Written for lillbet during a drabble meme on LiveJournal. This is meant to take place between "New Moon" and "Eclipse," primarily because at the time, that was as far as I'd gotten in the series. Rated T.
Cell Phone Tango
With Edward back in town, it is easy enough for Bella to slip back into the same routine she followed when she first arrived in Forks. Suddenly, there is no longer anyone to impress, no mortal friends to try and shoehorn into her life so Charlie won't make good on his threat to ship her off to a shrink - or worse, her mother. Suddenly, there isn't even Jacob, who made her feel independent and beautiful, whereas she fears she will only ever be clumsy and painfully human to the Cullens.
More than anything, Bella feels guilty when she thinks about Jacob. She more than used him; she took advantage of his strength and generosity to keep herself alive. Still, trying to stay in contact with him after Italy proves to be a chore, either because Edward always seems to be there, skulking around a corner whenever Jacob chances to call, or he's too busy doing werewolf things to care about life outside of La Push. "Is Cullen there?" he asks on a rare former occasion. "Is he reading my thoughts right now?"
"Jake, come on," Bella pleads, but glances at Edward, staring broodily at her from the living room. She lowers her voice, more for formality than because it will do any good: "I don't think he can over the phone, anyway."
"Yes I can," Edward affirms, arms crossed. "Tell him he stinks."
"Hey, tell Count Fagula over there that I'll take him any day of the week-"
"Look, don't use me as a go-between!" Bella screeches, and chucks the receiver at Edward, who catches it neatly in one perfect hand.
"Make my day, Dog-Boy," he murmurs into the mouthpiece. He hangs up before the stream of obscenities that Jacob begins firing off can fully come to fruition, and then quirks his eyebrow. "You shouldn't throw things, Bella," he tsks.
"Argh!" Bella exclaims. She considers going off on yet another lecture about the treaty and the Volturi's wishes and how Edward's not the only bloodsucker who can turn her if he wants to get uppity about it; she is interrupted by a beeping noise. "Is that Carlisle?" Bella asks curiously as Edward slides his $600 phone out of his jacket pocket and begins rapidly punching keys.
"Mmm," is Edward's vague response. During a 'Heroes' marathon, he is similarly preoccupied. "What's going on?" Bella asks again, but Edward pretends (poorly) not to hear her.
A week or so later, her vampire boyfriend's newfound texting obsession has yet to abate. Mystified, Bella waits for the right opportunity; she finds it when Charlie is home early-ish for dinner - he and Edward sit across from one another, basking in thinly-veiled hatred. Excusing herself, Bella nabs Edward's Blackberry as she passes by the coat rack, and then locks herself in the bathroom.
Edward's inbox is roughly half-and-half Alice and Jacob. Bella isn't sure how he acquired Jacob's number, but then decides that Edward's a fucking vampire and this is a moot point. "U bite nebody & my boyzll fuk u up", reads the most recent message. Later: "lol at least i can b around her when shes on her period asshole!" By contrast, Alice's texts are almost comedically polite: "Pleaz put gas in car, and pick up sum milk - just kidding! :)"
Angrily, Bella sets to work deleting the texts. She's rifling through the address book, lost in her own fuming, when a knock on the door interrupts her. "Shit!" she yells as the Blackberry slips through her fingers and plunks neatly into the toilet bowl.
"Oh, sorry," Charlie mutters. "Hey, when you get done in there, can you help Edward look for his phone? He thinks he may have left it here."