Title: Letting Go
Author: Melissa
Characters: Jacob, Bella, Edward
Rating: G
Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight. Jacob, Bella and Edward are all creations of Stephenie Meyer and they belong to her.
Summary: Jacob returns after leaving at the end of Eclipse and attends Bella and Edward's wedding. Jacob's POV.
Warning: Spoilers through Eclipse.

You sit in the far back so as not to draw attention to yourself, though you know that her father saw you walk in and you see him shooting you looks that appear to silently beg you not to ruin her day, but also for you to protect her. You catch his eye once and nod, because what else can you do?

You look up at the reason you're all gathered there in the clearing and you vaguely entertain the query of whether it was by his insistence or hers that this wasn't taking place in a church before getting a visual of God striking him down the moment he stepped one unholy foot into the building. The thought made you smile a bit.

You look at him now, remembering. Remembering that you without a doubt and with every fiber of your being hate him, and yet you have an unfaltering sense of gratitude toward him, because without him she might never have come to you that day. You remember everything as the last two years replay in your head. Really meeting her after all those years down at the beach, him leaving and the two of you becoming best friends, and then falling in love with each other. And then her leaving you. Choosing him over you.

It hurts to think about it, but you know you wouldn't trade it for the world.

So there you sit, watching the exchange of vows and silently wishing that Sam hadn't finally talked a bit of sense into you and convinced you to come back. Your heart feels like it's being cut out slowly with a butter knife and you long to be the wolf again, running freely through the mountain passes, not a care in the world and no one around you to make you remember. You watch as he slips the ring onto her finger and you feel the tears slipping down your face. Somehow that ring makes it more real, because now there's physical evidence that she belongs to him and that soon he would take her life and make her your enemy.

Suddenly it's become too much for you and you shoot out of your seat, the chair flinging to the side and clanging loudly on the chair next to you.

The entire meadow has gone silent and all eyes are on you. You try not to, but your eyes find hers and for a moment he's gone again and your back at La Push, fixing motorcycles and laughing and talking to insane hours in the night. But just as quickly as that moment came, it passes. There's infinite sadness and longing in her eyes - whether it's for you to be with her or for you to leave, you don't know - and you're far too aware that this is the first time you've seen her since she made her choice that night.. since she said goodbye.

She called you her sun in the darkness and you remember what you said to her - "The clouds I can handle. But I can't fight with an eclipse" - and it dawns on you that her sun will forever be shrouded with darkness, that there's no need for you to try and shine for her because she doesn't need you anymore. She's happy with him and it's better for her if her sun were to never shine on her again.

Another tear slips down your face and you notice a matching tear on her cheek. He wipes it away and she's looking back into his blackened eyes. She looks back at you almost apologetically and you nod.

You hadn't been sure why exactly you had excepted his invitation, but now you realize that this is why. You had to be one hundred percent sure you knew what her choice would be. You had to give her the option one more time before letting go.

"Goodbye Bella," you whisper, and though you know that with her still human hearing, that she can't hear the words, she knows exactly what you said. She nods back at you, giving you another sad smile and you take the opportunity to take one more glance at her, taking in her beauty one more time, knowing soon she won't be Bella anymore.

You turn away with the image of her forever etched into your memory and walk into the darkened cloud filled day.

My first Twilight fic. Lemme know what you thought.

Melissa