her body shifted toward the passenger door, the window sliding down into the door frame. Bella’s grip on the steering wheel tightened, “He’s out there, isn’t he?”

Leah didn’t respond, only kept looking out at whatever it was that she was watching. Bella could barely keep her eyes on the road, she knew he was and it scared her. The situation the same as it was yesterday, this time it was Edward running after her, Edward seemingly trying to decide to cross that line or not. In the end, the moment the truck drove over the treaty line Leah let out a whoop, electing a screech from Bella.

“Watch the ears Swan, damn,” Leah said a little more amused than angry, “Let me out here I have to phase and let the guys know what’s going on.” Pulling onto the shoulder, Leah started to get out of the truck before Bella stopped her with a hand on her forearm.

“What’s going on Leah?” She knew of course, she knew what was going but she just wanted to hear her say it, prove that she wasn’t cooking things up in her mind getting herself worked up over nothing.

“He ran along side the truck the whole time, stopped about ten yards from the line. Not as close as Jake got the other day, but close enough. I wouldn‘t doubt that he won‘t cause trouble for us tonight.”

Shaking her head sadly, Bella let go of Leah’s arm and watched as she slipped out the door and made a run for the woods. Resting her head on the steering wheel, Bella wondered if things were every going to get better, and if they did what she was going to do. Jake needed her now, but after, when he was his normal self again would he? Could he possibly have any sort of feelings for her? Were the feelings for him that were stirring within her only going to cause her and Edward unnecessary pain? The answers clearly not there, Bella took a deep breath and decided she couldn’t worry about that now; she had some fixing to do.

~TS~

Having just put the truck in gear, Bella jerked in surprise when the door slowly opened and Jacob slid into the passenger seat. His eyes wide his jaw locked tight, “Where have you been and why do you smell like that?”

Bella’s mouth almost hit the floor; she couldn’t speak, no words would come out of her mouth just these little chocking sounds. Her eyes slid from his down his naked chest and to his leg that was now bouncing, she saw his hand to the side gripping the door while his arm shook. Her eyes shot back to his face and she realized that he was still staring at her intently waiting for an answer.

“I- me and Leah we-”

“You went to see him, didn’t you I can smell him all over you, did you let him touch you Bella? Did you?” The anger was more present in his voice as he spit the words at her.

“What? No!” Bella screeched, her hand shooting out in an attempt to clasp Jake’s arm. His body jerked back avoiding her touch. Bella felt a rush of hurt at the action. “Don’t touch me, answer the question.”

“Why would you think that, Jake?”

“I would think that because you smell like him, it’s all over the car.” When he slowly moved toward her Bella’s heart began to pound, not scared but more anticipatory for some kind of contact. When his nose touched her hair she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck and no matter how hard she tried to fight it, her breath hitched, and then a content sigh escaped her lips. Her eyes grew wide, what was going on with her? There was an urge to wrap her arms around him like she had done earlier, “You stink like him all over.” Caught off guard, the words completely unexpected, Bella felt like she had been socked in the gut. She jerked back from him, anger exploded inside of her.

“He held my hand, that was it, led me to the couch to sit and talk. Leah was there the entire time you can ask her if you don’t trust me, Jacob.”

Jake snarled then, Bella mentally rolled her eyes at that, maybe he didn’t like it but he was accusing her of something that she clearly hadn’t done and everything that she had been through today with Charlie, the pack and now Edward, Bella was spent.

“Drive,” he growled at her while pointing out of the window, it was clearly an order.

“What is wrong with you, I’m not going any-” Bella shot back before Jake yelled again.

“I said drive!” She watched as he slammed himself back into the seat and crossed his arms over his chest, What the hell?, she thought.

She sat there watching him, waiting for him to uncross his arms and tell her that it was a joke or in the very least he was sorry for the way he was acting, but he never did. His eyes stayed locked on the road in front of them, waiting. She really couldn’t work out in her head what was going on. Jake had gone from not talking at all to yelling and ordering her around.

Bella floored the truck, gravel spewing out behind the tires. She could hear the pinging sounds of the rocks as they hit the undercarriage. The further they got down the road and into the cover of the trees the angrier she got, the harder she pushed down on the pedal. Maybe she shouldn’t be getting as mad as she was, she was here to help Jake and she knew that he wasn’t exactly stable right now, but that really was no reason for him to act like a child.

Looking at him as she drove, she almost snorted when she saw that he was still sitting arms crossed over his chest, clearly angry but looking more and more like an angry twelve year old, rather than a fully grown supernatural being. The road held her attention as the drove through the most populated part of the reservation. She watched her speed as she drove through “town”. As soon as they were on the road that led to Jake’s house she looked at him again and he still sat his arms over his chest, this time though, he looked at her and held her gaze, his arms slowly loosening, mouth parting just slightly.

Her foot eased up off the gas as she continued to stare at him. Her head wasn’t fully turned toward him, she could still see some of the road in her peripheral. His eyes darted toward the road and then back to hers wider than what they were before, “Watch the road.”

Her eyes grew into slits, another order. She kept her eyes on his. Watched as his chest started to raise and fall at a more rapid pace, “I said watch the road.” he spoke louder this time. She shook her head and continued to stare at him, “watch the damn road!” She heard the near panic in his voice, dismissing it once again, Bella let her eyes dart toward the road, just as quickly darting back toward him. Her foot completely off the gas now and they were more or less coasting to a stop.

His eyes grew wide, as he sucked in a breath, his head jerked toward the road and then back to her again, she could see the glassy start of tears in his eyes and her anger broke. It was too late though, his hand shot out and grabbed the steering wheel, jerking the truck to the side of the road. It hit the shallow ditch at an angle and the truck bounced up before coming to a stop, Bella’s foot firmly on the break.

She opened her mouth to yell at him, but stopped when his hand shot forward and slammed the truck in park. Just as quickly he pulled her over the console and onto his lap, wrapping her in his arms. His hug was restricting until he loosed his grip, pushing her back, his hands lightly shadowing over her face and down her sides, tears rolling down his cheeks as he did so. He wouldn’t look at her face though, he was looking at the rest of her. Placing his hand on her stomach, he gently pushed her further back the grab bar on the dash digging into her spine.

His hands ran over her jean-clad thighs before his head jerked up, his hands cupping the side of her face his eyes boring into hers. His mouth crashed into hers, their teeth clanking together. Bella almost winched, that was until he breathed into her mouth and she melted against him, her arms crossing around his neck, hands scratching at his scalp. She couldn’t believe this was happening, what they were doing, but she couldn’t stop. The feeling of his hands clutching at her sides and then running up under the shirt made her shudder. He was so hot and consuming, the heat of his chest against hers in the front, his hot hands splayed and moving up and down her back as he continued to dominate her mouth.

Ripping herself away from his mouth, Bella studied Jake’s eyes, they were hooded with excitement. Grabbing the hem of her shirt she jerked it over her head and threw it into the driver’s seat, his eyes went wide and snapped toward her chest. His gasp had Bella moving back toward his face and then his hot hands were pressing into her collar bone stopping her movement. Opening her eyes all she saw was pain, his face crumbled at the realization of what he was doing and just as instantly as the lust was there, it was gone.

He opened his mouth, his head shook side to side, gasping noises coming out of his mouth as his eyes darted all around the cab. Quickly Bella shuffled off of him and pressed on the back of his head. He was so big his body didn’t fold over much before his forehead was pressed into the dash, “Jake just breathe deep, close your eyes, and think calming thoughts.”

Her hand was gently massaging his neck trying to help aid him in his time of panic. While he was still gasping for air Bella could tell his breathing was beginning to slow. His hand reached up and gave hers at the back of his neck a squeeze. Bella flattened her palm and let it slide slowly from his now overly-heated skin. Scooting back into her seat she grabbed at the shirt and jerked it on over her head before leaning toward him again.

She could see his eyes were closed tightly but his mouth was parted. His breathing unsteady with each breath he sucked in, she titled her head when he turned his toward her, “I don’t know what-, I’m sorry I shouldn’t- that was a mistake.”

Bella didn’t think that anything could have hurt her more. The same words that Edward often uttered to her only caused aggravation to well up inside her, but those words from Jake sliced into her heart and left her aching.

Instead of letting herself crumble, she bit her lip and nodded her head. She watched then as he slowly pulled the door open and walked into the woods, his hands clenched at his sides, his head hung low.