Pairing: Bella/Jacob

Rating: T

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Hugs and Kisses to my awesome pre-readers WolfGirl_JB and Jake's Girl. Thanks for feeding me great and funny lines. Cuddles and smootches to my beta Jakejunkie. She's getting to do the cleaning up and she's doing it so well. THANK YOU, ladies!

A/N: This oneshot takes place after Edward left and a couple of weeks before Bella starts to visit Jake at the rez. She's still in her depression phase...

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The Gift

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"When your dad finds out, you're a dead man. You know that, right?"

"Shut up and push, you moron. If you keep yelling you'll wake up the whole rez!" Jacob Black was a man on a mission. It was in the middle of a cold January night and with his best friend's help, he was pushing his Rabbit out of his garage.

He had to be quiet as Billy Black wouldn't approve of his son sneaking around at night. He could be really strict when Jacob didn't follow his rules.

Jacob risked getting grounded for weeks. However, Jacob didn't care. He had greater things in mind. Making Bella Swan smile at him was his goal. He really hoped she would recognize him this time.

"Man, you sure she's worth it?" Quil asked with a grunt as he gave the car another push. It finally moved forward. "I mean...Didn't you say she's like...comatose or something?"

"I want to help her," Jacob said. "She's helped me too when I needed it most. That's what friends are for."

"Friends, huh?" Quil laughed. "You've got a crush on her. Admit it. I'm your best friend. You can tell me."

"So what?" Jacob shrugged. Okay, he had fallen in love with her, but right now his protective instincts overpowered all romantic feelings he had for Bella Swan. He wanted to take care of her and make that horrible sadness go away, but so far, all of his attempts in cheering her up had failed.

Jacob had been there, when Sam Uley found her and brought her back from the woods. He had seen her shivering and crying. He had also seen the scratches and bruises that covered her face and her hands. She must have fallen a lot.

Interpreting her sobs and stammering, they eventually figured out that Edward Cullen had broken up with her and had left her, on her own, in the middle of the forest. This had been the moment when he wished the tribal legends were true. He'd never been the kind of guy who had violent urges, but that night the fury inside of him was overwhelming. He wanted to turn into one of those giant wolves the legends spoke about and rip that bastard apart.

Whenever Jacob went to see her, she would just sit on her bed and blankly stare into space. It was scary. She looked really sick. Her skin was ashen. Her beautiful hair was shaggy. She had lost a lot of weight. Her eyes were lifeless. She was a shell of her former self.

He desperately wanted her to get better.

The night when his father had told him to give Bella a warning about her boyfriend, he'd thought his old man had gone nuts. What had Edward Cullen to do with a decades' old conflict between their ancestors? He tried to argue with his father, but Billy had basically told him to shut up and do what he was told. A little bribing with money for his rabbit had convinced him and so he went and recited his father's "We'll be watching you" to Bella. He'd never felt that awkward in his entire life.

Looking back at it now, he wished he had given a little more force behind his warning and busted Cullen's nose or something.

He felt an angry heat crawl up and down his spine. Whenever the heat and the fury came he felt as if something was awakening inside of him. It scared him. It was as if he would lose control over himself if he allowed the fury to take over.

Jacob shoved all thoughts of Cullen in the back of his mind to concentrate on the task ahead of him. They pushed the Rabbit further down the road. It was hard work. The road was muddy from the rain the day before and they had to be careful not to step into puddles or mud holes.

"Okay, that ought to do," he said when he thought that he was far enough from his house.

Quil wished him good luck, and Jacob slipped into his car and drove towards Forks.

He knew the route by heart. He'd driven his father many times to Charlie's, but at night and all alone in the car everything looked different. The drizzle turned into rain. It was mixed with heavy snowflakes. The road became slick. He set his wipers on maximum, but the sight was still miserable.

Jacob was glad when he turned into the street where Charlie Swan's house was. He parked his Rabbit, grabbed the present he'd brought with him and put it under his parka.

He got instantly drenched by the rain when he got out and walked quickly to the house. Sometimes, he resented living in the wettest place of America.

It was completely dark inside the house. He hoped Charlie Swan was a really heavy sleeper or there would be hell to pay if he got caught. Jacob shuddered a little at the thought, but then...Charlie Swan most likely wouldn't kill him - if he was lucky - after all he was the only son of Billy Black, and Billy Black was Charlie's best friend. That had to count for something, right?

He walked to the back of the house and studied the tree standing in front of Bella's window. Nope. He shook his head. There was no way he could climb into her window without a ladder.

But he knew where Charlie kept his stuff. There was a ladder in Charlie's garden shed.

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Bella jerked awake when she heard something scratch at the walls of the house. Did something tap against her window? She heard movement above her. Was there something, someone, crawling over the roof? She pulled the sheets up to her chin. Again, there was this scratching noise.

Her heart hammered in her chest. She got hot and cold at the same time. Did someone try to break into their house? Into the Chief's home? Who would be that stupid?

Her window rattled. After all those months since he left, she still couldn't bring herself to close the window, but now she cursed herself for leaving it unlocked.

She saw fingers try to pry the window open.

"Crap," she panted out, and snuck out of her bed, about to flit over to Charlie's room and wake him up.

With a loud racket, something big crashed through her window. Bella choked down a terrified scream and threw the first thing she could get her hands on at the intruder.

The intruder cursed and rubbed his head where the alarm clock had hit him. With a slightly panicked voice he whispered then, "It's me, Bells. It's Jake...Don't wake your father, please!"

"Jacob Black?" Bella asked bewildered as she recognized the person in her room. He had one leg still half outside her window, while the rest of his body lay sprawled out on her floor. The window frame had fallen down and his leg was caught. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to break my leg for good luck?" he said sarcastically, but then he grinned and said, "Wow, its a lot safer pursuing the girl of my dreams...in my dreams."

"Haha," she responded dryly. "Very funny, Jacob."

She was dressed in a white tank shirt and red shorts. Jacob tilted his head to get a better look at her. Too bad it was so dark in here. Maybe, he thought slyly, if he pretended to be hurt she would come closer and he could see more of her?

"Ow..." Jacob groaned and tried to pull his leg in. Well, okay, it really hurt. "I'm stuck. Can you help me?"

Bella stepped beside him and slid the window open. The light falling in from the street lamp allowed him to catch a glimpse of her curves. He stared at her a little dumbstruck. She was beautiful!

"Can you move your leg or not?" she asked impatiently. "I'm getting cold here..."

He could see that, alright. Goosebumps covered her arms. Her nipples were stiff from the cold breeze wafting into her window and pressed against the fabric of her shirt. Best day of my life...Jacob high fived himself internally.

She saw him staring at her and covered her chest with her arms. She scowled at him.

Okay, he was rude... "Sorry," he mumbled, although he wasn't all that sorry. He carefully pulled his leg in. It hurt, dammit. "I only wanted to surprise you..."

He pulled the present out of his parka and gave it to her. "I brought you this...It's a gift," he declared as he handed her the package wrapped in blue snowman paper.

She frowned, but then a tiny smile played around the corners of her mouth. "I think you've got it wrong. Santa comes through the chimney..."

"Yeah...I know I still need to practice that part..."

They looked at each other in an uncomfortable silence. He started to feel a little embarrassed by the situation. He still held the present in his hand, but she wouldn't take it from him. Dammit. All he wanted was to cheer her up and not to crash into her room and get himself hurt. She must think he was a complete idiot.

"Thank you, Jake. You shouldn't have..." Bella said after what felt like an eternity. She took the present, but set it aside and crouched down next to him. "We do have a door, you know?"

He tried not to peek at her cleavage, but it was hard. He was hard, dammit.

She studied him as if his presence was a riddle to be solved. She had dark circles around the eyes. When was the last time she got a good night's sleep? Charlie had told them she was having nightmares and often woke up screaming.

"Why did you come here in the middle of the night?" she asked.

"I was here several times, but you never recognized me. You didn't so much as blink, Bells," he said with a hint of frustration in his voice. "Sorry that I crashed through your window...at least you finally acknowledged me."

Bella huffed. "You scared the living daylights out of me." One thing he was right about. In her pain, she'd pretty much blocked out everything that was going on around her. She couldn't recall when Jacob had been visiting her.

She reached out her hands and tried to pull him up, but boy...he was heavy. She lost her balance and tumbled backwards. She crashed into her desk and knocked her desk chair over. It fell to the floor with a loud bang.

"Crap," she said.

"There goes my life," said Jacob.

A second later, the door of her room opened and Charlie stuck his head in. "Everything okay in here...I thought I'd heard someth-" he asked a little frantic, but stopped to take in what he saw before his eyes.

Billy's boy in his daughter's room?

"Jacob Black!" he thundered. "What are you doing here? Does your father know?"

Jacob cringed and shook his head. Bella found it adorable when he bit his lower lip.

She stepped in front of him as if to shield him. "He brought me a gift..." she explained.

Charlie scratched his head. He looked at his daughter. She looked alive for the first time in months. Her cheeks were rosy. Her eyes fixated on him and held his glare.

"Is that so?" he asked and stepped into the room. "And this couldn't wait until tomorrow?"

"I wanted to cheer her up," Jacob said quietly and tried to get up. He groaned. "I think I twisted my knee."

Charlie sighed and shook his head. "Kids." He walked across the room. With some effort, he hoisted Jacob up. He told him to put his arm around his neck and dragged him through the door and down the stairs.

Bella assisted them. She put her tiny arm around Jacob's waist, trying to support him.

Jacob couldn't help but feel a little smug. So he was getting thrown out by Charlie Swan, but at least he got to feel Bella pressed up against him.

They made him sit down on their sofa. Jacob wondered if Bella realized how see through her shirt actually was.

Think something different. Think something different. Think about Charlie shooting you with his gun,Jacob chanted in his head as he felt a certain part of his anatomy twitch. It didn't help that Bella leaned over him, almost pushing her breasts into his face as she adjusted a pillow behind his back.

Charlie went into the kitchen and took the phone. Jacob knew he was going to call his dad. He was busted. But it was so worth it!

"Maybe you should get your clothes off, Jake," Bella said.

Huh?Jacob blinked, and he hardened even more as if his dick was greeting the girl standing before him.

"You're soaking wet." She frowned. "I'll go and get you a towel."

She left and Charlie came back into the living room, putting the phone back down.

Jacob put his hands in his lap, hoping he could somehow hide what was going on in his pants. He was sure Charlie would not appreciate if he found him with a giant hard-on for his daughter.

"I talked to your dad. He agreed that you should stay here tonight," Charlie said sternly. "That doesn't mean you won't have to bear the consequences for your actions..."

Jacob swallowed and nodded.

"I won't let you drive home with that down pour going on out there. You'll sleep here on the sofa and I'll keep my door open..."

Jacob couldn't NOT hear the warning in Charlie's voice. So he nodded again. "Thank you, Chief Swan," he said hesitantly, but his imagination got at full gear. I'll be sleeping under the same roof as Bella!He shifted uncomfortably when his stiffy pressed against the rough denim of his jeans.

"Does your knee still hurt?" Charlie asked with a frown. "Tell Bells to give you some ice to put on your knee. I need to go to bed now. Unfortunately, I have to be at work in about three hours."

He shot Jacob another warning glare and then walked around the sofa and squeezed Jacob's shoulder with a little more force than necessary. "And no funny business while I'm gone. Are we clear, son?"

Jacob winced. "Yes, Sir!"

His boner didn't get the message, though. He still stood at attention. He'd need to do something about it later, or he wouldn't get much sleep. Especially since Bella would be in her bed only a short distance away from him.

Charlie went upstairs, exchanging some words with Bella so low he couldn't understand what was said. He hugged Bella and went into his room.

Bella carried a towel and a stack of clothes into the living room. She had put on a sweat shirt and yoga pants. The pants hugged her form quite nicely, but still...What a pity. He'd liked the look of her bare, slender legs.

She put the towel and clothes beside him and said, "I brought you one of Charlie's shirts and his sweat pants. I hope that's okay..."

"Sure. Sure." He grinned at her sheepishly. "I'm glad Charlie didn't shoot me."

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His smirk did something to her.

A pleasant warmth settled in her stomach.

She found she liked the way his long wet hair clung to his face and curled by his neck.

How is that? she thought confused. Bella wasn't used to feeling anything but her pain anymore. Ever since Edward had left her she'd felt so cold, and numb, and full of pain. She was plagued by insomnia and when she finally fell asleep she would wake up from nightmares. She was exhausted, mentally and physically and longed to feel...different.

She cleared her throat, overwhelmed by her emotions. "I'll be in the kitchen while you change."

She hurried out of the room and busied herself bringing some water to the boil to make two cups of tea, but her curiosity got the better of her. She glanced into the living room from where she stood, sneaking a peek at Jacob. Her breath caught in her throat.

Wow! He was seriously built. Well-defined muscles were bulking underneath his russet skin, tensing up when he rubbed the towel over his back.

Suddenly, the warmth in her stomach raced lower, sparking a fire between her legs. She pressed her thighs together. "Get a grip," she hissed to herself. "He's too young for you." He sure doesn't look like it though.

Bella remembered his injured knee and got an ice pack out of the freezer. Thanks to her being so accident-prone they always had ice to cool her injuries. She wrapped the package into a kitchen towel and pressed it against her heated cheeks.

She looked around the corner once again and found him struggling to pull up the sweat pants. He wore black briefs that had white rear stitching. It outlined his buttocks. His nice and tight buttocks.

Stop staring, Bella Swan!She reprimanded herself.

"Can I come in?" she asked when he finally was safely seated on the couch.

"It's your home," he answered and looked at her over his shoulder. He pulled the rubber band out of his hair and carelessly rubbed his hair dry. When he was done his hair was tousled and stood up in all directions.

She recognized the shirt was too small for him. It was really tight across his broad chest and his arms threatened to burst the seams of the sleeves. He seemed a lot taller, too. How would it feel to be embraced by him? How would those thick, strong arms feel wrapped around her?

She had to admit, she really liked what she saw. She grew nervous, but at the same time this comfy warmth spread throughout her body once again.

Bella put the ice pack on the side table.

He had his injured leg propped up.

She took a pillow and gingerly put it under his knee. "There," she said. "That should make you feel better." She also pulled a blanket over him.

"Yeah, thank you," he rasped and quickly bunched the blanket up in his lap.

She tilted her head and looked at him curiously. What was wrong with him? He never seemed the shy type before. Was he hiding something?

"I thought you might need some ice for your knee," she said and knelled down before him.

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She was so close to his crotch now...Oh God...He clenched his hands nervously, hoping she wouldn't recognized his hard-on.

Then, his last coherent thought went south when she slid his pant leg up his leg and above his knee. Her hands glided over his skin. He bit back a moan. The sensation of her soft hands was amazing. His eyes rolled back in his head.

The cold pack met his skin and he actually squealed. "Oh Shit...oh shit. It's cold..."

She giggled. "That should help you, alright?"

"Sure. Sure," he choked out through clenched teeth.

"Will you ever stop growing?" she then rushed out and blushed again. "I...ah...I mean you've gotten bigger again since the last time I saw you..."

"Couple of inches actually." He beamed at her and straightened up a little.

"How big are you now?" she asked curiously.

Ten inches. I can show you right now."Six-five."

"Wow. That's impressive," she said.

That's what she said.

Her eyes wandered over him, studying him closely.

He didn't mind. She could look at him for the rest of the night if she wanted to. He would also let her touch him if she felt the need to do so. All free from selfish motive, mind you.

She did that lip biting thing she always made when she was deep in thought. He liked that. It was sexy.

After a while, she smirked. "I bet you're hitting your head a lot...on the door frame..."

"Repeatedly. I might have killed some brain cells, but I don't need them that much now that I'm that tall and sexy. Chicks are all over me all the time." He winked at her.

"You wish, Jake..." She stood up and almost fell over his wet clothes he'd carelessly dropped to the floor.

He reached out and steadied her by her arms. Their eyes locked. For a moment, it was as if the world stopped turning.

"Bella," he said.

She looked away and shrugged out of his hold. "I've made tea..." she whispered.

He took her hand before she could walk away from him and tugged gently to catch her attention. "I know what he did to you."

"No, you don't," she hissed and when she looked at him this time, he saw the desperation in her eyes.

"He hurt you so much you locked yourself away for almost four months, Bella. That's all I need to know." He felt the angry heat spring up inside of him.

Her hand felt cold and clammy in his bigger one. She trembled a little. "I don't want to talk about it."

He felt that she started to withdraw into herself again. She hunched her shoulders and wrapped her free hand around her middle. She made a noise that sounded as if she was hurting. It pained him to hear it.

He might have a crush on her, but he knew that she needed a friend more than anything right now. He wanted to be that friend. He wanted to be there for her. He wanted her to know that he really cared. He had to put her needs first and control his urges no matter how hard that would be for him.

She needed to get over that fucker first and start opening up to other people again. She needed to start living again. Get better. Heal.

Jacob remembered overhearing a talk between his father and Sam Uley. They hadn't heard him sneaking up on them when they discussed if Bella actually could get better or if it was too late already. They mentioned something about Cullen being a drug for her or something like that. Sam had said something like, "...still sucking the life out of her like the damn leech he is..." He hadn't understood back then, but seeing her like this, he understood the meaning behind their words.

But what if she wouldn't get better?

Jacob couldn't stand this thought. It was just too awful. He would do his best, but what if it wasn't enough? He started to shake.

"Let go, Jacob," she said and tried to free her arm, but he wouldn't have it. There must be a way to pull her out of her funk. He didn't want her to be hurting anymore.

"Bella, let me help you...I'm your friend. I can help you get better..." He tugged at her arm to get her attention. She avoided looking at him, so he tugged with a bit more force, but he miscalculated his strength.

"Oof-" She fell into him. Her head bumped into his chest. One of her hands slipped between his legs, brushing against his boner.

He grunted in surprise. Shit, that felt good.

"Ohmigod, I'm sorry…" She blushed in the brightest shade of red he'd ever seen stain her face.

"No...no...I'm sorry..." Not at all. His voice actually squeaked a little. Awkward. Awkward. Awkward.He had a beautiful girl groping his junk and he told her he was sorry?

She scrambled up. She accidentally brushed against him again.

This time he couldn't stop the groan slip past his lips.

"Crap...Jake...I'm so...Gosh, I'm so clumsy. Did I hurt you?" She hid her face behind her hands.

He let his head fall back and grinned deliriously. "Nope. Not at all." He was so damn close to shooting his load. He really needed a distraction and fast. "What's with the tea you promised, Bells?" he asked.

"Kitchen," she mumbled and ran past him. "It's in the kitchen." She stumbled upstairs.

"Hey...I can't get up, Bells," he called quietly as not to wake up Charlie. "How am I supposed to get me that tea?"

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She stopped and sighed. "You're a nuisance, Jacob Black. You know that, right?"

"I'm just sitting here..." He laughed.

As she stomped into the kitchen, she noticed the dimple on his chin for the first time as he smiled at her broadly, flashing her his beautiful, white teeth. There was this warmth in her stomach again. How did he constantly do that? He had her wrapped around his finger.

"Sugar?" She huffed exasperated.

"Yes, please," he said sweetly and turned half-way round, propping up his arms on the backrest of the sofa. His biceps bulged.

She swallowed hard. Gorgeous. He was beautiful in a complete natural way. Everything about him screamed warmth and comfort. And a whole lot of sexiness.

Bella poured sugar into the tea and stirred. She took the cup and brought it over, pressing the cup into his hands. She was close enough to get a sniff of him. He smelt good. He smelt like the woods on a rainy day.

"Thank you," Jacob said. His hands brushed over hers.

Her heart started to race. "You're welcome," she murmured, and tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

She could hear Charlie turn over in his bed and call out her name.

"I have to go," she said. She slowly pulled away from him. "Good night, Jacob."

"Good night, Bells." He leaned back and took a sip from his tea. He didn't know if he would find sleep this night. He had a lot to think about...and the worst case of blue balls he'd ever had.

She switched off the light and went upstairs.

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As Bella sat on her bed she looked at the present that Jacob had given her earlier. Curiously, she turned it round and round in her hands. What could be in there?

Slowly, she removed the wrapping paper and revealed a beautiful wooden box. Small ornaments were carved into the wood. She shook the box carefully. It rattled.

Finally, she opened the box, and found a sea shell inside. Something about that sea shell was familiar. It was as big as the palm of her hand and bulky with some small spikes at the top. It had a large opening. She pressed it to her ear. She heard the ocean.

Then she knew.

Years ago, she had found the shell at a beach in Florida on a vacation with her mom. She had treasured it so much. She remembered how much she had loved its smooth surface and its beautiful earthy colors. She'd carried the shell everywhere. Renee even made her tote bag where she could put her shell in.

Of course, she'd brought the shell with her to Forks when she visited her dad. Two months ago, Jacob's mom had died in a car accident, and Renee wasn't sure if it was a good idea to have Bella spend the summer with Charlie, knowing that he was busy helping Billy with his kids.

Charlie insisted that Bella come nevertheless.

When they went to see Billy, she found Jacob curled up in his bed. She knew he had been crying, and to make him feel better, she took the shell out of her bag and gave it to him.

She'd been seven years old back then, and Jacob five.

They had spent the rest of the day in his bed, holding the sea shell to their ears, trying to hear the ocean.

Later that day, when they were back home, Charlie had told her how proud he was of her. She'd made Jacob talk and laugh for the first time since his mother had died.

Out of several reasons, this summer had been the last time she spent in Forks.

Bella was very touched as she held the sea shell close to her heart. Now, that she needed the comfort, Jacob had remembered her gift and returned it to her.

As she lay down on her bed, she realized that she could breathe easier and that her heart was beating in a strong rhythm. She wanted to go down to Jake and tell him how much she appreciated that he came here and brought her this present. But two things held her from doing so.

For one, her father had his door open and would know if she sneaked down to Jacob. And secondly, she was a little afraid of her strong physical reaction towards Jake.

She had almost jumped his bones earlier. When she fell into him, he was all strength and muscles and so so warm. Really nice to the touch. And there had been something more. Her hand had accidentally landed between his legs and she had touched his...his...

She blushed at the memory.

Butterflies exploded in her stomach.

She stared at the sea shell. For the first time in months, she had smiled and laughed today. She had come out of her shell and she realized she wanted to keep it that way. It would take her a while to get over the hurt, but she would get there. She was sure about that. Jacob had offered to help her. He had offered to be there for her.

She eventually fell asleep. She dreamed about walking at the beach, on a warm and sunny day, holding Jacob's hand.

When she woke up about eight hours later, she was well-rested and a warm, big body was protectively wrapped around her. She embraced the muscular arms and pulled them more tightly around her. She smiled widely realizing it was the first time in ages...she felt...happy.

Little did she realize it wouldn't be Jake's only visit to her bedroom...

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the end.