Jacob bent low in wolf form. He stretched his muscles and his lustrous coat rippled. His ears pricked up.
Bella and Edward were talking quietly in the tent. Jake smiled as he remembered the look on Edwards face when Bella had snuggled up to him and moaned his name in her sleep. Jake crept quietly over and settled down to listen.
'I'm listening leech' thought Jake, in what he felt was a loud enough manner for Edward to hear.
Jacob was vaguely aware of the upcoming fight.
He fought the urge to join his pack brothers, as he felt their anger at the intruding vampires and the distaste of allying themselves with the blood suckers.
The scum of the earth. Vampires. The natural enemies of the werewolf. Jacob strove to close off that part of his mind.
He tried to concentrate on the conversation inside the tent. It was about the best days of their lives.
'Mine was was when Bella tried to kiss me, before you leeches showed up' jake thought, he grinned.
He knew Edward well enough to know he would pick it up, not being able to keep his mind out of anyones head.
He felt a slight wave of anger coming from inside the tent but took no notice, he needed to concentrate on Bellas voice.
Instead he heard Edward speaking.
"I think the best day of my life was when you agreed to marry me".
Jacobs heart froze.
The pit of his stomach went cold and all the wind was knocked out of him.
'No' he thought faintly. 'Please say it is a lie, Bella please' he prayed silently, pleading for her to correct Edward. Bella laughed, oblivious to jacob's pain "I still can't believe you persuaded me to"
Jakes heart shattered.
The world seemed to break apart around him.
An icy pain seared through his veins and he howled in agony.
He felt his pain overflow and a surge of adrenalin pumped, painfully round his system.
He ran. He couldn't think, couldn't face up to it. The wolf inside of him took over.
Jake ran, thundering through the undergrowth, crushing everything in his pathway as he sped along.
A faint noise behind him made him spin around. A sickly scent hit Jake. 'Bloodsucker!'
Jacob snarled as he whipped around and leapt on Edward, clawing at him, biting, wishing he could inflict even a tiny amount of the pain he was feeling inside on Edward.
Jake stopped physically assaulting Edward. There was a easier way to cause him harm, a more effective way. As the thought struck Jake a flicker of fear darkened Edward's eyes.
Jake closed his own.
The memory, he most cherished flashed before his eyes.
It was of Bella leaning towards him, cupping her hands over his cheeks staring into his eyes and pulling him slowly to her lips.
Memories flashed past of the recent months, Bella laughing, riding her motor bike smiling, kissing┘ Jake felt an icy hand crushing his throat. He grinned and let another memory surface.
Bella lying still, as if dead, in Jakes bed. She was gaunt and pale, even for her. Bella rolled over and started muttering. The mutters got louder until she was screaming. A horrific nightmare was plaguing her mind. "Edward! Please don't leave me" she shrieked, hot tears streaming down her cheeks as she slept.
The scene changed quickly.
The trees outside showed a few months had passed.
Bella still lay in a comatose state but this time the name she cried out in her sleep was Jacobs.
As Edward watched the memories he stiffened. He stepped back and released Jake. "Stop it" he snarled. Jake smiled 'what gives you the right to ask me that?' he thought angrily. Edwards voice was deep and commanding, as if he was trying to control himself. "Stop. It." he annunciated every syllable and looked sharply into Jakes eyes.
'No! I love her. She was happy Edward! She was happy again until you came back! and you've brought her nothing but more pain!' his words ricocheted inside his skull and he saw Edwards understanding eyes.
Edward looked down "you're right" this time he spoke. "I need to know" he pleaded, "show me"
Jake had no qualms about causing Edward more pain. But in showing the leech his most intimate memories of Bella it would be helping his love rival get closer to her. Should Jake show him or not? It was jakes subconscious which answered, spewing up memory after memory to the front of his mind for Edward to see. Bella on her motor bike, laughing for the first time since Edward left, Bella asleep in her bed, Bella curled up on jakes chest, Bella falling, and Bella drowning. The most painful memory now flooded jakes senses. Bella found frozen in the woods through Sams eyes.
Edward felt the guilt burning in him and the final memory Jacob showed him tipped him over the edge. Fat red tears fell down his cheeks leaving trails of blood along his porcelain skin.
Jacob was also crying. He reverted to his human form and ambled over to where Edward was,landeding a punch square on Edwards's nose. He felt the vampire's nose crunch under his powerful fist but Edward stood still and let him do it. "Fight me" called out Jake, his voice thick with emotion. He whirled around and stood several feet infront of Edward "fight me you bastard!" Edward looked up and stared at Jacob. "How can I fight what saved my life? Bella would be dead, many times over if it wasn't for you, and she is the very point of my existence." His voice was sombre.
"No!" roared Jacob, he took several steps towards Edward, "She is my soul mate, my imprint! If vampires never existed Bella and I would be happy. This is all your fault"
Edward chuckled humourlessly. "you think that I asked for this? You think that I wanted to be a monster? To thirst for blood, to dream of slaughter, to still exist over a hundred years after my birth? To see everything I cherish turn to dust?" Edwards eyes turned black and his voice became no more then a husky growl. "It is because of you that I am a monster." Jacob bit, Edward flinched.
"Jake? Jacob?" Bella voice floated down through the dense trees.
Edward turned to Jacob "Go" he said, he nodded his head. "Go to her. I was nearly the death of her. You brought her back. She will never admit it to me but I know that you are the one she could never live without."
He smiled wryly, "If it weren't for my lousy timing she would have lived the rest of her life without me." His face went straight again as he said "but I'm never going to leave her again"
Jacobs gaze bore into Edward's skull
"If you ever hurt her again," Jacobs voice trembled, "I swear i will hunt you down and i will kill you. The moment she realizes she's made a mistake, i will be there." Edwads nodded in acceptance, a new mutual understanding between the rivals had surfaced.
Edward said one word. "Go"
Jacob spun around and ran towards Bella's voice.
As he ran, Jacob phased but his mind was no clearer. Jake caught Bella's scent and ran towards her. He phased back into his human form and embraced her tightly.
She held him securely in her arms.
They both knew it could be their last goodbye.