Chapter One

Broken Pieces

It had all turned into a blur before my eyes … what had happened? I kept rolling that question around in my mind, only to come up with a blank question mark of an answer and yet I had been there, I had seen it ... All of it.

One minute Ness and I were recalling memories we held dear and then the next, she was out to it. Cold and shaky, against me, spite my attempts in keeping her warm, that had worked for a while. After she passed out, I panicked. I didn't know what to do, because I didn't know what had happened.

The pack had heard my howl for help. Seth had ran and found Edward and Carlisle to brought them up to the cabin. It was just a blurring memory after that—like a video on fast forward.

Carlisle didn't speak a word of what was wrong with her to begin with, but the expression on his and Edward's face stirred my wolf to his core—not helping the glaring, glance of death, Edward gave me whenever he heard my thoughts of wonder and worry. Like I didn't have the right to question what was going on with her!

Carlisle spoke so fast while checking her over in the cabin, I hadn't caught a single sentence, but then I heard the words 'hypothermia' and 'baby.' My mind was racing, as I tried to slow it. I tried to keep up and give them any information she had given me, but both of them seemed to block me out as they ran up to the house through a blur in the snow. I wasn't even able to keep up with their pace—shockingly. Slowly, I began to feel like it was my entire fault.

Bella was already home when we reached the house. but of course, I was left with the rotten job of holding her back downstairs as the others pitched in the help with Ness. I didn't know how I was able to do it, but I was able to calm down the two of us, without getting my head ripped off … say what you will about Bells, but when she got pissed, she got pissed and she got even. She didn't put up with any shit, including my own.

Maybe it was the state of shock I was in … or maybe I was dreaming, some god awful nightmare. Whatever it was, reality or nightmares, it didn't feel real. I wondered if Bella felt the same way as we sat together in the lounge room, if you could call it that. It was basically bare.

As I glanced at her face, I could see the pained expression hidden under her golden-vampire eyes. If she could cry, I knew she would. I just wished they had said what was wrong with Ness. It was ripping my heart in half. With the look of fear on Bella's face, I wondered if she could hear more than I was able to. All the doors were shut upstairs. I couldn't hear any of their words or footsteps.

After somehow falling asleep, I woke wincing at a pain in my stomach through the icy cold night. I bit down on my lip and searched the room for Bella, only to see Alice blurring up the stairs wearing what I thought was baby pink clothing. I shook my head and winced again.

I had to be seeing things. Baby pink didn't suit Alice and she had to know that. She was the shopper of the house after all.

I must have passed out again after that, as I didn't wake until the morning sun was beginning to shed its cheer over the horizon of mountains, now shining through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the fancy house, floored with vinyl. The weird thing was … I hadn't even felt tired. What the hell was going on with me? Apparently,

I had woken to hear Bella's hushed voice, cooing my name. Opening my eyes, I found the hazed. I lightly rubbed the fog away. With a thumping, strumming its way through my head, I felt like I had a hangover, which was weird when I never got anyway unless I had been heavily drinking, which I obviously hadn't.

Looking up to Bella, from lying sprawled out in the couch; I saw she was holding something in pink blankets. I blinked and shook my head. The dull morning light, weirdly, stung my eyes. I groaned as Bella moved to sit beside me with a smile on her face, but there was something else there. Something I couldn't put my finger on.

Groaning, running my hands against the soft white leather into a sitting up, I rubbed my eyes once more and looked down to what she was holding. It was a tiny little thing. The pink blanket was wrapped around her waist and chest. It had creamy skin and the tiniest little hands. For some reason, it didn't connect.

"Meet your daughter, Jake," she smiled, handing her over.

I blinked wide, feeling shock abruptly course through my veins. I didn't know what to say, or what was expected of me to say.

All that could seep from my voice box, was, "What happen?"

Looking down to the baby girl in my arms, I smiled wrapping my arms around her in the baby-pink blanket, covered in white hearts. I felt my own heart swell in my chest, with an overwhelmed feeling of joy now flowing through me. I bit down on my lip, feeling my eyes turn wet. She was beautiful and so sweet, but felt even smaller in my arms. Her eyes opened, flashing a brilliant ocean blue. Never, had I seen eyes with such life before. I could already see the guys lining up at the door for her.

I looked to Bella when she didn't answer. "Bells?"

Hearing a whimpering sound come from her, I bit painfully down on my lip and wrapped my arm around her shoulders. Suddenly, I felt my heart strumming with panic. What was going on?! Bella's head rested on my shoulder as she dryly cried. I was fighting back my own tears now.

"What happen?" I repeated through a whisper. I had to know.

"Jake… Ness is in bad shape. Carlisle's done all he can for her. The baby put her temperature down, she had hypothermia. They don't know how she's going to get through the night."

My jaw fell as my eyes closed, barely keeping myself in contact. "What's going to happen to her?"

She shook her head. "You don't want to know, Jacob."

Tears blurred my gaze as I watched Bella's face, shaking my head in disprovable. No… they couldn't… no! Handing the baby back to Bella, I wrenched myself out of the couch and ran outside shaking to the point my body was hurting, hardly keeping in control of myself. This was the Volturi's fault! If they hadn't come, she would have fine!

I ran for the forest, tears rushing down my red flushed cheeks. I wiped them away with the back of my wrist, finding the cliffs of La Push before I expected it.

I sat back amongst the dead, russet-red needles lying below the thick trunk of a pine-tree. Its rough bark pressed into the muscles of my back, but I couldn't have cared less, my chest and heart hurt more. Resting my head against my knees, my arms wrapped around my knees.

This couldn't be happening! It just couldn't be! I felt my heart racing, my chest rising and falling against my knees in an unbelievable pace. My mind was racing, I was seething but not phasing—I didn't want the pack to know. They'd hate Renesmee if they turned her. Most of the pack still didn't accept the Cullens like Seth and I did.

"Jake?" I heard a deep voice speak out of nowhere. He must have been out on patrol

"Go away Sam!" I mumbled the order into my knees, not bothering to lift my head. I couldn't face him now. I knew he'd just tell me to man up and get over it. Even know he understood imprinting, Sam still didn't seem to understand the Cullens like I did, or the connection Nessie and I had from day one of when Bella had come home during her pregnancy.

He sighed and I heard his footsteps stop just behind me. Oh how I wished an alpha order worked on other alphas!

"What's wrong? Ness not giving you enough?" he joked with a chuckle, making an obvious tempt at lighting the atmosphere. I didn't have to lift my head to know he was rubbing the back of neck, awkwardly, from where he stood.

Not saying a word, I smelt the scent of rain flowing on the breeze and the atmosphere change. Before I had been hearing rabbits scampering about and an owl flying around, deer grazing near the shoreline and a crow calling overhead, but now it had all falling to silence apart from the breeze rustling tree branches and long fallen leaves.

Three… two … one, rain, I thought, trying to calm myself within nature. The very instantly I thought the word, it came down in icy drops that were so cold it felt like it seared my skin upon impact. But I didn't care. It could leave scars or wounds; all I had to live for was going. I could feel it in my heart, our lives seeping away with every second that now passed, I felt weaker.

Sam still stood behind me. I could sense him, I knew, he was just waiting until I opened up and spilled my guts, like I usually did, but not this time. Not this time … Getting up to my feet, I wiped my eyes and pushed past him without needing to.

"Jake?! What the hell is wrong with you?!" he shouted as I took off running in human form before he could try and stop me. I could feel his eyes fixed upon my back in surprise of my disrespect.

Going back to the house, concealed by trees apart from the little clearing around it and the driveway, I mounted the stained-wooden stairs and walked inside to see Rosalie waving her hand in front of her.

"Where's the wet dog?" she whined as I shut the door behind me. My eyes rolled as I let out a low snarl. I couldn't help it—I wasn't in the mood for her shit, even if she was just playing around.

"Rose!" Bella scowled lowly, still sitting in the white leather couch where I had left her, an hour or so before. At least both her and the baby looked comfortable. I tried to focus on that instead of the presence of the other vampire.

The white shirt and jeans I had changed into with bringing Nessie back; were annoying clinging to my buff frame. If I had even tempted to take my shirt off, I knew, I would have ripped it to pieces in my fit of anger and frustration. My wolf was on edge with worry and fear. It was taking everything inside me just to keep him from running up those modern white stairs and demanding what was going on with Ness. All I wanted to do was to know she was going to be okay and to see her.

Much to my relief, Rosalie rolled her eyes with a huff and disappeared out of the room within a second. Sitting down beside Bella, I took the now sleeping baby into my arms, only just having control of myself, until I took her into my arms—she somehow calmed me.

"Has she got a name?" I murmured, my voice suddenly cracking on the last word, as I glanced to Bells from the corner of my eye.

"No, Jake. I thought you'd want to name her," she forcefully smiled, as Rosalie re-entered the room once more. I ignored her this time, in hope she would easily become bored with all the attention not signally on her.

"Sarah," I whispered with a small, hopeful smile, glancing to Bella. It was my only piece of hope left, that my mum would spear Renesmee for me and not the angels.

"Your mum would like that."

"Here." Rosalie threw a hand-towel at me, which Bella rose to her feet to catch and hand to me softly. She rolled her eyes in response. "Dry up."

I shook my head and did as she said, drying my hair with the cloth and smirked darkly as I threw it back to her, forcing her to catch it. Her face grimaced and scowled, holding it far away from her, before turning her glare of disgust from the towel to where I sat.

"Now, go wash it," I smirked. She groaned a snarl, shaking her head as she strode off upstairs. Lightly, Bella giggled from my side, before I sighed, wanting to know how Renesmee was, though I didn't dare ask. My heart didn't feel right. Its beats were off and I felt the same way.

I couldn't help but lean into Bella's arm wrapped around my shoulders as she watched Sarah soundly sleep. I sighed, biting down on my lip, I didn't want to say it, but she had to be aware.

"If Ness dies …" I chocked on the word. "You know, I do, right, Bella?" I turned my head to meet her gaze, she didn't show anything, nor give anything away. It was harder to see, to read, what she was thinking now she was a vampire.

She pushed back my cropped hair like I was a son to her. I felt that way from her touch, but I couldn't even imagine Bells being my mum … As hard as I tried to, throughout half of my life.

"You'll be fine Jake," she murmured with a smile, though I could tell it was forced. There was something they weren't telling me, and deep down, I think I already knew for what I was beginning to feel.

"Bella, take Sarah," I whispered, passing my daughter over to her and rested my head against her, her arm was wrapped around both I and Sarah, where I felt for once, that I was the one that was safe. I was so used to protecting people and protecting myself, but for once, I felt protected, of.

"It's okay Jake," she cooed, brushing her cool hand down the side of my face. She must have sensed my fighting back the tiredness I felt. Her hand lightly gripped my own. I was slowly turning numb and I wasn't sure why.

My hand rested on my stomach, when I felt Bella take it. Suddenly, her hand really did feel icy against my skin. I gave it a small squeeze as I twisted our fingers together. I felt weak against her, like all my strength was seeping out me.

The leather felt cold against my soaked clothing. Oddly, it wasn't too hard to ignore.

"I'm scared," I breathed, admitting something I normally wouldn't and hadn't since turning wolf, because I hadn't ever felt a need to. I had only admitted I was scared to Bella once before in my entire life ... all the other times, I had only ever shown it.

"Shh Jake," she cooed. "Its okay. I'm here. I'm not leaving," she whispered so softly, I could have sworn it was spoken through song.

Wetness ran down my cheek as I dragged my teeth over my lower lip. Feeling the numbness spread to my hands, I gave in and slipped into the darkness that consumed me in one swallow.