The night air was charged with tension as sirens filled the once peaceful silence. As the temperature continued to drop, a sense of urgency engulfed the crowd outside of the Swan residence. Charlie was standing at a table in the front yard, going over a map of Forks with Billy and some of the volunteers, worry etched into every line of his face. Mike, Eric, and Tyler were standing nearby with their group of volunteers; I recognized some of the faces of the guys from school, like Noah Lodgeman from my English class this semester. He nodded at me in acknowledgment as we made eye contact from where Angela and I were huddled nearby under a blanket, using each other to keep warm as the same thoughts repeated through our minds: where was our best friend? When was the last time we had spoken to her? Was Bella okay?

"I'll call the Cullens again. Her note said she and Edward went for a walk." I heard Charlie mutter, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"The Cullens left town," Billy told him.

"Hospital said Doc Cullen got a big job somewhere else," Harry Clearwater, Charlie's other friend from La Push, spoke as he placed a reassuring hand on Charlie's shoulder.

"That must be why they weren't at the festival," Angela whispered to me. "They had already left."

"Which means Bella's been out there for hours," I whispered back, my voice cracking.

Jacob was standing near his dad, worry written on his face as his eyes scanned the crowd. Our eyes met and I knew he was scared for Bella as much as we were, the realization of how deep his affection for her hitting me like a ton of bricks. Jacob must've figured out what I realized because his expression changed from worry to sad, his eyes pleading that he never wanted to hurt me.

I gave a small shrug in response, my way of saying we were okay. He gave me a small smile before whipping around to stare at the woods behind Charlie's house.

"Charlie!" He said urgently, causing Charlie and Billy to turn and look at where he was staring.

Sam broke from the treeline, carrying a cold and blank-faced Bella in his arms. Charlie ran across the yard to them, carefully scooping Bella into his arms.

"Thank you, Sam. Thank God," he quietly told Sam before turning and walking toward his house, whispering soothing words to Bella.

As the crowd began to disperse, I noticed the expectant stern look Sam was giving Jacob, who looked slightly uncomfortable like he was being scolded. Not wanting to interrupt their silent conversation, I said goodnight to Angela and followed Charlie into the house. Mom was already in the living room when I walked in, her face soaked with tears. Immediately, she rushed over and wrapped her arms around me, burying her face in my shoulder.

"It's okay, Mom. Don't cry." I whispered, smoothing her hair down.

"It could've been you lost in the woods," she sobbed quietly, trying to catch her breath.

"I know, but it wasn't me. It was Bella, and Charlie needs us. Bella is going to need us."

"You're right," she sniffled as she let me go to wipe her tears away. "I'm just glad Sam found her when he did and that she's okay."

"I don't know about the okay part, but now she's safe and home." I agreed as a thought occurred. "I have to make a phone call. I'll be right outside."

Mom nodded as I made my way to the front door, nearly colliding with Jacob and Billy as they came through the door.

"Sorry," I apologized as I moved out of the way. "I didn't know you were still here."

"Dad and I are going to spend the night," Jacob explained, nodding to the duffel bag in Billy's lap. "Are you leaving?"

"No, I'm just going to make a phone call. Mom and I are going to stay a little longer and keep an eye on Charlie. I think Mom is getting ready to make some food if you're hungry."

"Jacob, I think I left a picture frame in the truck. It's for Bella, would you mind going to get it for me?" Billy turned to his son, who gave him a weary smile.

"Sure, Dad. Be right back." As soon as Jacob was gone, Billy looked at me expectantly.

"If I had to put money on a vampire and an angry teenage girl, I'd take my chances with the girl." He winked at me.

"You know about the Cullens?" I gasped in surprise.

"Of course I know. Why do you think I'm over here so much? Charlie is my best friend, and if something were to happen to him, I'd be devastated. And I know you and Bella know the Quileute legend of the Cold Ones. The man who runs the bookstore in Port Angeles is a friend from another tribe. It doesn't take a genius to put two and two together." Billy chuckled.

"I have so many questions, I don't even know where to start."

"Looks like you're going to have to save them for another time." Billy tilted his head and five seconds later, Jacob opened the door.

"I didn't see a picture frame, Dad."

"I must've left it at home." Billy shrugged. "Enjoy your phone call, Autumn."

I smiled at his inside joke and pushed past Jacob, who looked confused. The crowd had disappeared in the meantime, so I walked around the house to the side yard. Once I was out of earshot of the house, I pulled out my phone and took a deep breath as it rang. On the third ring, there was a click, acknowledging someone had pressed accept. Even as the line was silent, I knew he was there.

"Don't say a word, just listen." I hissed into the phone. "I don't know what you told Bella in the woods. But I do know that she is freezing and scratched up and bruised, probably from chasing after you. She loves you, Edward, and I know you love her too. And you probably left because you think you're putting her in danger by being with her. But after tonight, I think you just put her in more danger by leaving. At least when you and your family were here, you could protect her. Victoria is still out there. Are you really going to leave Bella unprotected? As much as I love Alice, I don't think you should rely only on her visions. If she gets too stressed out, it could affect her ability. That's not the point of this phone call."

I took a quick breath, shaking my head to refocus before continuing.

"The point is, you're a coward and I hope this decision of leaving Bella behind leaves a bitter taste in your mouth that you can't get rid of, and haunts you for the rest of your life. And I'm only saying this because I'm her best friend and I want her to be happy, and she's happy with you. Come back before it's too late. Find your way back to her."

Before Edward could reply, I hung up on him, tears spilling over. I dropped to my knees and openly sobbed for my best friend, who I was pretty sure crying herself to sleep. Arms wrapped around me as the tears blinded me, comfort immediately soothing my rigid body.

"It's okay. It's going to be okay. I got you."

I turned and buried my face into Jacob's chest, letting him rock me as the tears slowly dissolved. The rhythm of his heartbeat was steady as I took a few deep breaths and my heart eventually fell into the same pattern. After the tears had long stopped, Jacob continued to hold me against his chest. As comforting as it felt, I gently pushed him away and shifted so I was sitting on the grass.

"Thanks," I mumbled shyly, rubbing my face.

"No problem," he said softly. "Feel better?"

"Not really. Sorry about your shirt."

Jacob looked down and chuckled when he saw the tear stains. He looked back at me and smiled, shaking his head.

"You're sorry about leaving tear stains on my shirt?" He chuckled again when I nodded meekly. "It's just water, Autumn. I'm more worried about you than my shirt."

"I was really scared something horrible happened to Bella today," I said quietly. "We were all at the festival, oblivious to the fact that Bella was in the woods alone. I feel guilty for being so focused on Miss Forks, that I didn't even think to check on my best friend. I thought that she was okay with her boyfriend on her birthday."

Jacob picked up on the emphasis on boyfriend and his face tensed, his eyes searching my face for something.

"Don't look at me like that. You know what the Cullens are. Why else would you tell Bella and I the story of the Cold Ones? You were trying to warn her away from Edward." I sighed, flopping backward and staring at the starry sky. "You've always had a crush on her."

"We don't have to talk about that tonight," Jacob looked away, his tone pained.

"You're right, we don't have to talk about that." I sighed again and got to my feet, turning toward the house before pausing. "Who knows. Maybe one day she'll return your feelings."

Without another word, I headed inside to find Billy and Charlie sitting in the living room, eating as they quietly watched the Mariners play against the Red Sox while Mom brought them drinks. I sat at the kitchen table by myself, thinking about Bella and Edward, and Jacob, and how simple my life had seemed back in Michigan.

For a moment, I longed for my old life back but deep down I knew that my life in Forks was where I was supposed to be. As I contemplated these thoughts, Jacob stood in the doorway, watching me as I stared absently out the window. When I finally turned to face him, he had disappeared and the sense of loss settled over me like a dark cloud.

* * * * *

Over the next week, I did my best to avoid Jacob like I had done all summer long. I knew it wasn't fair and that he wasn't intentionally hurting me by crushing on Bella, but my best friend's broken heart was more important than my own crush.

Every day at lunch, I sat with Bella at the Cullens' table while our friends sat at our normal table, staring and whispering about Bella. After school, Jacob hung out with Bella at her house while I worked at the bakery, purposely timing my dinner visits so Jacob would be gone by the time I got there. We fell into a routine without meaning to, and it worked - for the most part. Bella went through the motions of going to school, doing her homework, and eating but she mostly sat in the rocking chair in her room facing the woods.

"Autumn, Charlie and I don't think it's a good idea for you to visit Bella this weekend." Mom said Friday morning as I made a cup of hot chocolate.

"What are you talking about?" I stared at her, my hand frozen in mid-air with marshmallows.

"You've been over there all week, with the exception of school and working at the bakery. We just think you need to spend the weekend doing something else, hanging out with your other friends."

"My friends all have plans this weekend."

"Like what?"

"Mike is going camping with his family, Eric is visiting his grandpa. Angela and Jessica are going to a concert in Seattle, the tickets were a Christmas present from last year before we moved here."

"What about Jacob?" Mom looked at me expectantly, her eyebrows raised. I sighed.

"Jacob and I haven't spoken in a week. So, I don't know what his plans are."

"Good. Call him and make plans if he's not busy."

"Fine."

I pulled my phone out of my back pocket and scrolled through my contacts until I found Jacob's name. Tilting the screen so Mom could see, I hit the call button. Satisfied that I was going through with the call, Mom left me alone in the kitchen. On the fifth ring, Jacob answered the phone, sounding out of breath.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Jacob," I said shyly.

"Autumn, hey. What's up? Are you okay? I haven't heard from you since the night of the festival."

"Yeah, I'm... I'm fine. I didn't wake you up, did I?" I glanced at the clock, which read 7:08 am.

"No, I've been awake. Getting ready to work in the garage."

"No school today?"

"It's a 'Professional Development Day.' In other words, the tribal elders are meeting this morning. What about you, don't you have school?"

"We have a 'Professional Development Day' too. Our teachers are spending the day being students."

"That doesn't sound like fun at all."

"It's really not. Anyways. Um, I was just wondering, if you had... uh, plans. For this weekend."

"You're banned from Charlie's house too?" He chuckled into the phone. I grinned as I caught his amused tone.

"Looks like it. Let me guess, you were told that you needed to hang out with your other friends."

"Something like that. It's cool if you want to come here and hang out. I'm almost done working on my car, but I could use the company."

"I can come over in a couple of hours since neither of us has school?"

"Sounds good. I'll see you then."

"See you then." I echoed before hanging up, smiling from ear to ear. Funny how I felt a lot better after talking to Jacob for a few minutes.

"So, what's the verdict?" Mom asked as she popped her head through the doorway to check on me.

"I'm going to hang out with Jacob in a couple of hours if that's okay?"

"Sure, sweetie. Tell Billy I said hi." Mom glanced at her watch. "I have to go open the bakery. Call me at lunch?"

"Got it!"

I hugged Mom goodbye and headed upstairs to get ready. After a warm shower, I wrapped myself in one of the huge fluffy towels and stood in my closet, trying to figure out what to wear. Wishing Angela and Jessica were with me, I decided on my favorite pair of old blue jeans, a red knitted sweater, and a pair of brown boots.

Fifteen minutes later, I parked my car next to Billy's truck and took a deep breath, mentally preparing myself. I knew I'd have to face the reason why I had been avoiding Jacob eventually. As I shut the door, Jacob appeared in the doorway of the garage, wrench in hand. He waved, a smile on his face.

"Hey! How's the Bug running?"

"It's great. I love it!"

"Good. Do you want anything to drink? I have water, Gatorade, hot chocolate, apple cider."

"Ooh, apple cider sounds nice."

"Right this way." Jacob motioned for me to follow him into the house. He held the door open and I stepped inside, immediately engulfed by the scent of fried fish.

Billy and Harry Clearwater were in the kitchen, Billy sitting at the table and Harry standing at the stove. They turned at the sound of the screen door closing.

"Good morning, Autumn! I'm surprised to see you here." Billy said, glancing at his son.

"I am, too, honestly." I replied, my face flushing. "Hi, Harry. It's good to see you."

"Morning, Autumn. Do you like fish?"

"Actually, I do. It smells delicious in here."

"Wait until lunch. It tastes delicious!" Billy bragged, causing Harry to roll his eyes.

"Billy likes to brag about his friends," Harry said, making a face at his best friend.

"I brag about everyone," Billy said defensively. "Like Jacob may have finally found a decent girl to crush on."

Billy winked at me as Jacob sputtered on his coffee.

"Alright, we're going to be in the garage if you need us." Jacob said to Billy as he handed me a glass of apple cider. "Let's go, Autumn."

I waved to Billy and Harry, who were both chuckling, as Jacob dragged me out of the house toward the garage.

"Sorry about that. My dad likes to embarrass me."

"It's okay. My mom is the same way."

"I promise I won't be boring for long. I'm almost done installing this part."

"Take your time. Seriously, you don't have to rush."

"Okay." Jacob smiled as he gestured to the couch near his car. I made myself comfortable as he disappeared underneath the hood.

"Dang it!" Jacob yelled five minutes later as the sound of metal hitting concrete pierced the air.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The part just broke, is all." Jacob ran his fingers through his hair. "You got a swimsuit in your car?"

"Um, yeah? But I don't think it's your color." I teased.

"Ha ha, very funny. I meant for you."

"Of course I do. Ever since my bikini top... broke over the summer, I keep an extra one in the trunk." I blushed, looking away.

"Oh... yeah. I... I, uh, remember that." Jacob coughed. "Anyways. Do you want to go to the beach? I need a break from this car."

"Sure. Let's go." I hurried out of the garage, hoping my face would cool down from the heat I was feeling. Grabbing my bikini, I followed Jacob back into the house.

"You can change in here." Jacob pointed to his room. "My swimming trunks are in the bathroom, so I can just change in there."

"Okay. Knock before you come in." I gave him a look and he laughed, putting his hands up in surrender.

"I'll wait for you in the living room."

I made sure the door was shut behind Jacob before stripping my sweater off. As I changed into my bikini, I heard angry voices outside the window. Peeking through the blinds, I saw Jacob talking to Sam in the backyard. I couldn't see Jacob's face, but Sam's expression was stone cold.

"One of these days, Jacob, you are going to come to your senses. You belong with us!"

"Why don't you just leave me alone, Sam? I'm not joining you and your friends! I don't care what you say about it being my 'destiny' or whatever."

"You'll change your mind, Jacob. Before it's too late, I hope."

Without another word, Sam turned and walked away. Jacob shook his head at Sam's retreating back, his facial expression haunted. He turned toward the house, his eyes flashing as he met my gaze through the window. Quickly I dropped the blinds, my heart pounding loudly in my chest, hoping feverishly that he didn't see me and knowing fully well that he did. Oh boy.