Disclaimer: I own nothing but my original ideas.
No one said a word when Leah Clearwater arrived a bit late to the yearly, end-of-summer bonfire held at First Beach in La Push, Washington. They didn't even say anything about the fact that she had showed up with a strange man who seemed a little younger than her. They knew she rarely came to La Push anymore. They knew her life was her own and a very private one at that. Even her brother, Seth, rarely had updates on her life once she had left the reservation for good nearly fourteen years ago.
Quickly she steered her companion towards the table full of food where they each loaded a plate full of grub, grabbed a soda, then made their way towards an empty log near the bonfire. Before they had a chance to settle down, Embry made his way over to the couple causing them to slow down their walk.
He glanced at the man first before his eyes connected with Leah's. Although there was a smile on his face, his stance was deceptively relaxed as Leah caught the wariness in his eyes.
"Hello, Leah," he greeted in a pleasant voice, "Long time, no see, but I'm glad to see you are looking well."
Leah gave him a small nod, she wasn't fooled by his warm welcome. She knew he hadn't approached without being told to do so. The pack might not be phasing anymore, but they still seemed to be the unspoken protectors of the tribe and its traditions. Also, just because they no longer became wolves, it didn't mean their enhanced abilities had disappeared.
She knew whatever was said out loud, even in a whisper, if there was a former pack member around, they would still be able to hear it. It was the same for her.
Looking at her companion out of the corner of her eye, she spoke to Embry. "Thanks Embry, you know I try to make the end-of-summer bonfire every year…at least."
"Yeah, believe me, there are a lot of people who are glad of that." He looked over to her companion once more, so this time Leah took the bait.
"Embry, this is a student of mine, BC. BC, this is an old friend of the family, Embry Call."
BC held out his hand, as a friendly smile stole over his features. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Call."
Embry obliged him with a quick handshake and a welcoming smile that still didn't quite reach his eyes. "Welcome to La Push, BC."
He nodded once more to Leah. "Well, I'll let you get to your meal, stories should be starting soon."
Leah knew that was a sort of warning, but she didn't remark on it as Embry walked away from them. Instead, she motioned for BC to follow her to the log where they settled in to eat their food. They had just sat down when Embry suddenly stood up to address the small crowd.
He waited until they mostly fell silent before he spoke in a solemn voice. "Since the night is almost over, it is time for the traditional storytelling to begin. Tonight, I will start with the story of The Thunderbird."
Embry returned to his seat, getting comfortable before he began his tale. Leah turned to smile at BC, letting him know with her eyes that it was time for him to listen to the history of the Quileute tribe. He returned her smile, then turned to give his full attention to Embry as he began his story.
BC listened intently as Embry told the tale of how the bird was large enough to carry a whale in its claws and how the sound of thunder was created from the beating of the Thunderbird's wings. By the time Embry was done with the legend of the Thunderbird, BC and Leah had finished their meal, setting their empty plates aside as Embry wrapped his tale up then motioned to another man who sat close by.
The man nodded to Embry before turning to gaze at the people around the fire. "Now that Embry is done, I will tell you the legend of Q'wati and how he came to create the Quileute tribe."
Leah leaned over to whisper to BC, "That's Sam, another friend of mine."
BC nodded, sharing a secret look with Leah. The two of them had known each other for a year now. A year during which he had come to learn all about Leah's history with the Quileute tribe and some of its inhabitants. He knew Sam was the man who had broken Leah's heart so many years ago, yet he also knew Leah had healed once she had finally left La Push and all of the painful memories behind.
Sam sat back down then proceeded to tell the story of how the Quileute tribe had been created, along with some of the neighboring tribes, by the hero, Q'wati. Not only had Q'wati created the Quileute, but he had also been responsible for teaching the warriors how to phase into wolves.
Throughout this story, BC was glued to every word Sam said. Not just because he was an excellent storyteller, but also because the creation of the tribe and of men turning into wolves fascinated him. Sure, Sam had the perfect voice to instill the right amount of inflection and gravity to this particular story, but BC had other reasons for enjoying the story so much.
When Sam finally finished the entire story, Leah leaned close to BC and simply whispered, "Breathe."
He sucked in a lungful of air, resisting the urge to cough as Sam stood up to nod towards an elderly man sitting in a wheelchair across the fire from him. BC knew who that was without Leah having to tell him at all. He turned to her and mouthed, "Billy Black?"
She nodded her affirmation of his guess.
BC turned back to watch as Billy let his eyes roam over the small group that now remained around the bonfire. It was obvious that this next story was going to be even more serious or intense than the one that Sam had told. Plus, Leah had once told BC just how good of a storyteller Billy Black had always been.
Billy's eyes swept over BC, before landing on Leah where they settled for a few moments. Something seemed to pass between the two of them before his jaw tensed up as he looked away. Whatever silent communication Leah and the old man had just had, it seemed Leah had won that round.
Still looking a bit tense, Billy looked to his left where an imposing man sat with a slender woman by his side. Once again something silent passed between the old man and the other one whose presence seemed to dwarf all others there. Finally, a subtle nod was given to the old man, who turned back to face the fire.
Clearing his throat, he began to speak. "The gift that Q'wati bestowed upon the warriors of our tribe turned out to be a useful one, as you all will see, once I tell you the story of how they fought against those that came to be known as The Cold Ones."
As Billy launched into the story, BC could see that Leah's praise of Billy Black's storytelling abilities had been an understatement. With each word that passed the old man's lips, BC was transported back in time, to a land where the undead walked the earth in search of the blood of living human beings. In his mind's eye he could see the evil beings terrorizing the small Quileute village until the spirit warriors stepped in to destroy them all.
As Billy's majestic voice continued to weave the mesmerizing tale, BC's mind sped up in time to witness the arrival of a clan of Cold Ones called the Cullens. It was Billy's grandfather who led a pack of wolves against the Cullens, who claimed they were unlike other Cold Ones since they did not feed on human beings and chose a peaceful existence among them. Through Ephraim Black, a treaty was forged with the Cullens, allowing both wolves and Cullens to co-exist with certain rules.
However, the Cullens didn't remain in the area too long so as to hide the fact that they didn't age from those who did not know what they really were. In time, they were forgotten and Ephraim's pack was the last group of spirit warriors for a very long while.
Billy's story suddenly came to a stop, jerking BC back into the present in time to see the old man turn his gaze back to the commanding figure sitting next to him. This time, that man rose to his feet, unfurling his body to reveal his impressive and foreboding height as his dark gaze took in everyone around the bonfire. Unlike the old man, he didn't pause to look at Leah or BC as he finally spoke for the first time.
"The truth of the spirit warriors had all been turned into nothing but legends by the time my father became chief of the Quileute tribe. He might have been witness to seeing his grandfather phase into a spirit warrior, but none of the generation that came after him believed that such a thing was possible. At that time, there were no longer any spirit warriors alive to show proof that the stories had once been true. That all changed when the Cold Ones once again returned to our lands."
He paused long enough to sit back down, doing so with incredible grace and fluidity despite his tall, bulky frame. "In the year 2003, the Cullens returned to Forks. Pretending to be a family, they inserted themselves into the community with no one being any wiser. No one except the elders of the Quileute council, that is. It wasn't until the first of a new group of spirit warriors began to phase that it began to be clear that the stories were not just legends."
He folded his hands in his lap as he continued on. "The Cullens had been here for almost three years when the descendant of Ephraim Black finally phased to join his fellow spirit warriors. Yet, the Cullens weren't just responsible for causing this new pack to appear. No, they were also responsible for leaving behind so much pain and heartache by the time they finally left again."
Once more he stopped talking to look around the bonfire. This time, even BC looked around to see that almost all people were gone now. All those that remained seemed to be sitting in small groups, like families…the descendants of the spirit warriors and their loved ones.
BC's gaze moved back to the man only to see his penetrating stare directed straight at him. BC swallowed beneath that unwavering, intimidating gaze. It wasn't until he felt Leah's hand in his, giving him a comforting squeeze, that made him turn to look at her.
She wasn't looking at him though. Her equally unwavering gaze was locked with the other man's as if she was challenging him to say something about BC's presence. When the other man gave a sigh, BC turned back to look at him.
Not looking at BC, the man spoke once more. "Only those who sit here with me today, know the story about the Cullens and the last wolf pack that existed after Ephraim Black's. Everyone here knows this story to be true and everyone knows that this secret is to remain among us, for the safety of both the tribe and humans everywhere."
BC knew those words were directed at both Leah and him even though the man's gaze didn't return to either of them again. Then, with those final words of warning, the man launched into the story of how a girl named Bella Swan had returned to Forks to live with her father since her mother had remarried. It was through Bella that the tie between the Cullens and the spirit warriors was renewed since she had been a friend of Ephraim's great-grandson, Jacob Black.
BC knew that the imposing man was the very same Jacob Black of the story. He was now telling this story as the newest addition to the other traditional stories of the Quileutes. It was Jacob who told how he and Bella became best friends after one of the Cold Ones left her and broke her heart. Jacob had patiently tried to put her back together, nearly succeeding in making her fall in love with him, when suddenly the Cold One known as Edward Cullen had come back into her life.
No amount of persistence or persuasion could change Bella's mind though. In the end, she had said goodbye to her friends and family. Two days after she said goodbye to Jacob, she had married Edward Cullen, then left for her honeymoon, never to be seen in Forks again. Not long after that, the rest of the Cullens had left too, thus ending the addition of any more spirit warriors.
Still, the damage had been done. Bella had left behind parents and friends who grieved for her, thinking she had died in a fatal avalanche ten years after she had left for Denali, Alaska. Jacob had already been grieving for her when she left after her wedding, knowing what she would become. He had just been getting over her when Charlie gave him the news that Bella had died in the avalanche.
He had known what that meant. She was now a Cold One, his enemy. That news had sent him back into the dark place he had barely crawled out of. It was with the help of his fellow pack members, and the love of those he called family, that he had managed to put himself back together again. Unfortunately, the scars that both the Cullens and Bella had left behind would always remain with him to the end of his days.
It was because of that, plus the damage to other members of the pack, like Sam and Leah, that a new decree was made. Jacob had become Alpha at the age of eighteen, but he didn't take up the mantle of chief of the tribe until he was twenty-seven. It was when he became chief that he discussed the idea of the decree with Sam, Billy and other members of the council.
A few months later, it became official. The Cold Ones known as the Cullens would no longer be welcome to Forks and the surrounding area. The treaty with the Quileutes was considered null and void. In order to prevent more pain and heartache to future generations of Quileutes, it was better if the Cold Ones stayed as far away from the tribe as possible. None of them wanted their descendents to have to go through what any of them went through if they could help it.
Jacob wrapped up the story after that, saying that the Cullens and Bella Swan had never been seen again and hoped that for the sake of future generations, that would remain true. When he was done, BC blinked back the tears that had unknowingly formed in his eyes.
Although Jacob's face had remained stoic throughout the entire story, his voice had been lowered to a husky timbre. The tone was one that hinted at the sadness and grief he claimed that the Cullens had left behind. Just like Billy had before him, Jacob had become a master storyteller much like one that BC hoped to become himself, someday.
As silence settled around those left at the bonfire, BC sat staring at Jacob Black in awe of both his talent and the man himself. It wasn't until Leah nudged him a few moments later that he became aware that the rest of the audience was slowly disappearing, indicating that the storytelling, and therefore the night, was coming to an end.
He glanced over at Leah, who gave him an encouraging smile. "Let's toss our trash then I'll introduce you to our chief."
BC nodded before he got up and followed Leah to dispose of their trash. Once done, Leah led him to where Jacob Black was standing and talking with his father, Embry and two women. As they approached, the group grew silent.
Leah motioned to Jacob as she said, "Jacob, I'd like you to meet BC. BC, this is Jacob Black, our tribal chief."
BC held out his hand to Jacob, hoping that the man wouldn't be upset that Leah was introducing them. When Jacob took his hand for a brief, yet firm handshake, BC relaxed a little.
"It's an honor to meet you Chief Black."
Jacob gave him an embarrassed grimace. "Thanks, but please, call me Jacob." When BC nodded, Jacob motioned to the others with him. "BC, this is my father, Billy Black. You've met Embry. That's his wife, Lilly. And this is my wife, Katie."
The last was said as he gently placed his arm around her shoulders just as BC heard Leah take a swift intake of breath. Jacob's eyes snapped to Leah before he gave her what looked like a condescending smile.
"Why so surprised, Leah? You knew I was seeing Katie the last time you visited La Push."
Leah glanced quickly at BC before mumbling, "Yes, but you didn't seem serious about her then."
Embry's lips thinned as he said, "You would have known if you had come back sometime in the last two years…or at least talked to Seth during that time."
Leah ran a suddenly nervous hand through her hair. "I got busy, okay?"
"For two years?" asked Embry.
"It's okay," interjected Katie, albeit in a soft voice. She gave Leah an apologetic smile before addressing Embry. "Em, would you mind helping me get Billy into the car before you and Lilly take off?"
Embry glanced at Jacob as if asking for permission. When Jacob subtly dipped his head, Embry nodded to Katie, then moved to help Billy wheel his chair out of the sand as Lilly followed closely behind.
Once they were gone, Katie turned to Jacob and said, "I'm just going to load the rest of the stuff into the car, then take Billy home. I'll see you at the house okay?"
As Jacob nodded, Leah stepped towards Katie. "Do you mind if I help you out? As a way of apologizing for my rudeness?"
Katie glanced at Jacob for a moment before saying, "You weren't being rude, Leah. But yes, I appreciate the help."
Leah reached out to give BC's arm an encouraging squeeze before following in Katie's wake. As the women left, BC swallowed his fear then proceeded to engage Jacob in conversation.
"Jacob, um, I just wanted to say that Leah once told me that you and your father were great storytellers, but it wasn't until I actually heard the both of you tonight that I understood what she meant. Honestly, I think what she told me about you two was an understatement."
Jacob raised an eyebrow before he answered him. "Thank you, but I really wouldn't consider myself a storyteller."
"Oh, but you are! The way you told that story, with your tone and the deepness of your voice, it drew me in. Made me feel all of the emotion you were trying to get across. Your father is the same way. It was as if I was really there, watching all of the events take place, like a movie."
At this point BC could see the slight blush on Jacob's face despite the deep russet color of his skin. That blush lessened the intimidating factor Jacob had been broadcasting as well as the soft words he uttered next.
"Well, I'm…I'm flattered that you think that, BC, but it's really nothing. I mean, the only time I tell stories is during a bonfire such as the one tonight. So it's not a skill I've tried to practice, if you catch my drift."
BC nodded. "Oh, I understand. It's just that, well, someday I want to be a storyteller too. It's my hope that I'll be able to do it the way you and your father do it. Using my voice and my words to transport listeners to another place and time."
Jacob gave him an encouraging smile. "I'm sure you'll be able to do that, if that's what you really want to do."
"Thanks," BC paused as he looked at the fire that had dwindled down quite a bit, yet still provided just enough light for them to see each other. He gathered up his courage before looking back at Jacob.
"Um, I don't mean to keep you from leaving, but I was wondering if you could listen to a story I've been working on. Maybe…maybe listen to it just a bit? I'd like it if you could give me some pointers, if you could."
Jacob nodded as he motioned to a nearby log, "Sure, sure. I don't mind listening, although I still think I'm not as good as you make me out to be."
BC shrugged. "It's okay, I'd appreciate whatever you can do."
The two of them got settled on the log in no time at all. Jacob folded his hands in his lap as he turned his attention to BC. "Okay, ready when you are."
BC took a deep breath then blew it out, trying to steady his nerves. He knew that the story he was about to tell had a sensitive subject that not many people would like to hear. He only hoped that the story went over well with a man like Jacob.
Turning to look at the fire, BC steeled himself, then launched into his story. "There once was a young girl who was engaged to her first love, a man whom she believed she was irrevocably in love with."
He turned to look at Jacob as he said the next words, "However, she also had a best friend whom she knew was in love with her."
Jacob raised an eyebrow, but didn't stop BC from continuing.
"At first, the young woman rejected her friend's advances, telling him time and again that she was in love with her fiancé and would remain so forever. No matter what her friend said or did, nothing could change her mind. Still, he never gave up trying to persuade her and she never really told him to stop."
Once again BC turned to look at the fire, losing himself in the flames as the rest of his story unfolded. A story that Jacob didn't seem inclined to interrupt.
"What no one really knew, what the young girl herself refused to admit, was that deep down inside, she really did have some feelings for her best friend. But she tried her best to ignore them, believing it was for the best.
"It wasn't until two nights before her wedding that she decided it was time to put things to rest for good. She knew she had to talk to her best friend one last time, to explain to him why she was marrying a man whom everyone, including her best friend, seemed to think was completely wrong for her. She knew she had no choice, there were circumstances beyond her control.
"So she made her way to her friend's house, trying to keep her courage to tell her friend the truth, yet when she came face to face with him, she chickened out like always. Instead, she simply told him that she wanted to spend that one last evening as friends before she got married and moved away from him for good.
"As the night wore on, the knowledge that she would never see him again began to take its toll on her. Then, seemingly out of the blue, she began to cry. Her friend tried to find out what was wrong, but she wouldn't tell him anything. So he simply held her, offering what comfort he could as she continued to sob in his arms.
"It was getting late when her tears finally seemed to subside. Then, just when her friend was about to ask her what was wrong once more, she took his face in her hands and kissed him like she had never kissed him before.
"Needless to say, neither one of them said another word after that. Both of them seemed to know what the other needed in that moment in time. As the last of the night began to disappear, the girl and her best friend moved to his bedroom. There, she gave him the greatest gift she thought she could ever give him and hoped that he would treasure the memory of what they had shared just like she knew she, herself, would.
"When the first light of dawn crept across the sky, the girl left his bed while he was fast asleep with a contented smile on his face. She never looked back as she left, knowing if she had or if he had been awake when she left, she might not have been able to ever leave him.
"Two days later, she married her fiancé who at that point had no idea what had really happened between the girl and her best friend that night. All he knew was that she had gone to say goodbye to her friend one last time.
"After the wedding, the couple flew off to their honeymoon and it was there that the truth came out. For you see, there was a maid who came to the house on their first day there. This was no ordinary woman since she had the gift of sight. She took one look at the man and knew there was something wrong with him. With a gasp, she whispered to the man, demon, how dare you bring this innocent young girl to this place! I will not let you take her life!
"Then, she turned to the young girl and widened her eyes as her sight told her something else. Gripping the girl's arm, she cried, Oh my child! It is not too late! You must come with me! Let me save both you and the child you carry.
"The young girl gasped before turning frightened eyes on her new husband. Yet instead of the anger she expected, she saw a mix of hurt and longing in his eyes. She knew that he now knew the truth. Since she had never once slept with him, he knew who the only other man was that she could have been with.
"Since the truth was now out, they cut their honeymoon short in order to fly to their new home where his family was waiting. There, they explained what had happened right before the young girl's husband tried to persuade her to give up the baby once it was born.
"The young girl would have none of it, for she knew the baby was the only thing she had left of the best friend she would never see again. Immediately, she managed to get her husband's two sisters and his mother on her side. All of them insisted that the young girl could raise her own child since they were perfectly willing to help her. Not even his two brothers, nor his father, would take his side since they refused to go against the wishes of their significant others.
"As the girl got settled into her new room, a room she didn't share with her new husband, she began to realize something else. With this pregnancy, her eyes had been opened…she was no longer in love with her husband. And as the days turned into weeks, then the weeks into months, she knew the truth of it all.
"She had never loved him, it had all been a trick that came easy for one of his kind. He had once told her that when they had just met, yet she had already been lured in too deep to pay any attention to his words. Now she knew the truth, and she knew that if it wasn't for the love she felt for the baby she carried, she might still be under her husband's spell.
"As the time of the baby's birth grew near, her husband's mother decided to give the girl and her impending baby a useful gift. She had a small cottage built behind the family home. It was comfortable enough so that the young girl could raise her child on her own, yet still be close enough to them just in case they were needed.
"It was finished just in time for the birth of the girl's son, allowing them both to move in when they were able to. Even as she settled in with her newborn son, her husband was still trying to persuade her to give up the baby and remain with him. She could become one of them, he said, over and over again, thinking it was the one thing she would never be able to resist.
"Yet she did resist him, asking him for a divorce while saying that she intended to live out her days raising her son, watching him grow to adulthood, then seeing her grandchildren before she said her goodbyes to the world.
"Her husband wouldn't divorce her. He wouldn't let her go and she couldn't leave because if she did, the lives of the loved ones she had left behind would be in danger. So she stayed and raised her son in that little cottage. She gave her son her maiden name, refusing to let her husband claim a child that wasn't his.
"And as the boy grew older, she began to tell him stories. Stories about his father, whom she believed he would never meet. And she told him stories about fantastic beings. Beings like giant thunderbirds and men who could turn into wolves as big as horses.
"Then, sometime during the boy's tenth year, she went skiing, a hobby she had acquired over the years of living in the area. She had gotten quite skilled at it, despite the fact that she was normally very clumsy in all other aspects of her life.
"That day, she had decided to go alone and it just so happened that she was caught up in an avalanche. One of her husband's sisters had caught wind of the avalanche as it began, so they were able to find her before she had frozen to death or suffocated. Still, the damage had been done.
"The fast, tumbling snow had shoved her into the end of a broken tree, impaling her through her chest. When she was found, she was barely holding on, waiting long enough to make her sisters-in-law promise that they would protect and raise her son for her. Her husband tried one last time to persuade her to join him, to become like him, but she refused for the sake of her son.
"She died knowing her son would grow up safe and sound, just the way she had dreamed he would. The sisters and their mother kept their promise. With the help of the entire family, except for the girl's husband, the little boy grew up surrounded by love and the memories of the mother he would always miss dearly."
BC stopped his story at that point, slowly turning to look at Jacob, who had remained eerily silent the entire time. As their eyes connected, BC saw the dawning knowledge in them. It was all the encouragement he needed to finish up his story.
"However, there was one thing that none of the family saw coming. Not even the sister who always seemed to know when things would happen before they actually did, could see it. The boy had barely turned fifteen years old when he showed concrete proof that he was indeed his father's son.
"Like the stories his mother had once told him, he became one of those men who could turn into a wolf as big as a horse."
Jacob's eyes went wide as BC continued. "The effects of that were instantaneous. His sham of a stepfather became angry in the way his mother once thought he would when the pregnancy was first discovered. He railed against his deceased wife and demanded that his stepson be taken away for good. There was no sense in keeping the boy when he wasn't anything like them at all."
BC took a deep breath before he looked into Jacob's eyes. "It was Rosalie's idea to find a way to get the boy…to get me…back to my father. She and Alice did some research and located Leah who was actually living not too far from us at that time. We had moved to Vermont, a little town of Dover, near the Green Mountain National Forest so that the family had some hunting grounds close by. Alice found out that Leah lived in New York, so Rosalie and Emmett went to track her down.
"They managed to get her to listen to them and when she found out about me, she agreed to take me in. I spent the last year of my life with Leah, learning all there was to know about controlling my spirit warrior and the truth about the stories my mother used to tell me. Leah told me about the end-of-summer bonfire here since she believed I would be ready by the time it rolled around."
He stopped for a few moments before he added, "So here I am. Finally returning to the land of my ancestors, hearing the stories my mom used to tell me, knowing that they weren't just make-believe like I once thought they were. And all I can think about is that mom never once believed that I would ever see all of this. She never thought I would get to meet my real father or tell him why she never gave in to him."
Jacob stared at the boy sitting next to him. The words of the story still swirled in his head as his heart thudded in his chest, making it hard for him to breathe. He had never expected such a story to come out of the boy's mouth, yet he knew without a doubt that the boy was who he said he was.
BC was Bella Swan's son…and he was the only child that Jacob Black would ever have, since doctors had declared that Katie would never be able to conceive children due to past health complications. Yet, the thing that stuck in his mind the most was that BC was the only connection Jacob had left to the girl he still loved.
He swallowed the lump in his throat, hoping his voice didn't crack as much as he knew it would. "Your…your mother? Is she…."
BC nodded. "The avalanche story is true. When it happened, Carlisle and Esme thought it best to tell Charlie, they left out the details of course, but it was the truth."
Jacob closed his eyes. "Why didn't she let him…why didn't she stay alive for you?"
BC wrapped his arms around his middle, a move his mother used to make when something upset her. "Mom refused to become a vampire because she had me. She wanted to raise me as a human. He thought once I was older that she might change her mind, but Rosalie told me that mom never had any intention of doing that. The glamour of vampires no longer affected mom once she became pregnant with me and she knew she had always been in love with you. It was her love for you and for me that made her want to live the rest of her life as a human."
Jacob turned his face towards the dying fire, allowing BC to see the glimmer of tears in his eyes. "If she didn't love him anymore and wanted to stay human, why didn't she come back home?"
"This is the part she had intended to tell you that last night she was with you. She didn't have a choice because of the Volturi in Italy. When she had gone there with Alice to rescue Edward, the Volturi only let her go because Alice showed them a vision that promised that mom would become a vampire soon. They have a rule that no human can know of their existence, so it was either be turned or die. Plus, mom knew if she didn't go with the Cullens she would be putting everyone in La Push and Forks in danger."
"Do they know that she was never turned then?"
"Yes, but they also know that she died, so everyone is safe from the Volturi now."
"Even you?"
BC nodded. "They don't know that I exist, just like they never knew that the spirit warriors existed. All they had been concerned about was making my mom a vampire. Now that she's gone, they have turned their attention elsewhere."
A lone tear slid down Jacob's cheek which he impatiently brushed away before asking, "And the Cullens? Do they intend to come here? Or do you intend to go back?"
BC tightened his arms around his middle. "Leah knew about the decree you made, she told Rosalie and Emmett about it. They promised that the Cullens would never set foot anywhere near La Push or Forks ever again. All they want is for me to be with my real family, to have the chance mom never got to have. Well, except Edward that is. He's going to stay away because he can't stand the sight of me. I'm a reminder of what he never had."
Jacob nodded as another tear slid down his cheek.
BC's lips wavered. "She loved you, dad. Rosalie wanted me to make sure you knew that. I know it's the truth too. I heard it in her voice every time she told me stories about you. It was her love for you that made her refuse to ever be with Edward or allow Edward to officially adopt me."
A frown formed on Jacob's face. "But your initials are BC."
A smile appeared on the boy's face. "It's the initials of my first and middle names, sort of. The name mom gave me, the one on my birth certificate, is William Charles Swan. They called me Billy, so Leah came up with the idea to call me BC while we were here. At least until I could talk to you."
Jacob smiled through his tears. Bella had named their son after her father and his.
"Mom would have given me your last name, but she thought it would be a little weird since no one other than me would have that last name. Rosalie said I could have it changed later if I wanted to. I mean….if I…well…"
When BC's words trailed off, Jacob suddenly wrapped his arms around him and pulled him close. Holding his son in his arms for the first time ever, he whispered to him.
"If you still want to change it, I wouldn't object to it at all."
Jacob could feel when his son relaxed and wrapped his own arms around him. His voice was a soft croak as he said, "Thank you…dad."
Jacob closed his eyes as he replied, "Welcome home, son."
THE END