Torn: Chapter 20

When Jacob ignores Bella in New Moon she develops a friendship with Quil. They become close and then he too makes the change into a werewolf. What will happen in this Quil/Bella/Jacob triangle?

Title: Torn

Rating: T

Penname: Katbug86

Characters: Bella & Quil Jr.

Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer.

Chapter 20: Blurring the Lines

When I awoke Monday morning I laid staring at my ceiling for nearly an hour before it was time for me to get ready for school. I had tossed and turned throughout the night causing me to be just as tired as I was before going to bed the previous little sleep I had managed to get had been plagued with confusing dreams that upon waking I could no longer recall.

I heard Charlie open and close the front door and then listened to him pulling out of the drive in his cruiser. I figured that was my cue to get ready for the day. This was the last week of school before spring break and for which I was eternally grateful. No school meant I had more time to spend with the pack.

Quil was standing on the front porch, hand posed to knock on the door when I pulled it open to leave. He smiled as soon as he saw me.

"I just wanted to tell you good morning before you left for school," he explained.

I grinned, "Well, good morning then."

He seemed to hesitate about something for a moment and then quickly leaned down to place a soft kiss on my cheek. The little display of affection brought the ever faithful blush to my cheeks. The back of his hand reached out to stroke the place where he had kissed me and I leaned into his hand.

I looked up at him and his face had taken on a more serious appearance. "I'll be following you to school and keeping an eye out while you're there."

"You're not going to school?" I questioned. There was no way he could go if he was watching out for me.

"Don't worry about me. You're the one who's important here," he told me firmly.

"That's not true and I don't want you failing on account of me," I argued.

He sighed deeply, staring directly into my eyes. "Bella… please don't fight with me on this. School will be fine and your safety is more important to me." The intensity of his gaze as he told me this left me without the want to argue anymore so I simply nodded in defeat.

Quil took my hand after I finished locking the door and walked me to my truck. He gave me one more kiss—this time on the lips and then ran off to the woods.

Even though I couldn't see him running alongside me, I knew he was there in the trees watching me drive; the same for when I pulled into the student parking lot and got out to go to class. It was a comforting gesture for him to want to watch out for me, but alarming just the same since I knew the reason he was following me in the first place.

Classes were boring and tiresome as usual. The teachers seemed damned and determined to force as much new material into us as possible before our one week break. My mind was spinning in circles trying to keep up with the information overload. I already had a mountain of homework—all of which was due by Friday. At least I wouldn't have anything to work on next week.

By lunch I was ready to fall asleep and I could see Angela eyeing me curiously from her spot next to I probably looked like hell cause I know I had when I looked in the mirror this morning. The dark bags under my eyes said it all. She asked me if I was feeling ok and I told her I didn't sleep well. It was the truth, but she didn't need to know why I hadn't and thankfully she didn't ask.

I was pleasantly surprised when I walked out of the building at the end of the day to find Quil waiting for me by my truck. My surprise quickly turned to excitement so I smiled and made my way to him as fast as was possible without tripping.

He caught me with his arms when I threw myself at him, pulling me into a hug. That was just what I needed after a long day. I was vaguely aware of a few of my classmates staring in our direction but I didn't care. Quil was there and I was in his arms and that's all that mattered at the moment.

"Happy to see me?" he laughed.

"Long day," I muttered into his chest before pulling away.

"I can see that." I pulled back so I could look up at him and roll my eyes. He just looked back with amusement.

Out of the corner of my eye I could see Jessica and Lauren gaping at us and I knew I was in for one of her questioning inquisitions at lunch tomorrow.

I let Quil drive the truck home. I was just too tired and nearly fell asleep on the short drive from school to my house.

"Why don't you go inside and take a nap before Charlie gets home," Quil suggested once he parked. "I'll just be outside patrolling if you need me."

The fatigue was catching up so I didn't argue. "Sure, sure." I saw him shot me a funny look from the corner of my eye, but I didn't dwell on it.

He helped me inside, carrying my bag for me and setting it just inside the door. I kicked my shoes off and then carefully treaded up the stairs, Quil holding my by the forearm so I wouldn't fall. I'd barely made it inside my room and to the bed before I passed out face first on the mattress. I didn't even hear him go back downstairs and leave.

I awoke sometime later, squinting my eyes open to see it was nearly dark outside. Apparently I had been asleep much longer than I anticipated. I rolled onto my back, stretching my arms above my head and only just realizing I was under my covers. Charlie must have come to check on me.

Charlie! I threw back the blankets and raced out of the room and down the stairs, luckily not tripping once. I found him sitting in the living room, beer in hand, watching his favorite channel. He glanced my way when he heard me come to a halt in the doorway.

"Evening sleepy head," he mused.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize I'd slept so long," I apologized. "Did you already eat dinner?"

He chuckled lightly, "Don't worry about it Bells. Quil and I ordered pizza. The rest of it is in the kitchen if you want some."

It was only then that I noticed Charlie wasn't alone. Quil was sitting comfortably on the couch, pizza in hand. I shifted my eyes between the two, trying to figure out why they were both sitting in my living room, eating pizza, and watching sports like it was something they did every day.

My stomach took that opportune moment to growl at me so I decided to take up the offer to get a couple pieces of the pizza for myself; given that there was any left since Quil had obviously eaten dinner at my house.

I grabbed two slices, putting them on a plate, and went to sit with Charlie and Quil. Charlie didn't even turn my way as I sat down, but Quil shot me a quick grin before returning his gaze to the TV. I ate my food in silence and pretended to be interested in whatever it was that had their undivided attention.

Sports-watching was not really my thing and therefore could only be done for so long. As soon as I was done eating I left to take my plate to the sink. There were very few dishes to be washed but I went ahead and filled the sink with soapy water anyway.

I felt rather than saw someone step up behind me and I knew instantly who it was. His hot breath tickled my ear as he spoke, "Want some help?"

All coherent thought left me. When he spoke to me like that it made me want to declare everything I felt for him and kiss him with the passion he was igniting in me with his proximity.

"Um…sure," I managed to squeak out.

We worked side by side, me washing, him drying. "Are you going to tell me what you're doing here?" I finally asked.

"Do you not want me here?" he quipped.

"That's not what I meant. I mean… what are doing here with my dad while I was sleeping?"

"I came to see if you were awake. Charlie said you were still asleep and invited me to stay," he explained, but it seemed like he wasn't telling me everything.

"Is that all he said?" I prompted.

He spoke near a whisper when he finally answered. "He… he said you didn't sleep well last night. He could hear you tossing around and crying."

"Oh," was all the response I had.

"What were you dreaming about?" he glanced over at me as he handed me the last plate to put away.

We both turned, leaning back against the counters, staring at one another. "I don't remember."

I wasn't sure if he believed me or not, but he didn't ask me anymore about the subject. Instead he told me that he needed to get back outside to finish his patrol before he switched off with Jake. He leaned down to kiss me good night, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close.

He broke the kiss too soon, leaving me wanting more. "Charlie," he mouthed when I gave him a questioning look. I had completely forgotten about my father being in the next room. He told me good night, giving me one last kiss on the forehead and then I listened as he told my dad good night as well and left through the front door.

I passed the living room on my way upstairs to take a shower and saw that Charlie was turning off the TV. "Going to bed already?" he questioned, "I would have thought you got enough sleep to keep you up for awhile."

"I was going to take a shower and then work on some of my homework."

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking like he wanted to say something more so I waited, but not for long. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Charlie was not usually one for talking, so I could only assume this was something serious. I took a seat on the couch to face him. He was quiet for a minute, seeming to gather his thoughts and then took a deep breath.

He gave me a hesitant look. "So… are you and Quil… a couple?" That was definitely not in my list of topics I thought Charlie wanted to discuss.

"Not really. I mean… kind of, but we haven't really talked about it." I figured honestly was the best policy for this conversation.

He blushed before responding. "Are you…are you and he….," he trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

I caught onto his insinuation and blushed as well. "No."

I heard him let out a deep breath. "Good." His gaze shifted around the room before landing back on me. "Be careful."

I flushed as red as a tomato I'm sure and nodded. With that he stood and I took that as my cue that the conversation was over.

"I'm going to bed," he told me and headed to the stairs. I followed him and we went our separate ways. I gathered my things from my room and headed to the bathroom. The shower felt great and was quite relaxing, but I needed to get out and start on the mountain of homework I had been given.

I stepped out, wrapping a large, fluffy towel around myself before brushing my teeth. Once I was finished I threw my clothes in the hamper and grabbed a comb, pulling it through my hair as I walked back to my room.

I heard the soft click of the door as I shut it behind me before making my way in the darkness towards my dresser. The only light in the room was from the moon glowing through my window, casting shadows across the walls.

I pulled open one of the drawers to grab a pair of panties, then opened another to find my favorite pair of sweats. I was just getting ready to remove my towel when I heard someone clear their throat. My hands immediately clamped over my mouth to keep from screaming out when I turned around. I couldn't chance waking Charlie. There—sitting in my rocking chair—was Jacob.

"What are you doing in here?" I hissed.

He was still staring at me with a pained expression, making me realize I was still standing a mere few feet away in nothing but a towel. I instinctively pulled the cloth tighter around myself. My movement seemed to snap him out of his daze.

"I just wanted to check on you. I didn't realize…," he trailed off while at least having the decency to look away. "Do you want me to leave?" he whispered just barely loud enough for me to hear.

"Don't look," I ordered, not answering his question. "I mean it."

I made sure his eyes were scrunched shut before quickly dropping the towel and putting on my clothes. "Ok, you can open your eyes now."

He carefully reopened his eyes and I could feel them following me as I made my way to my bed and under the covers—homework could wait until tomorrow.

"So why are you here again? In my room I mean." Jake had only been in my room a couple of times. It didn't seem like him to just come in uninvited.

He shifted in his seat, looking—nervous, maybe? I'd definitely never seen Jacob Black nervous before.
"You didn't sleep well last night," he stated. That wasn't really an answer and obviously I already knew that little fact so I had no idea where he was going.

"No… I didn't," I said after he didn't continue.

There was another pause before he spoke again. "You said my name." Another statement and a confusing one at that.

"What?"

"When you were sleeping… you said my name," he explained. Ok—that made more sense.

I felt my cheeks blush a faint pink. I forgot with his heightened werewolf sense that he could probably hear me talking from the back yard. This also meant Quil probably heard Charlie and my conversation from earlier. My blush deepened.

"I talk in my sleep…"

"I think I just told you that," he joked with a soft laugh.

I laughed too. "Yeah, I guess you did."

"Well, since you're ok I'm going to go back out there and patrol," he told me as he stood up from his seat.

"Ok. Good night Jake."

He stopped half way out the window and turned to me. "Good night Bella." I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. Apparently my nap wasn't enough rest.

I'm not sure how long I had been asleep, but sometime during the night I woke up panting and sweating.

My dreams had been vivid and terrifying as I slept, but were already fading from my mind. I felt something hot against my face and turned my head to see Jacob kneeling next to my bed with a worried look on his face.

"You were crying," he told me simply as a way of explanation.

It was then that I could feel the warm tears trickling down my cheeks as he reached out to wipe them away. His other hand was smoothing my hair from my face. "Oh," I answered meekly. "Sorry."

"Don't be." He moved to stand, but I grabbed his arm before he could. "Stay," was all I said. I could see his face in the moonlight. His eyes were conflicted like he was struggling with an inward battle. After a few minutes I could see he had made a decision.

"Move over," his deep voice told me and I obeyed, scooting to the far edge of the bed while kicking the blankets off myself as he would have enough heat to keep me warm.

He climbed in beside me, slipping one arm under my neck and using the other to wrap around my waist and pull me closer. I turned so my back was against his chest and I placed my hand atop his on my stomach. A sigh of contentment escaped my lips and I quickly fell into a calming sleep.

The next morning I woke to an empty bed, wondering if the night before had been nothing but a dream. The warm sheets next to me told me otherwise and I was thankful to Jake for staying with me, keeping me safe and allowing me to sleep next to him. He had always been there to keep the nightmares away and last night was no different.