Disclaimer - All Characters and Copyrights belong to Stephanie Meyers.
Song Rights: Sometime in the Morning. Written by: Carole King Performed by: The Monkees
Author's note: What if the events during Eclipse went a little differently? Edward proposes sooner than in the book, and Jake finds out about it. What happens if Jake stops fighting?
Edward and Bella were arguing. It was the same argument they had been having since they returned from Volterra. When would be the right time for her transformation? Bella argued that with the Volturi now aware of her presence, thanks to Edward's theatrics, and Victoria still intent on her revenge, that now would make the perfect time for it to occur. After all, she would soon be graduating, and she was tired of being led around her life as a prisoner of fate. The only time she enjoyed herself, was when she was hanging out with Jake. She hated to admit to herself, just how much that time meant to her. However, at the same time, she was feeling guilty for using Jake and the Pack to protect her at such high stakes to them. Edward felt she was being rash, and he would delay her transformation as forever long as he could. With the dogs help, he knew it was only a matter of time until the Victoria situation was resolved, and the Volturi could be put off for a while too. After all, Vampires did not measure time the same ways as Mortals. And he felt the Volturi could be distracted for quite some time before they actually checked in with the Cullens on Bella's status of still being human. However, he realized that he could use her insecurities to get what he wanted. And like any proper suitor, he wanted Bella's hand in marriage. Alice assured him, if they played this right, she would say yes. Edward stared at Bella. As he was finally resolved in his course of action, he spoke, "Bella, my love, I will agree to your demands, but in order to do so, I have one simple...compromise if you will. Not only will you be changed after graduation, but I will even do it myself. However, before that happens, I have one condition." Bella couldn't believe what she was hearing. He was agreeing to finally turn her. She couldn't contain her excitement, but then she started to think. Was she really ready for this? Was she really prepared at this moment to give up her friends, Charlie and Renee, and most importantly, Jake? She turned her attention back to Edward, and nodded that she was paying attention again. Edward had noticed her drifting, but now that he had her attention again, he continued, "As I was saying...(And he gave her that smirk, that made her feel like a small child being caught sneaking a cookie.) If I were to agree to this now, and since you are choosing to spend eternity with me, then I want you to marry me." Edward then got down on one knee, and presented Bella with the most ornate ring she had ever seen. Edward explained it was his mother's, but now would be her's if she consented to become his wife, his mate. Bella gasped, "Edward, it's beautiful, but marriage. I just don't know." Edward gripped her hand, "Bella, this is important to me. It is part of who I am, apart of my upbringing. Now, I have agreed to your demands, and I just have this one small one. I would like to think we will escape Victoria's antics. But until that day occurs, I want you to be by my side as my wife. For better or for worse." Bella sighed. She knew that this was no compromise, it was an ultimatum. She knew he would never budge off this idea, and she was tired of fighting about it. This is what she wanted, she argued. And as much as she despised the idea, she found herself saying, "Yes." Edward was beyond ecstatic with joy. She only agreed that this would be a small ceremony, nothing big. And then once that was done, they would proceed with the transformation. Edward acquiesced to her demands. Both had a hard time shutting Alice down about their plans. However, due to the circumstances, they knew that this moment in time was not the right time for anything more elaborate.
Bella found herself spending more time with Jake in the following days. She knew he would not take the news of her wedding or transformation well. She wanted to spend as much quality time as possible with him, until she knew they would no longer be friends. Edward was not happy about this. He was not happy about her safety being outside of his control or grip. He knew that mutt was still fighting for her heart. And while he knew he had it, he didn't 100% trust Bella not to be guilted into something. Graduation was soon upon them all. They still hadn't told anyone about their wedding plans. While Alice didn't get to plan the upcoming wedding, Bella did agree to a Graduation party. What better way to say goodbye to everyone who meant anything to her, then a going away party disguised as a Graduation party instead. The graduation went smoothly. She was embarrassed when her name as called for her diploma, and she saw and heard Charlie, Billy, Jake, and Quembry shouting congrats from the stands. After the ceremony, she went out to dinner with her Dad and the rest of the crew. She let herself enjoy the companionship during the meal. Holding on to every memory of the people she soon would be abandoning. At the party, Bella was busy with saying her goodbyes to her friends. However, she noticed that Alice had a vision, and she was worried about what that might mean. As she was about to approach her, Jake showed up to the party. He grabbed her into a giant bear hug, and swung her around. As great as it felt to be in his arms, she was concerned about what Alice has seen. Jake was excited about a gift he had made her, and as she focused back on him, she got lost in his darkish eyes, and his sunshine smile that radiated the room. "Here Bells, I made this for you. I know you hate store bought items, but I hope that this symbolic gift of our friendship, will be an exception for you." He carefully handed her the gift, and when she finally got the package open, she saw the little bracelet with the carved wolf charm. "Oh my god, Jake it's so beautiful. You made this?" Jake smiled, "Yeah, my dad taught me when I was younger. Carving the wolf took longer then the bracelet. I was always better with Jewelry making then carving." Bella caressed the bracelet, it was made with Silver, and some kind of Black oxidation rub, intertwined with Sapphires, her birthstone. It was simply breathtaking. She reached up and kissed him on the lips as a thank you. Jake blushed at the contact, but then saw her boyfriend storm down the staircase to her side, with Alice quickly in tow. Bella refocused back on the pair once they had reached her side. They tried to pull Bella away to talk her, but Jake sensed the urgency, and demanded to know what was going on. Reluctantly, they pulled them to the side, and informed them that Victoria would be coming with a newborn army in 10 days. Bella gave both of them a look, Jake couldn't figure out what it meant. After much discussion it was decided that the Pack would join in the battle against Victoria, and would begin training right away.
Once the party broke up, it was just the Cullens and Bella. Jake had left earlier to alert the Pack. Bella waited until everything had been put back in its proper place before she spoke, "So when do we do this?" The family looked at each other a little guiltily. "Love, the family and I discussed this. And with so little time until Victoria actually arrives, we don't think we could effectively fight a three sided fight, if we were to transform you this soon." Bella was confused, "Three sided attack? I don't understand. What am I missing here?" Carlisle spoke, "Well my dear, beside the obvious threat from Victoria herself. We would have to deal with you as well. You see as a newborn, it is when our kind are at our most strongest and violent. It is very hard to reign in your emotions and actions. We could not effectively defend ourselves, if we had to fight Victoria's army as well as prevent you from running amuck. And then finally, the moment we decide we were going to bite you, not even change you yet, wmind you, even the bite itself, is considered a breach of the Treaty we have with Jacob and his tribe. With all of these factors in place, we don't think that adding you right now to this life, would strategically be the best moment to do so. We aren't trying to delay your joining us on purpose, but we feel that it would be more beneficial to wait at this time." "Oh I see," Bell sighed, "So, you all made that decision for me. Without me being involved. I get it. Disappointed, but I get it. Um...I'd like to go home and change before we meet with Jake later on. If that's ok with all of you." "Of course Love, lets go. And you don't even have to go tonight if you don't want to." Edward took Bella by the arm and lead her past the others. She refused to let them see the hurt in her eyes. She knew what they said made sense, but they continued to not involve her in the discussions, and that hurt her. Like her opinions had no value.
As she played with her new charm bracelet on the way home, she thought, "My opinions would matter to Jake. He might not concur, but at least he would let me express them." Edward watched as she played with a gift that wasn't from him. He was upset the she had allowed herself to receive a gift from another, when she was engaged to him. Later that evening, Edward continued to watch as Bella interacted with the mutt during the training sessions. She was stroking his fur absentmindedly while rubbing her bracelet. Edward was fuming. He would need to draw the line in the sand soon on what was appropriate behavior from his beloved. The next day he was scheduled to drop Bella off at the border to meet up with the mutt, who was taking her to one of those story telling parties. She always came back babbling on about their traditions. He soon picked up on Jacob's thoughts. Instead of picking her up in his wreck of a car, he was going to let Bella ride him horseback style. He thought she would get a kick out of it. This foolish child knew no boundaries with the safety of his fiancée. An idea occurred to him. "Bella, my love, how come you are not wearing your ring? I know we are delaying your transformation until after this fiasco with Victoria is over. However, in nine short days, we will be married, and then you will be joining us in our immortality together," Edward looked at her sincerely. He smirked to himself as he read the crushed thoughts of the approaching wolf. Bella gave him a confused look, "Edward you know I don't want anyone to know yet. It would hurt too many people knowing that I will no longer be human soon. Why bring this up now?" Her eyes scanning the road for the Rabbit to pull up. She really did not want to have this conversation now, not when Jake could pull up any moment. However, she wasn't looking in the right direction. And grimaced when she heard him speak, "Is this true? Is this true that not only are you marrying him, but you are being transformed right after? And what about your friends, your mom, Charlie, me...? Do we not mean anything to you that you could make a decision like this without talking it through? Do we really mean so little to you?" Bella turned around and lost her breath. The look of devastation in his eyes was slowly killing her. She went to speak, "Jake, I...". However, it was too late. He had torn away from them and phased on the fly, shredding his clothes. She heard the most heart wrenching howl, and she fell to the ground in tears. Edward smiled internally at the events. It went down exactly as planned. He rushed over to Bella's side to play the doting fiancée. He heard her gasp as she cried, "You knew he was there. You knew he was listening. You KNEW I was expecting him by car, and that's the only reason I would even broached the subject with you. Why? Why would you do that to him? To me? You already have me. Why rub it in his face?" "Isabella, my love. He had a right to know. He had a right to prepare himself for your departure. We weren't being fair to us, or him, by tangling you in front of him, like he still had a chance." Bella asked to be taken home alone. She needed time to think on how to make this right again.
Jake raced home, those Pack members already phased, picked up on his heartbreak and anger. They tried to offer words of comfort and support in his outrage. All Jake needed, no all he WANTED, was to be left alone. "QUIET!", he screamed, and surprisingly the Pack went silent. There was a snap within the Pack mind, as if there was a shift within them all. "I need time to be alone, I need time to think for a moment, Please... I just need a moment to grieve," Jake stated. The Pack remained silent, they were not sure if it was because of his plea, or because of the command. They needed to talk to Sam quickly to see if he felt it too. Jake phased back to his human form, and stormed into his garage. He could sense a surge in power as he walked, like each step was amping him up. He ripped the door to the garage off the frame, and proceeded to smash everything in his sight. This place, those items, all reminded him of her. He could still smell her, Strawberries and vanilla. When he could find nothing else to smash, he fell to the ground crying. "What was this all for? Was it all a game to her? Protect my humanity from the leech, until the leech I want comes and steals it away from me. Was any of it real for her? Was he always the place holder in her life? The understudy? The Pal? The Rebound guy? Keep me working until something better come along. And the worse part about it, was he foolishly hoped he was still fighting for her. It was all a facade, and act to get the Pack to protect her so that those leeches could be safe. Whether she was in on the trick or not, they had been played. They were played on their sense of duty for the protection for humanity. But these creatures, they were worse then the red eyed vampires. No these deceptive demons hid behind civility, when they planned to kill just as easily as any other Vamp. One of the worse thing was..., no the actual worse thing was, he had dragged every one of his Pack mates on this ride with them. They tried to get him to walk away countless times, but he rebuffed them. He defended her humanity to his brothers and sister. He plead with them to protect the love of his life. He had ignored the fact he had never imprinted on her. Said it didn't matter, it was his choice. Maybe the spirits were right though. If it was meant to be, it would of happened. Perhaps his Pack was right, she was poison." Jake was still hugging himself on the ground when the radio was heard crackling in the background. It must have kicked on during his tear down of the garage. He crawled over and found an oldies station. He listed to an old song his Dad used to sing to his mom:
Sometime in the morning
A simple thought may occur to you,
And you hold her,
And tell her all the things you never told her.
Your love has shown me things
I never thought I could see;
I didn't know
It could be done so easily.
Now I know
You're where it is for me.
Sometime in the evening
You're sitting there by the fireside
And she'll touch you
And you'll realize how much you never knew before,
How much you couldn't see.
You didn't know
It could be done so easily
Now you know
She's all a girl could be.
Now in her childlike eyes
You see the beauty there
You know it was always there
And you need no longer wear a disguise.
Sometime in the morning
You'll just reach out and she will be there,
Close as the summer air.
Sometime in the morning she will be there.
He knew there would never be a time like that for him and Bella. She could never see that she was perfect the way she was. She was blinded by the allure of the Cullens, and the false perfection they projected. The Cullens may have had money and eternal youth, but what else did they have. They could never enjoy walking out in the sun, or the comfort of a cool breeze floating against your skin on a warm summer day. They were slaves to their thirst. Always on guard, to never loose control around humans. They were always in fear that their bloodlust would overwhelm them. You never saw a human salivating in a cow field trying to reign in their thirst or hunger at a delicious looking bovine. No she gave up on life, on her family on her humanity. And if she no longer valued these qualities, well then it was time to stop protecting them. He loved her, but it was time to let her go, before she could impart any more damage to the Pack or the Tribe. Once again, he felt a new shift in power, a new resolve. He felt a new calling to step up for his Pack and Tribe. He walked into his house and grabbed some clothes. He noticed immediately that they were small on him. He looked in the mirror, and he confirmed once again he had grown. If he had to guess, he would say he was as tall, if not taller than Sam now. He noticed Billy was not home to witness his fallout, and he was thankful. Grabbing something to eat quickly, he then raced out the door. They were scheduled to meet up in a few hours with the Cullens.
As Jake approached Sam's me noticed everyone was there. He nodded to everyone as he walked by, and they lowered their eyes, and heads as he passed. He finally walked up to Sam. "Sam, I'm not sure what has happened. I suspect, but I'm not 100% sure. I just want you to know that I never sought this out. I wasn't looking for this. But it happened. Are we good? Or did we need to fight this out?" Sam looked Jake in the eye, and then started laughing. "Yeah Jake, I felt it too. You're Alpha now. I can't say it's happened at the most opportune time, but it happened nonetheless. And do I want to fight you for it? I was only the steward for the position until you were ready for it. It your's now Jake, so what are we doing?" Jacob blew out the breath he was holding and spoke, "Thanks Sam. I want to thank you my brothers and sister. I want to thank you for your patience, guidance and support. I've never been the perfect Pack mate, but I want to strive to be a better Alpha. We are going to meet with the Cullens as planned tonight. However, we will not be going there with the same intentions as last night. I have failed you and this tribe in the past by putting my wants and needs above others, and of this Tribe. That stops now. I want us all to phase, so that I can give you the complete picture for how I envision our futures. Please join me on this journey." With that they all phased, and listened intently on what their new Alpha had to say.
Bella was a wreck by time Edward picked her up. He could not get her to settle down, and he insisted that she stay home tonight. She refused stating that the safest place would be in that field with everyone else tonight. If he didn't want to take her, then she would have Alice come and get her. She had to figure out a way to apologize to Jake, but she was coming up short. What he had said to her made her realize how selfish she was in all the behind the back planning for immortality. She hoped to salvage some form of their friendship. Edward was nervously driving towards the training grounds. Apparently his lesson to the mutt had an unforeseen consequence. Alice accosted him when he got home about what had happened. It would seem that she could now see all their futures again, after having been previously blinded by the Pack upon their agreement to entering the upcoming battle. Now there future looked frightening, and it appears as though some of them would be on the run. Others disappeared completely. He didn't know what was going to happen tonight, and he did not want Bella there to witness the confrontation. He never liked her involvement when he couldn't control the outcome. The Cullens had been sitting in the training grounds for over an hour. Bella was more anxious than anyone else, and not even Jasper could level her out. Suddenly, the Vampires could hear...whistling? Edward tried to probe the mind of the person coming towards them, but only could hear the words of the song being whistled, "Come and Get Your Love" by Redbone. Edward rolled his eyes at Black's childish behavior. As he casually stepped through the brush, the rest of the Cullens noticed he was not in wolf form, and he was alone. Carlisle noticed that something was off about him, "Greetings, Jacob. It's good to see you tonight. How much longer until your other Pack mates show up?" Jacob grinned, " Yeah about that. They won't be showing up tonight, or for the battle." Everyone stood their shocked. Bella could not believe what she had just heard, "Their not coming. They won't help us?" Carlisle cleared his throat, "Um, and this comes from your Alpha? I mean I am confused about why you would withdraw your protection of Bella." Jake sighed, "Well, as I am now Alpha of the Pack. Then yes it does, and of our counsel. And regarding Ms. Swan, soon to be Mrs. Edward Cullen, it was brought to our attention, that she would soon be giving up her humanity, to join your coven. As a result of this decision, it does not make any sense to my tribe, to possibly loose the lives of our young Quileute sons and daughter's lives to defend some foolish girl who doesn't value it either. This is a Forks matter, which your Coven is responsible for. However, please note that as a result of your desire to change this young woman's life from human to vampire, that you are now in violation of the Treaty you signed with my forefathers. As a result, we will expect you out of our domain within four days. Failure to comply will result in our hunting you down where ever you choose to hide in the Olympic region. Furthermore, if you were to return to these lands for any reason, we will hold no nothing back in ending your miserable existence. I wish you well, and suggest you start packing for your departure." The Cullens didn't know how to respond. They could only guess who had divulged this news about Bella's future to the Wolves, and now their very lives were in jeopardy. They all glared at Edward. Hearing their thoughts, made him feel foolish for his jealousy, but his arrogance about being put into his place by this creature who was so beneath him, couldn't help him keep his mouth shut, "You claim to love her, yet you abandoned her at her time of need. You claim the role of Alpha, yet you make impulsive moves in a moment of childish grief. What kind of man are you?" Jake turned around with a smile on his face, and answered, "1) Do I claim to love her? I did and do, and that is why I won't tear her heart apart any longer trying to choose between us anymore. I love her enough to let her have the life she so desperately craves, I am only ensuring she gets to that life sooner. No need for false situations, just bite her today, and leave with her burning corpse. Just please do it outside our domain. 2) I am the Alpha, and as Alpha, I need to put the needs of my Pack and tribe, above those of a girl whom I have a crush on. Just as your leader tried to hide the truth about your intentions to manipulate us into fighting for you, when you planned to sneak away with the girl in the end. 3) What kind of man am I? Well, I am an alive, hot blooded, and breathing human being, fighting for the safety of his people, which when last checked, did not involve any of you. Unlike you, a damned corpse forced to steal the life force around you, including your betrothed lying there. Now if it were me, I would have been holding her this entire time trying to soothe her. But you chose to ignore her while she suffers, to satisfy your embarrassment at exposing your covens secrets. That's what twice or three times now for you? I wonder, hmmm... 1) Exposed yourself to Bella. 2) Exposed her existence to those Voultures and your family's involvement in exposing your nature to a human, and 3) Your spiteful plans to marry and change Bella, just to show me up. You're a real winner there Eddy, I can see why they keep you around." Outraged Edward pressed on, "So what you expect us to just cower now!" "No, no," Jacob laughed, "I expect you to die. Either by the hands of Victoria and her newborns as they track you down, or by us, if you fail to leave." And as he returned to the tree lines, Jake shouted, "So long Cullens, don't make me keep my promise now. Leave while you still can."
As the Cullens prepared to regroup, they saw Bella collapsed on the forest floor. It had started to rain, and Bella was in shock. "He left me. He left me...". Edward cringed as he saw the picture in front of him, it was the same one that haunted him from the memories of the Pack when they found Bella after he left. They had to get moving, if Alice's visions were to be believed, they wouldn't have much time to get a head start before Victoria caught up with them. And now it would seem, that a Volturi scout party was coming to check on Bella's status. The Cullens knew they could not change Bella now, while she was in the mental state she was in. They couldn't predict what kind of newborn they would have on their hands. They knew Vampirism enhanced certain features in the afterlife, and they were afraid of what a depressed Bella would be like as a newborn. Jake stayed down wind as the Cullens packed up and fled. They had told Charlie that the kids eloped, and they hadn't heard anything from them since. As the Cullens loaded the last vehicle, and started to depart, Jake let out a howl, that was followed soon after by additional voices, letting the Cullens know they were being watched. Bella upon hearing the familiar Russet howl turned momentarily towards it, and then sank back into her depression. Never to see her father, home or wolf again. The Pack continued to patrol their newly recovered territory. They had continued to train with the tips they had picked up from Jasper. They never did see Victoria, but they did take out some of the stragglers of her army. Some had been on their way to LaPush and some had made their way to Forks. Sam lead up the team defending the tribe, while Jake, Quil, Embry and Leah rushed towards Forks. They were chasing down three Vampires who had broken off. Jake had guessed that they were on their way towards Charlie's, he never mentioned Bella anymore. They still must be tracking her scent. The newborns were cutting a quick path, but Jake and his team quickly caught up to them. The team was quick and worked together to dispatch the newborns before they caused any real damage.
However, they weren't entirely quick or quiet enough. Charlie was awoken by the sounds of screeching metal. He got dressed to investigate. Meanwhile, Jake received work from Sam that all newborns on Quileute land were dispatched. Jared was left in charge of Seth and the younger wolves to patrol and dispose of any further evidence of the battle. Paul and Sam soon joined Jake downwind of Charlie's as they too were disposing of any evidence. They were quickly distracted by a small group of grey cloaked figures that approached Charlie's house. By the stench that Embry was picking up, these were blood drinkers. He watched as they knocked on the front door. A disheveled looking Charlie answered the door. It saddened Jake to see this Charlie, his father knew this look, from the last time Bella left when she was a child. "Yeah, what can I do for you," Charlie asked. The figures removed their hoods, and Charlie gasped. He didn't know who or what these things on his porch were, but looking into their unholy eyes, reminded him of the same uniformity found in the Cullens topaz colored eyes. His eyes widened as he now thought of the danger his daughter must be in with her new husband. "My apologies for disturbing you at this late hour. But we are friends of the Cullens and need to contact them desperately," both Embry and Charlie could hear the child like voice of the small blond hair girl in front of Charlie. Charlie replied gruffly, "I have no idea where any of those bastards are. They took my daughter and fled town like thieves in the night claiming the kids got married somewhere." "Oh that is unfortunate. We were supposed to check in with them while we were here," came that same childlike voice. "Jake, I don't like the way this is going here", Embry thought. "Okay, there are six of us and four of them. I don't want any jerking around here. Quicks kills with headshots. If these are those Vultures, then some of these freaks have special powers. We should have the advantage that even if they smell us, they may not put two and two together to know what we are. So let's take them out quickly. Once you are done with the one I give you, help the others. Leah you take out the chick. (Wonderful, oh Alpha my Alpha, Leah thought.) Paul and Sam you guys are on that huge dude. (Understood Jake, Sam said. On it Baby Alpha, thought Paul). Quil and Embry, you guys take out little freak number two. (Got it Jake, they replied at the same time). I've got the last one." The wolves crept up closer to the scene. "Well as I stated I can't help you. Arggh," Charlie suddenly grunted. He looked at the face of the girl in front of him. She was glaring at him, like he was doing something wrong to her. In the meantime it felt like someone was poking needles on his skin. Not painful per se, but very annoying. Jane frustrated stated, "Not another one!" Her brother turned to her and said, "What is it Jane?" With that the Pack lunged at the scene in front of them. Charlie fell backwards into the door frame and quickly kicked closed the door behind him. Jane who was caught up in her frustration, never got a chance to put anyone else down with her power. Leah had made quick work of her and ran with the head to the previously burning fire and tossed it in. Felix was struggling against Paul and Sam. He had managed to kick Paul into the tree line, but Sam was able to tear off a leg. Leah who was just finishing up Jane, joined Sam until Paul returned. She was worried about the others. Quil and Embry had their hands full to. Their Vampire was a special ability one. Quil had about to rip it's head off when his senses cut out, Embry who had his arm, was in a similar predicament. Paul who was just re-entering the engagement quickly cam up with a solution, and told them to watch the scene through his eyes. Once they got used to the new perspective, they quickly finished off this leech. Loud screeching noises would be heard from Sam and Leah, who had finished off their opponents. Meanwhile Jake and Demetri had been taking swipes at each other. This bloodsucker was good Jake hated to admit it. As he was circling he noticed that everyone else's fights seemed to have ended. He rolled his eyes, "Well if you are all done taking your break, then get your asses over here and help me kill this leech. It was a dog pile as all six wolves circled and then descended on the lone Vampire. He too was soon dispatched and thrown into the pyre. Just as they were about to head home, Jake heard a gun shot, then he felt a burning sensation sever his spine near his lower back. He quickly departed the Pack mind, and shifted back to his human form.
Charlie stood appalled at not only what he had just seen, but done as well. He ran to Jacob' shivering body, and was soon joined by the rest of Jacob's Pack mates. "What the hell just happened! I know I shot an animal," Charlie exclaimed. "Relax Charlie. You did, but we don't have time to argue right now. We need to get Jake in the truck and get him to Sue," Sam stated. "Son he needs a hospital and a surgery at this moment" Charlie said. He watched as he saw Jacob loaded by his friends into Bella's truck. "Chief I cannot explain everything to you at this moment , but follow us up to Billy's as soon as you can. Can you get us the truck keys?," Sam asked. Charlie ran into the house for the keys to the truck and his squad car. They quickly got to Billy's, Sue was waiting with her medical bag. While they waited for Sue to work on Jake, Billy explained what he could to Charlie about the Pack, and the truth about Bella, Charlie's grief held no bounds that morning, not only had he lost his daughter, but he wounded his best friend's son. Charlie didn't know how much more he could handle. When Jake went down, Sam filled back into the Alpha role. He quickly dispersed teams to cover all their borders. Now that they were covering Forks again they were going to be stretched out a little thin for a while. Sam, Leah and Paul were given one task to accomplish once this newborn attack was over. The three of them quickly raced to the Cullen's house. Jake knew of the entire Pack, these three hated the bloodsuckers most for what they became and lost, due to the coven returning to the Fork's region. The three wolves quickly did what they had to, and then shifted back to their wolf forms. They stood there as they watched the place light up in flames, and there were howls celebrating the destruction of the symbol of their plightst into the world of the supernatural. Once they heard the sirens of the Fire and Police departments approaching, they raced back home. Charlie got a small smile on his face as his deputies tried to call him in off duty to investigate the Cullen fire. He told them there was a family emergency and for them to handle it, and then returned to his vigil with Billy. Finally, Sue came out of Jacob's room. Her face was solemn, she had sent Quil to his grandfather's to get every pain herb that Old Quil has stored. "I got the bullet out, but I'm not a surgeon. I've seen these surgeries before, but I don't have the hand or knowledge to repair what needs to be repaired," Sue cried. "Sue, what are you trying to tell us?," asked Billy. "I don't know if he'll ever walk again. I don't know if I did enough," Sue stated. "I'm a monster. All that boy tried to do was save my worthless ass. All he tried to do was heal and love my daughter. The Pack had won, no one was damaged, nothing. Then I walked out, and, and... how Billy, how can I ever look at either of you again, after what my family's done to you, taken from you," Charlie lamented. Billy sighed, "Chief you are my best friend. You were there for me and my family when Sarah died, and I was a drunkenly, blubbering mess who couldn't hold a fork. I'm afraid I've let you down. If I didn't hold these secrets so sacred and trusted what my guts told me, and brought you in at the beginning, then perhaps some of this could've been avoided. I could never hate you Charlie, and I know Jake would say the same thing. Let's just live with what we've got, instead of lamented on what has occurred, and is no longer in our control." Billy slapped Charlie on the back and both men went to check up on Jake not knowing what the future may hold for them now.
Isle Esme
Bella had remained catatonic since that day in the forest when Jacob demanded the Cullens leave Forks. She had only mildly stirred out of it the day they left Forks upon hearing the wolves howl. Carlisle and the family were at their wits end on what to do about her. Edward had hoped that the serenity of the Island would've soothed her back to health, but alas nothing would get through the shield Bella had erected around herself. Nothing he tried was working. He just couldn't reach her, not like the mutt had when Edward departed Fork's to protect Bella. Alice gasped, as did Edward when he read her mind. The Volturi original scout party had disappeared from her visions. What could this mean? Had they simply gone home? They were expecting them here in few more days, according to the last vision's Alice had of them. As they were contemplating these questions, Bella sat up screaming, "It burns, someone help me!" We all rushed forward. "Bella, love. What burns?" Bella was crying at this point, "My back, something is wrong with my back." Carlisle and Edward carefully turned her over to examine her back, and that is when we noticed the inflammatory tissue around the spine. "Carlisle, what does this mean? What's happening to her?," Edward asked. Carlisle replied, "I don't know Edward. This is beyond me." And with that they both turned back to the girl who after her short outburst, returned back into herself. "He left me. He left me."