Tranquillity

This is set immediately after Edward's departure in New Moon; it is what might/could/should have happened. These characters are Stephenie Meyer's I have just transferred my ideas and perceptions of them into words.

Jacob rolled over on his cramped camp bed and sighed. It was well into the early hours of the morning and he was still wide awake. His mind danced fitfully around one grand topic; Isabella Swan. Whenever he was with her, he felt warm and safe – as if nothing could go wrong as long as they were together. Whenever he was away from her, he felt as if he were missing a leg – no, he would rather be missing a leg. Jacob had felt this way for years in the innocent abyss of childhood. He could remember every aspect of that day, from the unusually good summer weather – cloud rather than rain – to the little strawberry hair-clips in her hair. He was seven years old, she was six and a half. His dad and Charlie had cooked up a plan for their kids to play together so they could watch the game and drink beer without being disturbed. Jacob remembered pulling up to Charlie's house, being told to be nice and the excitement of making a new friend. Even at the age of six, hiding behind her father's legs, Bella had him. Though shy at first, they were soon the best of friends, conquering invisible pirates and saving their kingdoms together. This would last until either Bella injured herself in some way or it got too dark and he had to go home. This was repeated every time she visited - until she stopped visiting.

Jacob ran his hands through his hair and massaged his temples. They hadn't seen each other for years when they were most recently reunited. Bella had transformed from the cute little girl who was his fellow swashbuckler into a beautiful, still-clumsy seventeen-year-old. He had tried to spend as much time with her as he could back then, for what he assumed was just a crush. He decided now that it was love. Jacob smiled, and said to himself, "I Love You, Bells."

The problem was that she would never love him. That insufferable leech got his fangs into her and ripped her heart out. He was left with a broken Bella and her shattered heart. He was stuck being a shoulder to cry on, a good friend, while constantly longing for more. Jacob's mind flitted back to a memory from a couple of weeks ago. He had been pumping weights, wanting to finally beat Quill at arm wrestling, when the phone rang. It was Charlie. "Thank the Lord, Jacob! It's Bella - I'm really worried about her. I found her last night, unconscious, in the woods… all alone." said Charlie, his agitation obvious. Jacobs's heart dropped to his knees, and he gripped the phone with shaking hands. "Please come and speak to her, she's in such a bad way! She cries and cries inconsolably, she didn't get a wink of sleep - she just screams and cries. The only thing I've got out of her is that he left her, that filthy scum left her and moved to God knows where. Please, Jacob? I know you two haven't seen much of each other since she's been with him, but she really needs you!" Charlie's voice was desperate with emotion. "Of course, Charlie, I'll be right over!" Jacob said hurriedly, slamming the phone down, and grabbing his shirt and deodorant on the way out. He dried his face on a towel, and applied liberal deodorant before chucking it on the couch and slamming the door. He jumped in his van and pulled on the shirt. He drove fast, fuelled by anger and worry. Never before had he jumped her porch steps so fast. Charlie ushered him into Bella's room. He looked at her on the floor, her knees pulled up to her chest, with her head buried between them. He cautiously walked over and put a hand on her back. He noticed that Charlie had left them alone. She was shaking violently, and with each silent sob her body lurched forward as though she were about to vomit.

"Bella, it's gonna be ok, it's alright. Come here," he whispered gently, picking up her hand. He stroked her hair, while muttering comforts to her. Slowly she lifted her head, her face was red and puffy, her soft brown eyes drowning in salty sorrow. Her bottom lip was shaking and her chin was quivering. He wanted nothing more than to gather her in his arms and take away all her pain. "Bells, what happened?" he said gingerly. One fat tear spilled over her eyelashes and rolled down her cheek. She looked him in the eyes, and he swore he could see her pain. "He left. I... I wasn't good enough for him." She gasped for air between each word, stuttering with remorse.
"Bella, Edward has made the biggest mistake of his life, or rather afterlife. He has no right, not even for a second, to flirt with the idea that he deserves you, let alone decide you are not good enough!" Rage welled up inside him, but now was the time to comfort, not to seek revenge.
"I love him though, Jake! He was fine until he started to think that I would get hurt. It was just a... just a stupid accident!" She crawled onto his lap with a sob, and buried her head in his shoulder. At any other time Jacob would have been beside himself, but now he didn't even notice her unintentional positioning. He stroked her long burgundy hair and whispered quietly into her ear, in a way that made her hiccough and stop crying;

"Bella, people like Edward hide behind their fancy romantic words and their mysterious personalities, but when kick comes to shove, they run. He left you instead of protecting you, he chose the easier route for himself. You love him and this is gonna be hard for you, but I'm here, I'm your friend and I will always be here for you. I will always protect you and I would rather die than run from you." Jacob said, his hands shaking with anger. Bella pulled her head back so she could look at his face. Her forehead was tainted by a wrinkle of confusion. Her beautiful chocolate eyes searched his face for an answer. Slowly she said,
"Jake, you are the nicest person I've ever met and I'm sorry for acting so selfish." Jake looked at her and said simply, "Bella, you have no need to apologise for the way you are acting, you can do whatever the hell you please after what that leech did to you." Her expression became surprised and she made to defend Edward, but Jacob cut her off. "I'm the one who needs to apologise, because God help me if I ever come into contact with that foul creature he will wish he had died back in pre-history when he was supposed to!" A small tear fell from Bella's eye - not because she had started to cry again, but because she was exhausted emotionally. Jacob saw this, and picking her up, he placed her in her bed and wrapped her up in the quilt. She was already asleep when he whispered good night.

Jacob came back to the present with a jolt. He looked around his shoe-box room and sighed at the pointlessness of attempting to sleep. He padded across his house in his old sweatpants and went out onto the front porch. Jake looked across the Res at all his friends' and neighbours' house and into the forest, then finally up at the moon. It was low, full and milky white. He looked up at it for a few moments. He felt a deep calm - the tranquillity before the storm...

With the help of the wonderful Alyssa Felixa this chapter has been edited and my errors have been fixed. There should be no need to re-read