A/N: So, first things first, I'm not really a big Jacob x Bella shipper. Not at all actually. Okay, maybe a little if we're talking movie versions. But, the beginning of this was a random bit of inspiration that I wanted to follow through. Also, I don't usually write mature scenes, I think I've written like one (and it was mild to the point of nonexistence). I don't think I even meant for this to go there when I started it, but here it is. Enjoy! Read and review! Thanks! –Mac

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.

A Burning Phrase With No Context

When Bella shows up on his doorstep barely a day into what should be her honeymoon, he is almost angry enough to phase right there in his doorway. Then he notices the dark circles under her eyes that stand out against her pale skin. She is worrying her lip, and he can see the blood pool there under the pressure. Some of the knots in his stomach untangle themselves at the sight, but his heart is still pounding itself into his throat and his blood is still rushing in his ears. He struggles to unclench his jaw so he can speak, but even when it finally goes slack, no words come out. They stand there, just silently taking each other in, waiting for the other to speak first.

"You're still human," he finally barks, "I would have thought for sure the leech would have turned you."

He watches as she opens her mouth to speak, but no sound comes out. He refuses to speak until she responds, so he just watches her flounder for awhile. His need to save her has lapsed for at least the time being, and he feels no urge to step in and fill the gaps of silence. She is the one who wandered onto his doorstep. She owes him an explanation.

She looks away, and he can hear her breathing shorten. When her eyes rise to meet his again, tears have begun to spill over. His muscles tighten as he restrains himself from reaching out to wipe the falling tears from her face. He refuses to make this easier on her. As hard as he's tried to accept the choices she has made, if he lets himself rush to her aid now, he'll go spiraling back to where he started, a place he doesn't want to return to. He can't be the lovesick puppy dog she reduced him to anymore. She has to do this on her own.

"Jacob," his name falls from her lips and he almost breaks. He closes his eyes and forces himself to breath evenly, When he opens his eyes again, she is watching him intently. He wants to pull her into his arms and make everything better for her, but he can't, not yet. She has to give him a reason to throw away all the progress he's made in regards to her.

"Jacob," she says again, her voice so quiet it almost gets lost in the air. "I'm sorry for coming. I just didn't know where else to go."

"Does Charlie know you're home and not on your honeymoon with your lawfully wedded husband?" he questions. He crosses his arms over his chest to keep from reaching out to her.

She shakes her head, "I came straight here. I wasn't in the mood for lectures and I can't imagine what anyone would think of me for running out on my honeymoon."

"And you came here because you think I'd be happy you ran out on the bloodsucker?"

"No—"

"Then why are you here, Bella?" he snaps, nearly growling at her.

"I don't know," she answers almost immediately as she takes a step back, distancing herself from him. "I just…I was there, I had fulfilled all his conditions and he was going to fulfill mine on our honeymoon but I got there and it wasn't right. It just wasn't right."

"What wasn't right?" he breathes the question out. He knows that even if the answer is what he wants to here, he can't trust her to feel that way forever.

"Him," she whispers. "I couldn't go through with it. I couldn't do it. He sent me home while he stayed behind. It breaks my heart that I hurt him, but I just couldn't…I was thinking of you the whole way back. Coming here felt right."

"Bella, you're still married to him," he replies, struggling to hold firm.

"I know," she nods once.

"He's waiting for you to go back to him."

"I know," she nods again.

"Coming here isn't going to change any of that."

"I know," she nods a third time and his convictions waver. He moves aside to allow her to step inside. She takes one tentative step forward and when he doesn't say another word, she takes a few more confident strides into his house.

Once she is past him, he whispers more to himself than her, "You're going to go back to him."

She turns back to look at him with her eyes intense on his and answers one final time, "I know."

He closes the door swiftly, letting it swing from his push far harder than he intended. The sound of it slamming shut jars him. His strength gets the better of him as he slowly spirals back into his deep longing for the woman standing in front of him. There is an ache in the pit of his chest that throbs out a constant reminder of how badly he's going to allow her to hurt him when this is over, even as his heart begins to race in anticipation of what she has implicitly offered him. Despite this being everything he's dreamed of since Bella Swan returned to Forks, it's tainted by the presence of the other monster in her life. For a moment, he lingers by his front door, almost afraid to approach her. He's afraid that if he makes one wrong move she'll come to her senses and go running back to her husband. He already knows how much of a mistake this is going to be, but he's already let her back into his heart and he can't turn back time. In mere seconds, he has allowed her to stake claim on his entire being—mind, body and soul. This is the price he pays for never being able to deny her anything.

She waits only a few feet from him as this inner turmoil rises to a boiling point, then ebbs away. He takes one last moment to fully accept his decision and its consequences. Then he takes one tentative step toward her.

She emits a sort of strangled cry before she closes the distance between them. Her arms go around his neck, her fingers gripping the hair at the base of his neck in her fists. The motion pushes them flush together, and if it were possible his skin would have flared with excess heat. Every nerve in his body is alive at the feel of her and they haven't even done anything yet. Her eyes lock onto his, and he lets out a moan at her lust darkened eyes. A swell of pride overtakes him as he revels in the knowledge that the leech had been unable to elicit such a reaction, even after pledging a literal eternity to her.

All thoughts of the bloodsucker flee his mind when she pushes herself onto the tips of her toes and presses her lips to his. His hands clutch at her waist to keep her close to him. If he has any lingering doubts they are shoved aside as his need for her threatens to devour him. He kisses her harder and run his tongue along her lips. He is consumed by the taste of her as it settles on his taste buds. She opens her mouth to him and his tongue swoops in to tangle with hers. The feeling that bubbles in his stomach is indescribable, but it is a feeling he is certain no other could ever incite in him. He knew a long time ago that no one else would ever live up to the memory of Bella Swan.

She presses closer to him, her grip on his hair tightening. He slowly becomes aware that they are still standing in the entryway of his house and he drags himself away from her lips. His departure draws a whimper from her throat and he has to force himself to not tear her clothes from her body and take her right there on the floor. Fantasies of pinning her against the wall swim in his head, but he dismisses them in favor of the reality he has yet to create.

He reaches up to pull her hands away from around his neck. Lacing his fingers with hers, he begins to lead her toward his bedroom. Her eyes follow a path along the floor as she walks behind him. A nervous energy vibrates in his stomach as he pushes open the door to his room and drags her inside. He turns back to close the door behind them and clicks the lock in place. When he turns around to face her again, she has taken a seat on the edge of his bed. He swallows hard and takes a few steps to close the distance and join her on the bed.

"This is the only thing I can give to you Jacob," Bella says suddenly. "This is the only thing I have left. I've given everything else of me away."

"I know," he nods, shifting his body toward her. His eyes meet hers as she continues.

"You understand what will happen after? This is the only part of me you get to keep."

"I know," he whispers huskily.

"You can't ask anymore of me after this," she ducks her head to break eye contact.

"I know," he nearly growls when his hands come up to unzip her hoodie.

He stays completely still a she shrugs the hoodie off her shoulders, leaving her in a thin tank top. She reaches for the hem of his shirt and he hisses as her fingers brush against his skin. Once his shirt is freed from his arms, she tosses it on the ground. Her eyes come up to lock on his again. For a moment they simply stare at each other. Then she reaches down to pull her tank top off and moves to unbuckle her jeans once the tank top is on the floor with the gradually growing pile of discarded clothes. She stands up and lets her jeans slide down to her ankles. Kicking off her jeans, she returns to the bed. A strangled gasp leaves his lips as her fingers brush over him, causing a delicious friction through his shorts. The sensation is too much for him when she slides the button free and starts on his zipper. He pushes her hands away as his own start to shake. He drops his shorts to the floor and takes the moment of distance to attempt to calm his racing heart.

He watches as she lays herself down upon his pillows. Then he takes a deep breath and climbs over her to connect his lips with hers. He tries to keep his weight from pressing too hard into her. He hovers above her by leaning on his elbows, but she wraps her arms around him, dragging him down to press flat against her body. The feel of her bare skin against his own draws a groan from deep in his chest. When she hooks her legs around his waist, he's sure he's going to go insane from the contact.

Each and every one of his nerves is on fire, but he hasn't completely given himself over to the feeling. There's a part of him that is still holding back—that is afraid of following through with this dream of his; afraid of it not living up to his expectation, but more afraid of it exceeding his greatest fantasies because he doesn't know how to give her up if that happens. Then she begins to rock her hips against his and he surrenders all of himself to her.

His fingers dig into her hips. He leaves her lips to trail hot kisses along her jaw and neck. The moan that leaves her lips sends warm breath against his ear. He pulls away for a moment and they divest themselves of the last remaining articles of clothing. When she is laid bare before him, he gives himself a minute to memorize every inch of her. He prides himself on being the first to see her this way. Her fingers grip his hair, trying to pull him down to her. He quirks a smirk and lightly tickles her sides. She squirms and he closes his eyes against the feel of her rolling against him. He puts the playfulness aside when he opens his eyes to her lust clouded ones.

He kisses her with every drop of passion bubbling in his chest. He nuzzles his face in the crook of her neck as her fingers curl around him to guide him to her. He drags his teeth along her skin and slowly starts to push into her. Her hands come up to clutch at his shoulder blades, her nails biting into his skin. His body is vibrating in anticipation as he tries to hold himself in check, so he can be gentle with her. He slides in further and she is slick and warm around him. He breathes out harshly through his teeth and he makes his final thrust all the way inside her. Her body tenses and a cry pushes out of her throat.

Her smoothes her damp hair back from her face and presses light kisses to her lips while he lets her adjust to him. After a few moments, her fingers loosen their death grip on his shoulders and she makes an encouraging sound. The second he begins to move, he is lost in her, drowning in the feel, the smell, the taste of her. It is better than anything he could have ever dreamed of. The beast within him longs to be set free, but he knows he can't lose control, not this time. That reminds him that there will be no next time, but that thought vanishes when she rises up to meet his thrusts. They move together and he holds her tightly against him as he molds his lips with hers. Soon he is on the precipice of that long awaited burst of ecstasy. His rhythm falters as something in him snaps, He moves faster, thrusting into her faster. When she crests, she pulses around him, liquid waves of heat rushing over him, and his name is laced with a scream from her parted lips. He follows her over the edge, and he is blinded by white hot pleasure. He pants from the heavy exhaustion that weighs down on him. He rolls off of her to lie beside her. He makes to reach out for her but she pulls out of his reach. He frowns as she sits up at the edge of the bed. She begins to collect her clothes and he stays silent as he watches her.

"This was the last thing I had to do as a human," she says as she slides on her jeans and fastens the buttons. She pulls her tank top over her head, and puts on her hoodie. She zips her hoodie and breathes in a deep breath. "I have to go now."

The meaning of her words hangs in the air.

She turns back once to lean over him and press a last kiss to his lips. He closes his eyes and when he opens them again, she is gone. His chest feels heavy and his heart is breaking, but he can only find fault in himself. He had known how this was going to turn out. He knows where this is going next.

He falls back against his pillows and breathes out, "I know."