Story Title: The Second Wife

Pairing: Quil/Bella eventually.

Summary: Some people are taken from you before you are ready to let them go. However this happens, it still hurts. Sometimes you get lucky and find someone to make it through the hard times with. Set fifteen years after It's never too late.

Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but I do own the concept for this story.

AN: I have been wrestling with how to start this story since I decided on it a year ago. I am finally happy with it and I hope you all are too.

Not long after Jacob turned thirty two Bella started looking for warning signs. Would that be the day that she noticed that something wasn't quite right? She lived in fear that he would die without warning, one day he would be fine and then she wouldn't be able to wake him up the next morning. Then there were days when she thought that Alice had been wrong for the first time in her life. Jacob was less than three weeks away from turning thirty-three when Bella came up with the idea to take him away to celebrate.

After sixteen years together she felt that they were still learning how to be good parents to their kids and better spouse to the other. They had been blessed to have the last three born within an eight year time frame. Josh and John were complete polar opposites. Josh was quieter and tended to let his younger brother shine while John was very opinionated and tended to let things brush off his shoulder. Kyla had been born just before Jacob turned nineteen. She was a spirited thirteen year old who looked like her mother but was an even tempered optimist like her dad. Matt was eight and looked exactly his dad and older brothers. He idolized John and followed him everywhere he went. Alexander had recently turned four and was like Bella in every way. He was smart and caring and wanted to take in every wounded animal he found. Summer had been born the year before and was starting to take after Bella. Both of the girls had Jacob wrapped around their fingers.

Jacob and Bella had decided to move closer to town when Bella found out that she was pregnant with Alexander. The cabin had been nice for them to start their family in, but Bella was starting to miss her dad and Jacob wanted to be closer to his family. They lived half way in between the Reservation and Charlie.

With her plan in motion Bella decided that it was time to let Jacob in on the idea.

"You want to go back to the cabin?" he asked.

"Just for a few days, we're due for some alone time, don't you think?"

"I don't know Bells," he said cautiously.

"Please?" she asked, giving him a pleading look.

"Okay," he said with a small smile.

She saw the worry in his eyes but she was going to do everything she could to take his mind off of everything.

XXXX

Something wasn't right. Quil could feel it like a hundred pound weight resting on his stomach. He had noticed that something was off a few nights ago when Claire came home from school. They had been married less than six months and it hadn't been an easy road for them.

Quil had never pressured her into anything. He wanted her to be sure of what she wanted before they started their relationship. Their mothers had had other plans. Claire's mother had given Claire her wedding dress for her seventeenth birthday. Quil knew then that Claire had reservations about being attached to someone at such a young age. She had things she wanted to do, places she wanted to see. Quil had promised her that he would wait as long as she wanted. Their mothers had stepped in once more and pressured Quil to give Claire his grandmother's engagement ring as a graduation present. He had explained until his voice was raw that they could draw out the engagement as long as Claire wanted. She agreed to marry him as long as she wasn't pressured to have children right away.

Quil watched her as she sat at the kitchen table hunched over a text book with a high-lighter clamped between her teeth. Everything about her screamed that she didn't want to be bothered. He would approach her gently and if she brushed him off he would wait until she was done studying.

"Babe?" he asked.

"Yeah?" she asked around the high-lighter.

"Is something wrong?"

She shook her head distractedly, not looking away from her book. That let Quil know to leave her alone. He pulled out leftover spaghetti from the refrigerator and put it on the stove while he sliced bread to make garlic bread. He worked quietly until dinner was ready half an hour later. Claire cleared her things from off the table while he plated everything. They ate in silence but Quil could feel the tension in the air.

Claire cleaned the kitchen while Quil read in the living room. She came into the living room and turned on the TV without acknowledging him. Quil turned towards her once he had put his book down.

"I know something is wrong. You can tell me," he prodded.

Claire turned off the TV with a sigh before placing the remote on the table.

"Why have you never told your mother to butt out of your life?" she asked.

"I tell her that all the time," he said with a shaky laugh.

"But you don't mean it. You let her tell you what to do all the time."

"You're mad because I'm not more assertive with my mom?" he questioned, confused.

"If you were we wouldn't be married," she said with a shrug.

"I told you that we could wait as long as you wanted. You told them to go ahead and start planning the wedding, not me," he reminded her.

"Yes, I did, as long as your mother didn't pressure me about having kids."

"When did she do that?"

"Just yesterday when I went to see her," she said with a sigh.

"I'll talk to her," he promised.

"Don't bother. I went to see a lawyer before I went to class today. I can't do this Quil, I'm not as strong as you," she said with a sad sigh.

Quil felt the air leave his lungs, doubling over to rest his elbows on his knees. He couldn't believe what was happening. It was so sudden that he couldn't process it, couldn't find the words to argue with her.

"I know that this isn't what you want, but it's what I want. I love you Quil, but I can't be a wife, not now. There is so much that I want to do. Maybe in a few years we can try again, if you'll still have me," she said before putting a gentle hand on his arm.

She pulled away when he didn't answer her. She got a few things together, planning to come to get her things while he was at work the next day before leaving. She didn't hate him, she wanted to but she couldn't. He hadn't asked to imprint on her when she was three. She'd felt guilty growing up, like she was keeping him from having the life of someone his own age. All of his friends were married and had kids while he was left to pine away for a teenage girl with a rebellious streak. If they had never met he would probably be married and have a few kids of his own by now.

Quil lost track of time. He stayed frozen where he was on the couch all through the night and well into the next day. He never heard his phone ring or the person knock on the door that afternoon. He was oblivious to the fact that his mother had let herself in after work to check on him. Mae had seen Claire at Emily's that morning and she could see that something was wrong. She never would have guessed that the girl would abandon her husband.

"Honey," she prodded.

Quil didn't acknowledge her. She watched him sadly wishing that she could rectify the situation. If she could go back she wouldn't be so insistent that Claire make her son happy on her terms and would have left Quil alone about the whole thing. She felt awful about the way she had forced the two of them on each other. Maybe she could convince Claire to come back if she promised to stay out of things. No, she would just be interfering again. She would be there for Quil that would be the best thing that she could do.

XXXX

Jacob slept through most of the drive up the Olympic coast highway. Once they were at the cabin Bella shook Jacob gently to wake him. He stretched once he was out of the car, rubbing his eyes as Bella carried their bags into the house. Once everything was inside Bella unloaded the groceries that they had brought. She was thankful that they had decided to keep the house after moving into town. They had shared so many memories with the kids and their families there.

Jacob watched TV while she made dinner. She called him to eat but when he didn't come after a few minutes she went to see what was wrong. He was sprawled on the couch with an arm flung over his eyes. The hockey game was muted and she knew immediately that something wasn't right.

"Dinner's ready," she said to get his attention.

"I'm not hungry," he mumbled.

"Do you feel okay?" she broached coming to stand over him behind the couch.

He shook his head, his face blank. She took a shaky breath as she went back into the kitchen. She cleaned it, throwing the food down the disposal. Her stomach was in knots because she was so worried. She went back into the living room to find him sitting up but hunched over with his head between his knees.

"Do you want anything? I brought some Ibuprofen and some of that tea that you like," she said as she put a reassuring hand on his back.

"I'll have some tea. Maybe it'll help my stomach. I'll feel like I'm about to puke," he muttered.

Bella made the tea along with some toast. It wasn't much, but it would be something to settle his stomach. She sat the cup and saucer on the table in front of him and he picked up the cup, wrapping his hands around it for warmth.

"Are you cold?"

"A little," he said as he blew gently into the mug.

She pulled the afghan from off the back of the couch and wrapped it around him. She sat next to him, draping an arm over his shoulders.

"How does your head feel?"

"Like it's about to split open," he said with a shake of his head.

"We can go back home if you want," she offered.

"You went through all this trouble," he reminded her.

"I know, but I think the kids should be with us."

"If it gets worse we can go home," he reasoned.

He leaned back against the couch and Bella rested her head on his shoulder. She wished that he would eat something but she wouldn't force it on him. That would only make him mad and she didn't want to fight with him right now. She would keep an eye on him and she prayed that she could have just a few more days with him. Just long enough for the kids and their family's to say goodbye.