A/n:

Everybody take a deep breath…Audrey is not a villain in disguise, she will not be causing any problems for our dear Jake and Bella. With that said..Rest easy and enjoy the ride as our two favorite people try to make it back to eachother….

"Wow," Audrey breathed out, slowly shaking her head processing everything I had just explained to her. We had actually arrived at The Boiler Room about twenty minutes prior but remained in my parked truck to talk. She listened wordlessly as I recounted the events of the accident, his proposal, and now my current dilemma. It was surprisingly freeing to air all the dirty laundry, without censoring or editing for anyone's comfort level.

I mindlessly folded and unfolded the Google directions I had printed out before leaving. The crunching of the paper was the only sound to fill our cocoon while I waited patiently for her respond.

"Okay," Audrey squared her shoulders and I mirrored her hoping to be inspired, "Here's the way I see it, you are still Bella and he is still Jacob. It's just now he isn't aware that there is a Bella and Jacob. And I'm assuming you aren't running to him and spilling your guts because of the rejection you'll most likely face if you do.." her chin tucked to her chest, checking to see if her observations were correct. They were, so I closed my eyes and nodded.

"And because you've decided to allow him to figure this out on his own," she continued, "you're not sure where the lines of right and wrong cross?" She neatly shugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure if I should be offended or angry, or flattered that he's flirting with me…I mean he's engaged!" My voice reaching a higher octive.

"To you Bella…" Audrey place her hand over mind while leaned closer to me, "he's engaged to you…and you're still Bella, and he's obviously still attracted to you. He apparently still finds your clumsiness endearing and from what you told me enjoys flustering you even now. Don't you see? Everything is as is should be. Things are just…" she looked to the roof searching for her words and tipping her head side to side, "a little out of order now." She brought her smiling face back down to face me. Pleased with herself.

It all made sense to me. And looking at things from this perspective, I knew that this situation could be a hell of a lot worse. Jake could want nothing to do with me, and then when he did come to and realize who I was; I probably wouldn't be running into his open arms-because at the end of the day, like Audrey said, I' m still me. All of little idiosyncrasies and that made us who were, Jake and Bella, hadn't changed or been forgotten at all. And that was my light at the end of the tunnel. It's like the old saying " Some things never change,"… thank God for that.

"So, who do I tell him I am then?" I asked her.

She laughed loudly. "Don't lie to the poor kid mama, just tell him the truth. Tell him that you guys have actually been friends for quite some time and that it's okay that he doesn't remember. At least he will know you have a history." She offered.

My cheeks pulled back and I beamed at her. It was perfect. I didn't feel so overwhelmed anymore.

"Alright, c'mon, I'm ready."

"Good." She smiled back at me and reached for her door. I stepped down and out of the truck adjusting the hem of dress and smoothing out the wrinkles. Audrey made her way around the bed and I looked up to see her eyeing me. I arched an eyebrow and grinned.

"You look really good mama," She called out over her shoulder already making her way for the entrance. I chuckled and caught up to her just as she was pulling the door open. We took a moment to survey the place. It was more crowded than I would have liked, and the music was not at conversation level. But it was nicer that I had expected...well as nice as a bar can be. The lighting was dim, for that I was grateful, and although the exterior of the building resembled a warehouse, the inside was brick and felt more like a brewery than an actual bar.

I spotted the guys almost instantly, standing casually around a table near the bar. Even though they were all bronze, they were all tall, and every single one of them was eliciting female attention, Jake stood out to me still. He hadn't lost his radiance; I could sense it from where I was standing in doorway. I silently watched him tilt his head back and nod as if someone had made an interesting point. His lips moving gracefully, revealing slivers of his white teeth, as the entire group erupted in laughter. Audrey stood patiently waiting at my side, I nudged her shoulder and jerked my head in their direction. Without hesitation she headed towards them. I followed closely and let her lead.

"Damn, they don't really blend in do they," She spoke over the music. The playful smirk on her face told me she was pleased. I started to answer her but stopped when I noticed Seth alert the others to our arrival, and Jake's eyes snapped up immediately to meet my own. Every single nerve ending in my body was a live wire as he shamelessly stared at me. It was taking all I had to not run around the table and jump into his arms. For my own sanity I had to look away. We were greeted with approving smiles as we approached the table.

"Hey guys," I waved.

"Hey Bella," they all responded in unison causing Audrey and I to laugh.

I could almost feel Jake's eyes trained on me as I introduced Audrey to the guys. I angled my body slightly more away from him to keep temptation at bay.

"Um, this is Audrey..."

"Hey Audrey," they responded in unison again to be funny.

I rolled my eyes at their antics. It was painfully obvious each and every one of them was drooling already. Well, except for Sam, but he was paying careful attention to Jacob.

"Hi," Audrey smiled brightly at them. Looking away from Sam's curious behavior I began the introductions.

"Okay, so, this is Quil and Embry," they coolly nodded in her direction, "that's Seth and Sam," I wasn't sure why I was introducing them in pairs, but it seemed easier. I had to turn slightly so I could continue around the table. Jake was already smiling when I met his eyes.

"And that's Jake, uh Jacob," I hoped my slip went unnoticed, unfortunately I saw his eyebrows pinch together and his eyes drop down for a moment. I chose to ignore it and moved on.

"And last but not least, Paul." Paul winked at her before taking a sip of his beer. Again I rolled my eyes.

"So that's everyone…" my voice trailed off awkwardly waiting for someone to break the silence.

I took inventory of how casual they were all dressed and suddenly felt a little overdone. Jacob wore a grey USC hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans, and the others pretty much followed suit.

"Damn Bella, you look ho-," Quil was roughly cut off by Embry's elbow, "Nice…you look nice." He amended while rubbing the back of his neck. Inwardly I groaned at how obvious they were making this whole thing. As I peeked over to Jake, he once again looked slightly confused. Great, he knows something's up.

"Audrey, are you native?" Paul's voice rose above the silence.

"Yeah I am." She smiled back warmly at him. I'm sure it impressed her that he noticed.

"Oh yea? Where's your rez?" He asked leaning slightly forward.

"In North Dakota, I'm just out here for school."

"You go to school with Bella here in Seattle?" His eyes flicked towards me once before resting back to her. I was pleasantly surprised at Paul for carrying on such an adult conversation. He hadn't even made a comment about her tits or anything remotely suggestive.

"Where'd you go to high school Bella?" Jake asked abruptly, not giving Audrey a chance to answer. Every head at the table snapped in his direction.

"Uh, F-Forks High." I stammered praying the flame on my cheeks wasn't burning the way it felt. It was bizarre how anxious he was making me with his simple question. Everything that had transpired between us, and I felt like we were meeting for the first time… I guess we sort of were.

Jake chewed the inside of his cheek in silence. By now the others had resumed their conversation, but I continued to watch Jacob. He hadn't really acknowledged my answer, and now seemed to be completely lost in thought. Come on Jake, remember…please remember. I waited anxiously hoping against all hope that this was it, this was the moment he remembered. He was fighting through the fog, I could tell. The small gap between his eyebrows mashed together in concentration. Come on Jake, remember…

I held my breath when I saw his cheek free from his teeth. My feet moved me forward of their own accord bumping my hip against the table. The beer sloshed around in his glass as the table shook, he noticed and lifted his head up once more. His dark eyes bore heavily into mine while my heart crashed loudly in my chest. Searching, he was still searching.

I bit down on my lip feeling the ambush of tears making their way forward. All sound gradually drowned out to nothing, my vision blurred and the surrounding patrons disappeared, leaving only him and me. Time slowed to a stand-still and I saw the recognition flash briefly in his eyes.

"Hey Jake that pool table's free man!" I jumped hearing Quil's thunderous voice fracture our fortress of silence. Jake whipped his head to Quil and nodded, taking his glass; he turned and walked in the opposite direction. Shaking my head clear of the haze, I spun around remembering Audrey, only to find her fully engaged in a private conversation with Paul. Her body language was flirtatious, touching his arm and mechanically licking her lips. Paul slightly crooked his head to the side as she spoke, showing she had his full attention. Audrey and Paul was not a connection I was expecting to see. But it made sense, he was a challenge, and Audrey loved a challenge.

I left them alone and went to the bar. I ordered water and sat down to drink it. Then the anger came. It consumed me so fast and with such force I had the urge to punch something. He was so close, I could see it. He sensed something about me, for that I was grateful, but would he make the effort to connect the dots? For the first time I could appreciate that we may be sitting across from eachother five years from now sharing another silent conversation, coming so close to the truth-but never getting beyond the fleeting moment. A small aching in my heart caused me to press the heel of my hand to my chest. We are definitely fighting an uphill battle.

I took a long gulp of my water, laughing quietly when I remembered it was only water. I sighed; something a little stronger might be helpful right about now. It didn't go unnoticed to me that the underage members of the pack were drinking, including Jake. I wondered how they managed to swing that.

A body slid into the seat next me and judging by the plethora of empty seats along the bar, his choice of seating wasn't accidental. I was right.

"I haven't seen you here before, I'm Mike." The blonde boy leaned over more than necessary to speak to me and stretched his hand out. I looked down to his open hand and then back to him, my annoyed expression caused him to retract it. I wasn't trying to be rude, but I was hardly in the mood. He chuckled humorlessly beside me. Feeling guilty I started to offer him my name when I noticed the cause his laugher. Mike's blue eyes hand landed on the shiny diamond adorning my left hand.

I don't know how I had forgotten about it. How would I explain it to Jake if he had seen it? What a predicament I was in…worrying how I was to tell my fiancé about the ring on my finger. I grunted and stood from the barstool to walk back to my friends. Tugging at the ring, I wasn't paying attention until I felt to two hot hands grip my shoulders keeping me from crashing into the body it belonged to. Not again .What the fuck was my deal! I squeezed my eyes shut willing this situation to go away, before bringing my head up. Jakes fingers still clamped firmly around my arms.

"Didn't you ever learn you should look both ways before crossing…?" He laughed down at me.

I couldn't help but smile back, it was good to see him act freely again.

"Didn't you ever learn that pedestrians have the right away?" I quipped and raised my eyebrow. Jake threw his head back and laughed letting go of my arms. My own laughter surprised me, and I relaxed despite myself.

"Okay, okay, you win," he raised his hands in front of him, feigning that he was scared. It was quiet again and I soon found myself entranced in his gaze once again. He bowed his head and tentatively ran a hand through his hair.

"So Bella, can I get you something to drink," he motioned toward my water, "I mean something with flavor, maybe even a little alcohol?"

"That would be nice thanks, but I don't know what time they close, and you don't turn twenty one for another…." I trailed off pursing my lips. Jake clicked his tongue and pulled his lip through his teeth, then smiled widely at me. I started laughing before he could come up with something smart.

"Alright Ms. Kill-Joy, why don't you use your smarts and find us a table and leave the drinks to me."

I giggled as he left me to head to for the bar. He wanted to find a table for us, me and him. I slid into the first one I found, not trusting my knees to hold me up any longer. Soon he sauntered back towards me two bottles of beer in hand. I shook my head in mock disapproval while he folded his long body into the chair across from me.

"Cheers..." He held the neck of his bottle towards mine; I clanked it with my own. We both took long pulls and set them down simultaneously.

I noticed Sam and Embry playing a game of pool while Quil looked on. Quil had his arms wrapped around a pool stick, trying to look casually cool.

"How long have I known you Bella?" I met his eyes instantly. His face was somber, there was no hint of humor on it. Did he know? I opened my mouth but nothing came. I tried again, blinking a few times before speaking.

"Um, well awhile actually…" Shrugging my shoulders and giving him a small smile.

"Ookaay. Well what's awhile?" His eyes were suddenly hard. It was obvious he didn't want any dancing around the topic. I took a deep breath. There was only so much I could tell him, but I wanted him to know it all. The truth, like Audrey said, just tell him the truth.

"Since we were kids. Charlie and your dad are close...obliviously," I added, feeling like an idiot, "so we've pretty much grown up together." I stopped not sure if I could go on, and took another sip of my beer. His silence told me he was expecting more but I didn't know where to go from there.

He sighed heavily and spoke quietly, "You were there when I woke up." He eyed me carefully, watching my reaction to his statement. My face remained stoic, I nodded once. He was leading me somewhere, I just didn't know where yet.

"And you were upset…" he looked away, "… really upset." He swallowed hard and faced me again. Jake's eyes were softer now, pleading. My heart literally split in two. He was so lost, and looking to me for help. I knew he wanted to remember, it was apparent on his defeated face. I dropped my head a let the tears fall. I couldn't hold the strong façade any longer. He was breaking me down by wanting so much from me, and I don't think he was ready for what he thought he needed to know. Without moving head I answered him.

"You're a friend Jake…" I whispered

"Then why are you wearing my mother's wedding ring?"

A/N:

Okie dokie…Ive got to get to work on some chapters for Summer Fun..Ill return to this in a couple days… Oh and FYI, I need some more reviews..6 isn't cutting it! But those of you who did review..THANK YOU..it is the only reason writing these is so fun..

Questions, comments, suggestions…feel free..don't be shy