Jake POV

"Hi Jake!" Bella was bubbly. This was a side of her I hadn't seen in a while.

"Hey," I said with a grin. She climbed into the car, leaning over to give me a quick peck on the lips. "Ready for tonight?"

She grinned at me and my heart skipped a beat. I would never get tired of seeing that. "I'm ready, are you?" she asked with a coy smile as she pulled her seatbelt on.

I chuckled as I backed out of the driveway, lifting a hand in greeting to Charlie who stood in the doorway. "You do realize we're going to a karaoke bar, right?"

"Oh, I do. Do you? You're singing, right?"

I snorted. "Yeah, not sure anyone deserves to be subjected to that. My wolf howl is easier on the ears than my singing voice." I looked at her out of the corner of my eye. "Why, are you singing?" I'd figured we'd sit and laugh at everyone. If she was singing, that'd put a whole new spin on the night.

She rolled her eyes. "Well, yeah, you have to sing at a karaoke bar! Shit, Jake, you need to get out more." She settled back in her seat, humming softly under her breath with the radio.

I listened closer now than I had in the past and realized my girl could hold a tune. I'll be damned.

We talked easily the rest of the trip to Clallam Bay, only pausing when we pulled up in front of the bar. Bella looked up at the blue neon sign. "Spring Tavern," she mused. "Interesting."

She climbed out of the car, catching her foot on the bottom of the door and landing unceremoniously in a heap before I could get there to catch her. I ran around the car, forcing myself to move like a human so as not to attract more attention than a seven foot tall Indian normally does. She looked up at me, laughing. "Not a great start to the evening," she remarked taking my hand and letting me help her up.

I took her hands in mine and studied her palms. She hadn't done any major damage. I gently wiped the rocks and dirt off, careful not to hurt her. She chuckled softly and I looked up.

Bella was staring at me, a smile on her face. I froze as she ever so slightly leaned towards me. She tilted her head back and her lips parted slightly. I nervously moistened my lips with the tip of my tongue, every nerve ending in my body buzzing with anticipation. I lightly moved my hands up her arms to her shoulders, sliding around to her back. She stepped closer to me and her smile broadened. "You have an eyelash," she breathed, reaching up and touching my face lightly. She brought her hand down and held her index finger up. "Make a wish and blow," she instructed.

There was only one thing I wished for. I didn't take my eyes off of her as I lightly blew. I still had my arms around her and I felt her shiver slightly. I pulled her closer to warm her with my heat. She slipped her arms around my waist and gave me a tight squeeze.

"Come on, we need to get in there or all the good songs will have been taken," she laughed as she pulled away and moved towards the door. She caught my hand and pulled me along behind her. I sighed softly. Wish not granted.

We paid the cover, had the backs of our hands stamped with "Underage" in bright purple and looked around for the group.

The wolf girls had decided that they wanted a regular outing. They enjoyed the bonfires, but felt like we could all use some "culture." So, once a month, we all went on a kind of group date. Tonight Quil was flying solo, Claire obviously not old enough to go to a bar and Embry was practically gaga over Jill. It was kind of disgusting, more so since I hadn't imprinted yet. Sam and Emily were there, laughing and joking with them and Leah was sulking in the corner. Why she came along, I had no idea. Sam and Emily tried not to rub their relationship in her face, but she just made everyone really uncomfortable.

Bella had seen them and was now tugging me through the crowd towards the table. "Hi!" she said brightly, sitting down in an available chair. "So who all is singing?"

There were laughs around the table. "None of the guys will sing," pouted Jill.

Bella looked around at them. "I thought the deal was you had to participate and pretend to enjoy yourselves, no matter what activity the girls picked."

"I'll enjoy this a hell of a lot more from this seat, thanks," Embry rolled his eyes. Quil nodded in agreement.

"Well, I'm singing," Bella announced. Eyes all around the table widened. I grinned as I lowered myself into my chair. "Jill, wanna sing a duet or something? I have an idea for a solo, but I'll go again if someone will go with me."

Jill beamed. "Sure! Emily, you've got to come, too." Emily rolled her eyes, but didn't protest. "Leah? Wanna sing with us? It'll be fun." Leah scowled at her and looked down at her drink.

Jill shrugged and the three got up and made their way to the front of the crowded bar to pick their songs and sign up. Quil leaned towards me.

"Dude, can she sing?"

I shrugged. "No clue. I can't remember ever hearing her."

Embry shuddered. "I have a bad feeling about this. I love Jill, really, but….damn…she's awful."

Sam chuckled. "Emily's ok, but she's not getting any recording contracts or anything."

I looked at the girls as they laughed and thumbed through the book. They looked like they were enjoying themselves. I noticed Embry and Sam watching them too, and felt a pang of jealousy. It wasn't fair. Why wouldn't it happen for me and Bella?

She practically bounced back to the table, settling down into the chair beside me, her arm resting against mine on the table. She talked to Embry about something but I couldn't focus on much. I guess I was glaring at the table because when I looked up, I startled the waitress. She paled and took a step back. I quickly relaxed my face.

"Sorry, bad day," I said lamely. She nodded, but I didn't think she believed me.

We placed our order for drinks and the typical bar food: fried grease. She hurried off, not looking back. I sighed and leaned back in my seat.

"I'm up next," Bella grinned at me as a large, pale blonde girl got up and warbled through I Will Always Love You, screeching as she tried to hit some high notes. I winced. Whitney Houston, she was not. Shit, she wasn't even Angelica Huston.

Quil leaned forward with a grimace. "Whose genius idea was this again?" I rolled my eyes in Jill's direction. He grunted and sat back, shuddering as the singer cracked on another note.

The audience applauded loudly as she moved off stage, more for the fact that she was leaving than anything. I saw with surprise that Bella was already up by the stage. She smiled at the girl as she passed her then took the mic. She looked out at the crowd and her smile faltered a bit, then she pasted it back on. My girl was nervous. She cleared her throat lightly and looked towards us.

"This is for a friend of mine," she said, winking at me. Well, in my general direction. I decided to claim it.

She nodded at the guy who was playing the music and then turned her back to us.

I took a moment to appreciate what she was wearing. She always looked good, but tonight it was like she was trying to kill me on purpose. She wore jeans that were just tight enough to show off her legs and butt, but not so tight they looked painted on. It was warm for the area, almost 70. To Bella that was cool, but she'd still worn a black top with tiny little straps. I realized with a start that I'd never seen her bare shoulders. She was wearing black shoes with no heels. I grinned. Of course no heels. My Bells wasn't dumb.

The first notes of the music started and I frowned. It wasn't something I recognized immediately. I looked around the table and the guys shrugged. Jill was fairly bouncing in her seat from excitement and Emily looked like the cat that ate the canary. Frustrating women.

I looked back up and Bella had turned her back to the audience and was snapping her fingers in beat with the music, popping her hip slightly. She can pop her hip and not fall down? I thought incredulously.

Then, she started singing. Her voice was lower than I'd thought it would be, huskier. Damn sexy. I found myself leaning towards her, eager to hear the words.

"Never know how much I love you; never know how much I care. When you put your arms around me, I get a fever that's so hard to bear."

My jaw dropped. Jill and Emily snickered.

"Fuck me," Quil whispered slowly, mesmerized by Bella's movements.

"I think she'd rather fuck Jacob," murmured Embry, his eyes for once not glued to Jill.

She turned around, still snapping her fingers. The key changed slightly and she started moving around the stage carefully, miraculously not tripping over anything. The men in the room, with the exception of our table, were hooting and whistling. Normally, I would have bristled at it, suppressing the urge to phase and rip some throats out. Now, I couldn't think. Was this some kind of invitation? I felt the blood draining from my extremities.

She finished and stood there a moment, unsure of what to do. She did a little awkward curtsy then came down the stairs, tripping on the last one. The guy in charge of the music caught her and she laughed as she headed our way. Her cheeks were flushed pink, whether from embarrassment or excitement or something else, I couldn't tell, but God it was hot.

"Well?" she asked, suddenly looking nervous.

"Ho-ly SHIT was that awesome!" Quil shouted over the din of the other patrons, who were still clapping and whistling. He jumped up and gave her a hug. "Why didn't you tell us you could sing?"

She shrugged. "It never really came up. I sing to the radio all the time and back home in Phoenix I went to a couple clubs with my friends, but since moving to Forks…" she shrugged. "There's not much opportunity for it here. I'm not that great or anything; I just have fun with it."

She sat down in her seat next to me and grabbed a glass of water and gulped it down. She looked up at me, her brown eyes hopeful. "You haven't said anything."

I shook my head, still amazed. "That was….beyond anything I expected to hear tonight." That should be a good answer, right?

She shrugged, but there was something off. We settled back and dug into the food that had appeared during Bella's performance.

Partway through, it was the girls' turn. Bella made her way over to Leah and sat, talking to her quietly. Leah rolled her eyes, but begrudgingly got up and followed Bella to the stage. Jill practically licked Embry's tonsils before heading up after her. Emily just patted Sam's arm. "Brace yourself," she muttered as she headed up, too.

Once on stage, the girls huddled together, talking animatedly. Leah made to leave, but Bella grabbed her shirt tail and pulled her back in. They turned around and nodded at the music guy. The opening notes were again something I'd never heard. Bella started it out, using that voice that sent tremors all through my body.

"I believe in miracles, where you from, you sexy thing."

I frowned, not really getting it. The girls were mostly back up for Bella, which was probably good. Even without her own mic, you could hear Jill, loud and clearly off key. Gratingly so. Everyone except Embry cringed. He just grinned that stupid goofy grin. Leah still looked annoyed, but at least she was trying….I think. Emily looked slightly embarrassed, but also like she was enjoying herself.

"How did ya know, I needed you so badly? How did ya know I gave my heart gladly? Yesterday I was one of the lonely people, now you're lying next to me, making love to me."

"Dude, she wants you. Make a move!" Quil grinned at me.

"Shut up, she's not like that with me," I grumbled. "Besides, how do you know that Jill didn't pick out this song and it's all directed at Embry?"

"Jake…it's all you."

I looked up at Bella, feeling the rise of hope in my chest. She smiled at me and winked. Shit, she had to stop doing that or she was going to kill me.

The girls finished, bowing as they left the stage. More applause and cheers followed them to the table. Leah's mood seemed to be a little lighter, but not much. She went back to her chair in the corner, but now she was scowling at people not the floor. An improvement. I made a mental note to bring Bella with us every time. Sam and Embry stood up and pulled their girls close in big hugs. I pulled Bella into my lap and squeezed her tight against me. She grunted and I let go.

"You're singing all the time now, I can tell you that," I grinned.

"So does this give me a few years on my age?" she laughed.

I rolled my eyes. "We'll talk about it."

We stayed for a while longer, listening to a few more awful renditions of formerly popular songs. Sam finally pointed out it was close to 10 and we needed to head back so we could get to our patrols. The others headed straight back to La Push, but I headed towards Forks and Bella's house.

The first part of the drive was quiet. She had her head leaned back against the head rest, her eyes closed.

"So, I guess you didn't get it," she said finally, sounding kind of sad.

"Get what?" I asked as nonchalantly as I could.

She sighed and looked out her window. "You're going to make me spell it out?"

I grinned into the darkness. "Spell what out? You're not making much sense here, Bells."

There was a long silence, then "Fine. It's not as romantic or anything but…I…I think I'm ready to move on."

I didn't say anything, but every muscle in my body was tense. "Move on?"

She make a little throaty growling sound. "Sometimes I hate you."

"Just sometimes?" I teased.

"Yeah, just sometimes."

I slowed down to make the drive back last a little longer, hoping she'd eventually spit it out. At one point I thought she'd fallen asleep, but she finally let out an exasperated sigh.

"Fine! You wanna be a big dumb dog, be a big dumb dog. I'm ready to move on from Edward. He's gone and he's not coming back. He doesn't want me and you do. So….fine. I'm yours."

She sat back, crossing her arms over her chest. I frowned. Not exactly how I'd imagined this conversation going in my dreams. It was my turn to say something but I didn't. Not at first.

"So, basically, you're giving up fighting me."

She frowned. "Well, that makes it sound like I don't really want you or something."

"Did you hear what you just said?" I asked incredulously. She was silent, probably going over what she'd said in her mind. She sighed again, softly.

"I didn't mean it like that. I just…ugh. I hate this. I wish you could read my mind."

I rolled my eyes. So did I.

We were nearing the city limits now. I knew it wouldn't be long before we were at her house and there'd be little chance of finishing this conversation. I kind of doubted she'd bring it up later. I slowed down even more, going at least five miles under the speed limit.

"Look, Jake," she said finally, turning toward me slightly in her seat. "I was really fucked up when Edward left, you know that. I'm not going to lie to you and say I'm already over it completely and that it'll never hurt me again, because I'm not and it will. I'll always have that scar. But…it IS a scar now, not an open wound. And…you helped me to get to this place where I can stand up in front of a giant crowd of drunk strangers and sing and dance and…" she trailed off. "I find myself thinking about you all the time, wondering about you, what you're doing, where you're going. If you're thinking of me."

The last part was low, so low a normal guy probably would have missed it. "I'm always thinking of you," I said, my hands tightening on the steering wheel. I slowed even more.

She smiled then. "I know you are and it used to kind of bother me but now…I think it's pretty damn sweet." She frowned, unsure of how to continue. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…maybe I don't LOVE you love you, but I love you more than I used to, and in a different way, and I want to see where things go with us, if you do."

I nodded. We were about three blocks away now. I was creeping up the street, my foot not really on the gas at all.

"So, now it's up to you. Do you still want me, as damaged as I am, knowing where I stand?"

I didn't know what to say to that. Did she really not know if I would want her in virtually any state?

"Why the hell are you driving so slowly?" she asked suddenly. "Seriously, I could trip down stairs faster than you're driving. I probably have, come to think of it."

I laughed. "I wanted to draw out these incredibly uncomfortable and awkward moments," I confessed.

She rolled her eyes at me. We were at her house now. I pulled in behind the cruiser and turned to face her myself. She looked at me expectantly. I studied her face. I knew it so well already, I saw it every night when I closed my eyes but still….looking at the real thing was better.

"You wanna know if I want you as you are?" I asked, my voice low. She nodded, her eyes locked to mine. I leaned forward and put my hand behind her neck, pulling her towards me. I kissed her, gently at first, afraid she wouldn't kiss me back like all the other times, but she did. Holy shit did she kiss me back! She finally pulled away from me, laughing as she sucked in a lungful of air. "Does that answer your question?"

She grinned. "Yeah, I think so."

"See you tomorrow?"

She nodded as she grabbed her bag and carefully climbed out of the car.

"Bells," I called, suddenly remembering something from earlier in the night. She turned to me, her eyebrows raised. "What did you say to Leah to get her up on stage?"

She laughed and rolled her eyes. "I appealed to her sense of one-upmanship. I told her I'd heard Emily and Jill sing and figured she probably sings better than they do. Plus, I needed help in attempting to seduce you."

I frowned, not sure how that really made sense, but then, Leah doesn't really make sense. Or Bella, for that matter.

"So…when you say you're thinking about me all the time….does that mean ALL the time?" I asked mischievously.

She flushed dark pink again. "Good night, Jacob," she said, shutting the door to the car.

I laughed. "Good night, Bella." I watched until she was safely inside then I headed the car for home, whistling happily. She wanted me…finally. Wish granted.

Bella POV

I tiptoed in, careful not to wake Charlie as I headed upstairs. I miscounted and tripped over the last step, banging my knee hard on the landing.

"OW, fuck," I hissed, grabbing my knee and rubbing it.

"Bella?"

Shit, I'd woken Charlie up. I looked up guiltily. He was standing in the door of his room, his hair messy, wearing his pajamas of a t-shirt and boxers. He had a sleepy but amused expression on his face.

"Hey, Dad. Sorry. I was trying to be quiet."

He chuckled. "Have a good time?" I nodded and he smiled. "Good. I'll see you in the morning." He turned and went back into his room, shutting the door behind him.

I climbed up off the floor awkwardly and limped into my room. It was after 11. Damn Jake and his slow driving. A grin crept across my face as I quickly changed into my pajamas and headed to the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. Jake.

It had all hit me yesterday when Emily called to warn me that we were going to a karaoke bar. At first, I'd been hesitant. I hadn't sung in front of anyone in ages, definitely not since moving to Forks. But…an idea started rolling around in my head about how I could finally tell Jake what I felt and have some fun with it at the same time. And "Fever" just seemed so perfect. The girls had suggested "You Sexy Thing" and it was fun, too. I'd been so disappointed when Jake hadn't immediately gotten it. He'd looked confused and guarded, like maybe he suspected, but didn't want to hope too much. That made my heart ache. I'd really treated him like shit the past few months if he didn't trust his own instincts anymore when it came to me. I'd pushed him away so many times I was afraid that when I was finally reaching out to him, he'd push me away or hold me at arm's length. I wouldn't have blamed him. I'd done the same thing to him so many times.

I crawled into bed, exhausted. It's amazing how much singing in a karaoke bar and confessing your love to your best friend takes it out of you. As tired as I was, though, I couldn't sleep. My mind was racing. What the hell was I getting myself into?

Jake loved me. That was a given. And I loved him. But the question was: did we love each other the same way? And how would our changing our relationship affect our relationship? I didn't want to lose what we had, I valued it too much. I was terrified of becoming something more and then things falling apart. And I was petrified of him imprinting on someone else. It was pretty certain that he wouldn't imprint on me at this point, so obviously there was someone else out there for him, someone better. The other half to make him whole.

I pulled my pillow over my face and groaned into it. Why did I let all this shit get to me? Couldn't I just be happy with him, come what may? Enjoy whatever it was for as long as we had it?

I flopped over, trying to get comfortable. No. I wanted forever with Jake. The realization of that scared me, too. Last time I'd wanted forever hadn't really worked out that well. What if Jake left me, too?

"Shut up and go to sleep," I grumbled out loud to no one in particular.

I finally managed to drift off to sleep when the red numbers on the clock read 2:45.

What felt like only minutes later, Charlie was knocking on my door. He said something about an emergency in town and that he'd be gone most of the day. I mumbled a suitable reply and drifted off again, only to be rudely awakened by the phone ringing. I shuffled into the hallway and answered.

"Hello?" I yawned. The caller hesitated.

"Hey pretty girl, still in bed?"

I frowned. "Jake?" I craned my neck to see the clock in Charlie's room. "What the hell are you doing calling at…6:30 in the morning?"

"I thought Charlie would pick up," he said apologetically.

"He's out. Something about a missing person or murdered person or something. I don't really remember what he said. I'm not good at retaining information when I first wake up." I yawned again. "So what do you want, puppy?"

He chuckled. "I wanted to tell you what we're doing today."

"What." I leaned my head against the wall, closing my eyes. I wondered how long he'd want to talk before I could go back to bed.

"Wow…don't get too excited on me. You could hurt yourself."

I groaned. "Shut up. It's early."

"Yeah, I got that. Anyway, bring your swimming suit and some warmer clothes. We're going to swim and then there's a bonfire tonight."

I frowned. "Swimming? Isn't the water like, 40 degrees or something?"

"More like the 50's, but its fine. You'll have me, your own personal space heater."

"Sounds thrilling," I muttered. I wasn't a fan of swimming with other people around in warm water, let alone freezing water with a good brisk breeze.

He chuckled. "So, suit, warmer clothes for later. See you around four?"

I sighed. "Yeah, sure. Bye Jake."

"Bye."

I shuffled back to bed, but it was pointless. I couldn't get back to sleep. I tossed and turned until about 7:30 before giving up and heading downstairs. There was plenty I could do to occupy myself.

I decided to skip the shower, since we were going to go swimming anyway and I didn't stink. I pulled on a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, then dug out my swimming suit and a cover up. I pulled out a sweater and pair of jeans to wear later and stuffed them in a duffle. I headed downstairs and made myself a bowl of cereal. I watched some lame cartoons while I ate, then set about cleaning the house. There wasn't tons to do, Charlie and I were pretty neat, but the bathroom and floors needed some attention.

When I was satisfied with the carpets all through the house and that the bathroom was as clean as I could get it, I wandered back downstairs. It was still only about 10:30. I made a sandwich and went upstairs, curling up on my bed with a book. I finished the book and looked up at the clock. Not even 2 yet. I sighed and took my empty plate downstairs and stood in the living room looking around. It was summer, so no homework. I was out of high school, so no reading list. I'd already cleaned. I'd gone to the grocery store the day before. I frowned at the TV. Summer also meant nothing worth watching. I decided to go ahead and just put on my suit and head out to La Push.

Twenty minutes later I was dressed and on my way, my heart pounding. I hoped Jake was ready for me.