Deepest thanks to my reviewers. And Howl3, my lovely pre-reader. You guys inspired me to write this chapter! Anyway, this was a really hard scene to write. Edward was having tantrums and refusing to cooperate. Unbeta'd and previous disclaimer applies.
The song I had on repeat for this chapter was Infinite White by Steve Jablonsky.
Just to be clear, this story has slash. SLASH. Two guys. To be honest, it'll be the furthest thing possible from graphic because a) I wouldn't know how to write that and b) I don't particularly want to. Lemons aren't really my thing. Anyway, I have no patience with homophobes.
Update: Huge thanks to PTB betas smudgedcrimsonlipstick and MyCaptainRaydor for editing this chapter.
Big Bang – 1. a theory offered by cosmologists related to the early development of the universe; 2. any sudden forceful beginning or radical change
Chapter Two
A hundred years. It had been one hundred years since he had last seen their faces.
Influenza had brought a quick and painful death. There had been no last moment for the family as a whole, no time for a final goodbye. They had been plucked away, one by one, and the dank, crowded hospitals of the era had not allowed visitations between wards. The buildings had been teeming with illness, and doctors had hoped to keep the sickness from spreading into an epidemic. Their optimism had been misplaced. His memories of the time were hazy, but Edward knew his father had passed away first, weeks before he and his mother were even admitted. Edward remembered that a priest had come to take his last confession and perform the final rites. He had been unable to speak. The influenza had clogged up his lungs, and it was all he could do to fight for air through a sore and bleeding throat. The holy man had left shortly after arrival.
The final symptom of the sickness was the foul taste of iron and rust, coating the mouth and throat, and Edward fell into unconsciousness with the coppery flavor of blood still thick on his tongue. When he next woke, he had been cursed to crave blood forevermore.
A century, and now… to see them like this, corpses rotting away in a damn cardboard box – maggots eating away at their eyes, their teeth and bones askew, fine clothes a mockery of what they had once been –
His parents would have been ashamed of what he had become. Edward knew that well. Remembering his father, with his coldly logical views, and his mother's flawless society charms, he knew they would have despised him and everything for which he stood.
Monsters and destruction – a living, breathing nightmare.
Edward realized that his eyes were closed. It did not matter. The thoughts of the others created a mindless haze of confusion in his head. His rage was long gone, irritation at the wolves cast aside. For once, Bella Swan was not even on his mind. His entire being was fixated on the sight before him, the image now etched into the back of his skull, repeated a thousand times over in the crystallized tissues of his mind. Vampire memory was flawless and eternal.
He would never, could never, forget a single thing.
Jacob clearly saw the moment Cullen transformed from animal to human. The vampire had been savage and snarling, as he always was outside of Bella's weak restraints. He had obviously been inches from tearing the wolves apart, just like they fought against the urge to shift.
The Quileutes and the Cullens existed on either side of a thin, but deadly, line. Bella Swan had no clue what she was doing when she asked them all to coexist. They weren't meant for that – it was against their very natures.
Here, deep in the forest, the animal side of the bloodsuckers held more sway than any humanity that was left. Jacob watched as Edward Cullen handled the heavy box with an ease that looked out of place against the backdrop of a pale, slender boy. It had taken two over-muscled werewolves to lift the same weight. Vampires were wrong, abominations of nature, bizarre amounts of power and strength forced into a fragile human form.
They should not exist.
When Cullen leaned over and caught sight of the package's contents, a subtle change took place in him. It was very clear to Jacob's werewolf eyes. A human would only have sensed the difference in aura, a lessening of the tension and fear that had no clear explanation. Jacob the wolf saw the way the Cullen boy's eyes widened, turning soft and warm. An empty sort of darkness and cruelty, always visible in the vampire's black stare, melted away to be replaced by something human, something real.
Pain. Pain and hurt and love.
How could a vampire feel?
Jacob watched, confused, as Edward Cullen wrenched away from whatever was inside the box and stumbled back. His blond 'brother' caught him with one arm, as the leeches let out a collective hiss. Curious at what could sand away the monster's edge, Jacob leaned forward to peer inside the box. He felt wolves on either side of him doing the same.
No wonder the package had been so heavy, Jacob marveled. Filling it from corner to corner was what looked like the bottom half of a coffin. It was a plain affair with splintering wood, lined in rough cloth, and filled with –
Oh.
The bodies of a man and woman were crowded inside the box. They had to be decades old – enough flesh had been eaten away to make the scene something from a horror movie. They were mostly unrecognizable; only the woman's bright hair and the male's old-fashioned watch chain were well-preserved.
"What the hell is this?" Edward Cullen had slipped out of the blond's grasp and now leaned dangerously close to the border line. His eyes were beginning to ice over again, the brief moment of vulnerability forgotten. The hatred in them was aimed directly at the Quileutes. "I swear to God, if you had anything to do with this – "
Jacob wasn't usually intimidated by the bloodsucker, but this time was different. He looked ready to kill.
"We didn't," Sam said cautiously. He looked wary, for once trying not to further upset the mercurial vampire. His voice had taken on the soothing quality that made Jacob clench his teeth. "Edward, you know our minds. We had no idea what was in the box."
Paul, standing right behind Jake, sneered. "So it's a couple of corpses. Big deal. You're killers, I'm sure you've seen worse – "
Cullen positively howled with rage, lunging at the wolf. His sibling, the female blonde, caught the vampire around the wrist and pulled him back with a yank. Her oversized mate joined the fray and pinned his brother's arms to his sides with the sound of crashing thunder. Everything took place too quickly for Jacob's human eyes or brain to process, but his wolf side kept careful track of the leeches and their distance from the border. Edward was still raging, less controlled than Jacob had ever seen him. It took both the vampires to keep him still, murmuring too quietly for the shifters to hear.
"You idiot," the fortuneteller growled, eyes so wild that Seth stepped back a foot, "those corpses are – were – Edward's parents."
There was a general air of surprise on the Quileute side of the line. Paul shuffled his feet, looking as apologetic as was possible for him. Leah raised an eyebrow – before going wolf, she'd been intrigued by the ever-elusive Cullens, and Jared's face went pale.
"That's sick, man," Quil breathed.
Jacob felt briefly uncomfortable. He didn't like to think of his rival as having once been a human, someone Jacob was sworn to protect. It made him feel... guilty, somehow. In a way, weren't vampires just the manifestation of his pack's failure to preserve their lives? They could have been saved. Pushing the thoughts aside, he glanced down at the bodies. There wasn't enough left of them to make out many defining traits, but Jacob decided that the woman's copper-coated hair was very similar to Cullen's, if a bit lighter than her son's. The man's was dark brown.
The pair had died very young. Jacob felt an odd surge of curiosity, wondering how old Edward Cullen actually was when he had been bitten and frozen in time. It was hard to tell with vampires – their faces were smooth and ageless, any excess fat stripped away and bone structure perfected. Edward looked young, though; he couldn't quite pass for twenty like some of his siblings could.
There was the squeal of metal on stone and a shout of pain. The brawny vampire – Emmett, Jacob thought – fell back, clutching his own arm. "What the hell, Edward!" he shouted, looking more offended than actually hurt. "Why'd ya have to bite?"
The blond female was distracted, turning to assess her mate, and let go of Edward's wrist. Jacob's breath caught in his throat as the vampire blurred forward. He was so angry, if he attacked – Sam had ordered them all not to phase. There would be no way to defend themselves in time. The other werewolves seemed to be thinking along those lines, stumbling backwards. Embry's foot caught on a loose piece of tape, tripping when the cardboard box refused to budge.
The flash of white solidified into Cullen as he knelt beside the box.
They had panicked for nothing. Edward Cullen had no interest in the group of shapeshifters. Jacob felt the dull flush of embarrassment settle over his face, watching the leech stare down at his… well. His parents. His eyes were dark and aching again. It was a strange thing to see in the normally unaffected vampire. Jacob wondered if he would be crying, if that weren't impossible for his kind.
Behind the solitary figure, the Cullens had closed ranks. Jacob thought he heard one of them whisper, faint like the brush of wind through the trees. Everything the bloodsuckers did was quiet and dreamlike.
"We will allow him this."
Jacob glanced at his alpha. Sam looked uncomfortable – they all were, really. It seemed wrong to intrude on what seemed to be such a painful thing for the youngest Cullen. Then again, the vampires were monsters. And monsters deserved no compassion or respect.
"Maybe we should go." Seth's voice was hushed. Edward hadn't moved from where he crouched, staring down at the bodies. His hair shimmered red over his forehead, only adding to the unearthly sight. The way he cocked his head, the unnatural balance – Jacob would never understand how the Cullens passed as normal. Everything vampires did had a raw, animal grace.
"No. We stay," Sam ordered.
The pack may have been in human form, but they were familiar with each other's thoughts. Jacob knew that Sam had insisted the wolves stay not because of any real curiosity, but to test the vampires, see how far they would bend before they broke. Carlisle Cullen was desperate to keep the treaty intact.
Would this be the turning point?
The Cullens definitely looked angry enough. They probably still thought that Sam had known about the package's contents beforehand. The blond coven leader narrowed his eyes as Edward stood, turning to face his family. Jacob smelled the poisonous tang of the vampire's increasing pheromones. It made his wolf shudder and fight to escape.
"You said that they died of the influenza." Edward's voice was quiet and very, very wrong. Too smooth, too cadenced, as similar to a human's as water to rich wine. "You said her death was natural."
"Edward – "
The vampire continued as if there had been no interruption. "Why, then, does my mother have a broken neck?"
"Jasper," Carlisle whispered, eyes flickering between the coffin and his son. "Jasper, I would like you to do it now, please."
Edward was clearly growing hysterical. He spun around again to look down at his parents as if he were trying to imprint the scene into his skull. The vampire was mere feet from the wolves, closer to them than his own clan – only the box was between him and Quileute territory. Jacob saw the seer's mate, the one with the scars, close his eyes in concentration. Edward swayed, and in what seemed like a sudden haze of exhaustion, his eyes wavered and body went limp.
One of the wolves gave a soft "oh" of surprise as the vampire slumped toward the ground.
Years later Jacob still remembers this moment, still unfolds and twists it around in his head. He does not, and never will, understand why he made this particular choice. All he knows is that it set in motion a long chain of events. Still, knowing the outcome, he looks back and wouldn't change a thing.
In every scenario Jacob can imagine, he reaches forward and catches Edward Cullen as he falls, swinging him easily into his arms.
Jacob stood frozen for a moment, the vampire held awkwardly against his chest. He was surprisingly light. His packmates were staring at him with expressions ranging from amusement to shock. They were clearly all wondering the same thing.
What the hell was he thinking?
Jacob wasn't sure. The best answer that he could come up with was lingering sympathy over the vampire's obvious grief. He had loved his parents. Jacob could understand that. It made the bloodsucker seem almost – human.
Leah snickered, turning away, as Jacob tried to cover his embarrassment with a scowl. He looked up in time to see the small fortuneteller giving him an appraising look.
"Thank you for your concern, Jacob," she chimed. "But it really would have been all right to let Edward fall. You know, we aren't exactly fragile."
"Yeah, I know," Jacob said gruffly, feeling more stupid by the minute. For a moment, he considered just dropping the vampire, before deciding that it would anger the rest. Besides, the damage had been done. He watched as the scarred male slipped to – to Alice's side and wrapped a possessive hand around her waist, eyes pointedly fixed on the boy in Jacob's arms. The werewolf found, to his surprise, that he couldn't quite move.
Sam sighed, his face a mix of sternness and some other emotion, one that Jacob couldn't quite read. It looked like – was he trying not to laugh? "I'd suggest that you hand Edward to his family now, Jake. You know, he's technically over the line."
Oh. Shit.
Jacob shoved Edward away from him so quickly that he almost lost his balance. The blond leech caught his brother more easily than Jake had, draping one of the unconscious vampire's arms around his neck. He stared at the werewolves for a full second before speaking.
"Carlisle, Edward's fighting hard against me. It'll be hard to sedate him much longer. I'd appreciate knowing exactly why I'm doing so, anyway."
The motherly one nodded, the picture of concern. Somehow, she always seemed less savage than the rest. "Yes, dear, I had thought we weren't using that sort of force anymore. Surely you could have just spoken to Edwa – "
"I had my reasons," the coven leader murmured. His eyes were pensive, fixed on Sam. "I will explain as much as possible when we return to the house and Edward can be awoken, trust me. Emmett, if you would carry the… unwelcome delivery?"
The brawny vampire grimaced in disgust, stepping forward to lift the heavy box. His blonde mate didn't look so beautiful when her face contorted from the smell.
Sam inhaled once, sharply, like he was preparing to order the pack to leave. He was interrupted by the head vampire, who still seemed lost in thought.
"I would truly appreciate it if this incident were not mentioned again," Carlisle said quietly. "Especially in the company of my son. As you can see, it will not bring out the best of reactions from him. I'm sure you can understand." The tone of his voice turned the order into a request.
The alpha looked back at the pack with a warning in his eyes. Not once did Jake regret allowing him to keep the position – Sam was a better leader than he could ever hope to be. "That's fine. We'll keep it under wraps. Not like we see a lot of each other, anyway."
The wind picked up and Jacob blinked, and the vampires were gone.
The presence of the Cullens always seemed to freeze the werewolves into silence, like Novocain spread on their teeth and their tongues. It seemed wrong, somehow, to talk in the company of such alien creatures. Now that they had left, the group melted into laughter and jokes.
"Dude," Embry guffawed. "You picked him up! Like, bridal style! What the hell were you thinking?"
"I'm not sure," Jacob defended himself, ears turning red as he remembered the light press of the vampire's body against his. "I wasn't, I guess."
"Damn right, you weren't." Paul's eyes were wide. "When you touched the leech – gross, by the way – you brought him over the line. Y'know, we could say they broke the treaty," he added hopefully.
Sam had been quiet, allowing the wolf pack to have their fun, but now he frowned and signaled for the group to phase. "You know that would be ridiculous. Jake's actions brought Edward onto our land. The Cullens have done nothing wrong."
There was a collective sigh of disappointment as the Quileutes began to undress, preparing for the run home.
Leah, who had been ignoring them up until now, smirked. "It's not like we should punish them for that heartwarming display," she said, unbuttoning her shorts. "After all, Cullen looked pretty… cute… in Jacob's arms. I thought it was sweet."
Jacob scowled, but she had already phased, leaving him glaring at a horse-sized wolf instead. With a growl, he yanked off his own shorts. As one, the entire pack broke into a trot, gradually speeding up as they headed toward La Push.
Meanwhile, in the farthest corners of his head where even pack-mind couldn't reach, Jacob was running through the memories of the brief moment he held Edward Cullen – willingly, voluntarily. He imagined that he could still feel the vampire against him. He didn't quite understand what had changed, but something definitely had. The werewolf felt like someone had reached inside of him and jumbled all the pieces.
It was as if Edward's coolness, his weight, had been permanently marked into Jake's very skin.
I can't seem to get into Jacob's head. I'm making him as likeable as possible because canon Jake annoys the hell out of me. Anyway.
Until next time!
