CHAPTER 14
POPPING THE QUESTION

"HOW does a family just disappear out of nowhere?"

Melinda's question was something the whole town of Forks was dreading to ask, and Margo was pretty sure they'd never get an answer. After explaining to Melinda the events that happened the night before, the two decided to leave school during their lunch period. Seeing as Jenny told her niece the location of Carlisle Cullen's fancy home, the two were driving to see if it really was empty. Margo sped down the dead-end road, covered by trees on both sides. The Cullens really did live in the middle of nowhere. Neither teenager knew this part of Forks existed.

And when they arrived at the mansion, they realized the rumors were true. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. No car. No figures. The house was practically windows on all sides for you to see into it, and the two girls saw no one.

Melinda gawked at the sight in front of her. "It's like they just ... vanished. How did this happen?"

"I don't know," Margo replied, opening her car door, "but we're gonna find out – sooner or later."

As soon as Margo had gotten home last night, she sat a very tired aunt Jenny down at the dining room table and told her what happened. To say that Jenny was shocked would be an understatement. Not only did Bella Swan's short disappearance scare her just a bit, but she actually seemed to put some pieces together herself. "Carlisle wasn't in today," she explained to her niece. "He didn't call in. No notice. He's never like that, so we all thought it was very odd." Jenny shook her head in disbelief. "That's why he was gone, but why did he leave?"

Margo had shrugged her shoulders. "Could've been the rumors."

"No, no," Jenny said, "Carlisle never listens to nasty rumors. It must have been something else."

Two months later, they still had no answers. The Cullens had disappeared without a trace, and everyone had seemingly gone on with their lives. All except Bella Swan, who had been in a crippling depression since her boyfriend just up and left her out of nowhere. She wasn't at school most days, and when she was, she was either ignoring everyone or sitting at the Cullens' old lunch table. It was a bit – more like, very – sad to watch, but Margo didn't blame Bella. Sure, her and Edward had only been dating for about seven months, but ... well, maybe it was a tad weird for Bella to be so attached. Anyways, it didn't matter. Margo still felt bad.

Bella hardly spoke to any of her former friends lately, and it wasn't like they made an effort to talk to her either. Even Jacob told Margo that Bella wasn't speaking to him. Margo and Melinda tried to strike up conversations with the brunette in class, but she barely answered. It was difficult to even communicate with her now. Bella had never been quite talkative in the first place, but there had to be something still left in her. Amongst the sadness and depression, Margo hoped Bella was still in there.

On a normal dreary day, Margo and Melinda saw Bella Swan sitting at the Cullens' empty lunch table – yet again. She stared at the window beside her, watching the wet snow hit the trees with a melancholy look in her eyes. Melinda sighed, glancing to Margo for a moment, who instantly knew what her friend was insinuating. "We have to go over there and talk with her," Melinda suggested.

"Are you serious?" Margo whispered back. "She won't talk to any of us, Mel. We've tried all we could. We've gotten nothing."

"I have a plan," Melinda smirked. She handed Margo her lunch tray for a moment, pulling a box out of her backpack. It was actually a box of those store-bought cookies they had first given to Bella after she broke her leg. Melinda remembered.

The two walked over to where Bella sat, with a lunch tray holding only an apple in front of her.  Jessica Stanley watched them stride towards Bella with a narrowed gaze, which earned her a glare from Margo. Bella locked eyes with Margo once they neared the table, causing Margo to smile softly. "Hey, Bella."

Bella was silent for a long moment. Her hair was held back by a ponytail today, allowing everyone to see the dark bags under her eyes. "Hey," Bella muttered.

Bella's brow seemed to furrow when the two girls sat down at the table. Margo hummed softly and bit into the pear she grabbed from the fruit stand. She glanced to Melinda before clearing her throat. "So," she smiled, "how have you been?"

"Not good," Bella answered bluntly.

Margo's mouth dropped slightly. Melinda sighed loudly and pushed the box of cookies towards Bella. "We got these for you," she smiled. "We thought they would make you feel better."

Bella's eyes casted down to the box before she hesitantly reached for it. She slid it towards herself, eyes crinkling towards the stale frosting and yellow star sprinkles. Her vision shined the slightest bit. When she looked back up at Melinda and Margo, a smile tugged at the edges of her lips. "Thanks, guys," she muttered.

•••

It was late December, and rather than being excited for Christmas, Margo was freaking out over an acceptance letter to UCSF.

She was shocked to even see the letter in her mailbox when she came home from school. Mainly because she had sent her application in only three months ago, but some schools sent out acceptances earlier than most. Margo had ripped the letter open once she was inside, breathing heavily as she skimmed the words in the letter. Accepted. She had been accepted to her dream school.

Once Jenny had gotten home around seven, Margo shoved the letter in her face. The two jumped around in excitement, screaming their ears off. "Oh, my god!" Jenny exclaimed. "This is fantastic news!"

"I can't believe this!" Margo screamed, waving her acceptance letter in the air. It was most definitely crinkled by now.

"Your birthday is right around the corner too. Next Friday!" Jenny paused, grabbing her niece's shoulders with a crazed look in her eyes. "We have to celebrate."

Margo's brow furrowed. "Celebrate? How?" She watched her aunt's smile widen, and Margo instantly knew her plan. "No, we are not having a party."

But here Margo was, a week later, waiting for the guests to arrive for her aunt's surprise birthday party. She was beyond pissed Jenny invited all these people and decorated the whole house without taking in Margo's hatred of parties into consideration, but she knew she had good intentions. Margo sat in her dining room as her aunt practically floated around, ringing with excitement for the party. She didn't know how many people Jenny invited, nor did she want to, but Margo was sure there wasn't going to be many people here.

Jenny looked out the window in the kitchen, pushing the blinds out of her way. She sighed longingly. "I tried inviting all your friends," she said. "I told them to be here at seven. Why aren't they here?"

Margo had been looking at the book resting in front of her, which was Jane Austen's Emma for her English class. She viewed up to her aunt for a moment. "Who'd you even invite?"

"The regular people," Jenny muttered, still peering outside. "Melinda, Bella Swan ... I invited your new friend Jacob and told him to bring people – boy, am I excited to meet him! I also invited ... oh, Mike Newton, Angela Weber –"

"Wait, what?"

Jenny turned. "Well, I just told the Chief to tell Bella to invite her friends too. You've talked about this Mike before, right?"

"Uh – yeah, I hate Mike Newton."

"Well, how was I supposed to know that, Margaret!"

Margo cringed at the name before replying, "Oh – I don't know, maybe all the times I've shit talked the guy could've rang a bell!"

Just as Margo finished her sentence, the bell did ring. Jenny jumped quickly, looking outside again to see Melinda's car in the driveway. She ran to the door, swinging it open with a huge smile on her face. "Melinda, hi!" She greeted, throwing Melinda in for a hug she was definitely not ready for.

"Hi, Jenny," Melinda replied, startled at the sudden hug she received. "Where's Margo?"

"Sulking in the kitchen over her party," Jenny muttered, "as usual."

Melinda laughed, striding into the kitchen with a wrapped box in her hands. Margo looked up from her book again and eyed the box Melinda had. She narrowed her eyes at her friend. "I told you that you didn't have to get me anything," she said.

"On December 19th, I get you presents. Sorry, I don't make the rules." Melinda said, taking a seat at the kitchen table. She slid the box forward. "It's your birthday, and college acceptance celebration. Just open it."

Margo sighed, shutting her book and putting it to the other side of her. She took Melinda's box in her hands, glaring at her for a moment, before ripping off the bow. She tore off the birthday wrapping paper and lifted the top of the box up. Inside the compact square sat yet another book for Margo's collection, but this one was different than the others. This was a book that contained one million different world fun facts. A smile tugged at the edges of Margo's mouth as she held up the book. "Oh, my god," she said. "This is awesome, Mel. Oh, my gosh – thank you!"

"I knew you'd like it," Melinda grinned, giving her friend a tight hug. "Happy birthday."

The doorbell rang again, causing Margo to retreat from the kitchen. Jenny was currently tied up with having to work the stereo, but as soon as Margo opened the door, she was blasting some old NSYNC CD. Outside the door stood two women Margo didn't even know. Her brow furrowed. "Uh ..." She paused. "Do I know –"

"Oh, Margaret! You've grown up so much over the past couple of years!" One of them exclaimed, engulfing Margo in an expected hug. Margo's arms flailed a bit as she was caught off her balance. "Congrats on getting into UC San Francisco, and happy birthday!"

Jenny sprinted into the room, waving her hands rapidly. "Oh, Margo – this is Audrey –" she pointed to the rounder woman who just hugged her "– and Laurel –" her finger moved to the quiet, dark-skinned woman standing besides Audrey. "I work with them at the hospital."

"Oh," Margo blinked as she shut the door behind them. "I see."

"Come, guys. I have wine in the fridge!" Jenny exclaimed, gesturing for her friends to follow her into the living room.

Laurel shook Margo's shoulder as she left. "Congratulations, Margo."

"Thanks," she replied quickly. Once the adults were gone, Margo looked to Melinda, still seated in the kitchen. Margo lifted her hands up in confusion. "Did my aunt really invite her friends to a party for me?"

Melinda laughed loudly, but before she could release a sarcastic remark, the door rang again. Margo groaned, "What do you want –" But her greeting was automatically halted once she saw who was at the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of Jacob Black, with two of his friends standing behind him. He only wore a light Henley shirt – no jacket, to Margo's surprise – and she was pretty sure he grew another inch taller.

"Warm welcome," he grinned.

"I'm sorry," Margo replied quickly, gesturing for them to come inside. "I really didn't organize this party, I swear."

Jacob stepped inside, running a hand through his long, dark hair for a short moment. Margo swallowed hard as she shut the door, wondering what to say. When she turned around, Jacob was pointing to his two friends. "Hey, Margo. Your aunt told me to bring a couple friends so – you already know Embry, and this is Quil."

Upon hearing his name, Melinda quickly stepped into the hallway. Her hands lingered on the bannister that connected the hall to the kitchen. "Hey, Embry," she giggled softly. Margo frowned, almost wanting to ask her friend if she was okay.

"Hey, Mel," he smiled, following her into the kitchen to sit and completely ditching his two friends. Embry, like Jacob, had also gotten a bit taller and gained more muscle. Margo was impressed. There must've been something in the water at La Push.

"Well, I guess we should leave those two to their business," Quil muttered before sticking his hand out. He wasn't as tall as his friends, but was slightly more muscular. His face held an impish grin. "I'm Quil Ateara."

Margo smiled sheepishly towards Quil's smirk. "Awesome," she said, keeping her hands in her jeans. "I'm Margo."

Quil retracted his hand and held it behind his back. Jacob scratched his nose and chuckled, "You just got rejected."

Quil, who was seemingly put off by Jacob's comment, suddenly turned back to Margo. He had one brow lifted upwards in a suspicious manner. "So, are you and Jake dating?"

"Um ..." Margo's mouth dropped completely. "We're friends."

"That's not what I heard."

Jacob immediately slapped his hand over his friend's mouth. "Okay, you're done here."

Quil narrowed his gaze at Jacob, pushing his hand out of the way. "Really, Jakey? I think your girlfriend would very much like to hear it."

Margo actually found herself laughing. She cupped a hand over her mouth, watching the two boys bicker amongst themselves. She put her hands on her hips, shaking her head at the two of them. "He's right," she said. "Why don't you tell me about it, Quil?"

•••

When aunt Jenny had met Jacob, she said it was like the stars had aligned. "He's such boyfriend material, Margo," she squealed. "God, I can't believe you didn't have me meet him before!" Of course, Margo knew why she hadn't introduced them before, because she knew Jenny would freak out and act like it was "destiny" for her niece and this tall, strong Quileute boy to be together. She tried to be like the human incarnation of Cupid sometimes, and Margo wasn't going to have her mess up the friendship.

Much to everyone's surprise, Bella Swan showed up at the party after not leaving her house in months. Bella gave Margo her subtle smirk once she had opened the door for her, and while Bella wasn't a fan of the old pop music blasting through her ears, she had stayed for the rest of the party. Truthfully, she had been thankful of Margo Richards and Melinda Cox's sudden care for her through these past couple of months. They had showed her more worry than the people she considered her friends, and for that, she was grateful. Though her heart still pained her every damn day, Bella decided the least she could do was show up to this small party.

So for the rest of the night, she put on her fake smile and pretended to have a good time. She hung around and talked with only Margo and Jacob, but after quite some time, she realized she was having a fun time just being with the two of them. Suddenly, she had forgotten everything that had happened in her life – at least for a little while.

Eventually, the night drew to a close. It was midnight, and Jenny was currently ushering everyone out of her house. She left the teenagers out on the snow-covered lawn, while also shoving her own coworkers out too. Melinda stood besides Embry to say goodbye, after they wouldn't leave each other's side all night. Margo snickered at her aunt's antics before turning to Bella and Jacob in front of her. Bella nudged Jacob in the side as she said, "Jake, I can give you a ride home if you need it."

"Nah, that's okay," he replied, pointing his thumb towards Quil and Embry hopping inside a truck, "my boys will drive me home."

Bella nodded slowly, eyes flickering to Margo. "Thanks for the invite. I had a great time."

Margo smiled warmly. "Come over whenever you'd like, Bella. What's the saying ...?" She paused, causing Jacob to lift a brow. "Mi case, su casa ... I think. I actually never was a whiz at Spanish."

Bella chuckled, waving goodbye to her friends before getting inside her old, orange truck. It took her a couple times to start the ignition, but eventually, she was pulling out of the driveway, waving to her friends one last time.

Margo looked back to Jacob, who was staring down at her with his hands in his pockets. "What?" She asked with a raised brow.

Jacob's hands withdrew from his pockets as he began to feel for his back pockets. After fumbling for a moment, he brought out a small box in his abnormally large hand. He didn't say anything; only held it out for her to take. Margo hesitantly took the box from his hand, asking, "What's this?"

"A birthday present," he said, "slash congratulations on almost becoming an adult. Hopefully, you won't forget about us little people when you're successful."

Margo hit his arm, but with his new muscles, it obviously made no impact. She opened up the box and tore away the white paper surrounding it. In the middle of the tiny box sat a necklace with a wooden wolf charm and tiny turquoise stone hooked to the middle. "My dad taught me how to carve wood, and this was my first carving, so ..." His voice trailed off as he grew nervous to why she wasn't saying anything. "And your aunt told me your birthstone –"

"I love it," she whispered, slowly meeting his eyes. "Thank you, Jacob. You really didn't need to."

Jacob smiled the tiniest bit. "I wanted to."

A crushing silence grew between the two, like it was just them there, standing in the middle of Margo's snowy lawn. Margo was staring at him with adoration, while Jacob held a blank expression as his mind fought with him on what to do. He suddenly cleared his throat, holding a hand to his mouth while trying to remember the words he practiced in front of his mirror. "Hey, um – I was wondering something."

Margo was placing the box's cover on top of it as she replied, "What's that?"

"Do you want to go out on a date sometime?"

Margo looked up at him again, her hazel eyes growing wide. Her mouth hung open in surprise. Did she secretly want to? Yes. Was she scared of what may come of it? Yes. Her hands were becoming clammy. So much for not ruining their friendship. But maybe – just maybe – this was their destiny all along, and she just hadn't known it.

Jacob was then walking away quickly, muttering, "Forget it. Forget I said anything –"

"No, wait!" She exclaimed, grabbing his arm forcefully. She was surprised she had the strength to hold him back. "Yes, Jacob. I ... yeah, I'll go on a date with you."

"Really?"

A car horn blew in their direction. Embry was grinning in the driver's seat at them, causing Jacob to give him the middle finger. "I guess this is my cue to leave," he chuckled, slowly taking her hand that was on his arm to entwine it with his own. "I'll text you about it and – yeah, okay. I'll go now."

Margo laughed loudly, watching him stumble to get into Embry's truck. After all the boys waved goodbye, Margo watched them drive West towards La Push. Her hands felt warm from Jacob's, and she clasped them together with the necklace box in the middle. As she turned to head back inside, she saw the front window's curtain suddenly close. Margo shook her head, realizing Jenny had been watching the entire time.

•••

A/N: GOD I'M SORRY THIS IS SO LONG

But.........Happy Valentine's Day!!! I personally think it's just another day and a Hallmark holiday, but I did wanna post this cute chapter in honor of today :''')

Also wow, can I just say hey, I'm sorry for not updating this very often!!!!!! Writing two stories at the same time is very difficult for me, and I've recently decided that I'm going to finish my Kylo Ren story, Prisoner, before I begin updating this story regularly again. It should take maybe a month to prewrite the rest of Prisoner and after that, I'll dedicate myself to this story!

I might also be thinking about an Edward fic in the future..........watch out ;---)