A New Dawn

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.

A/N-thank you for awesome reviews!

Part One

Bella couldn't bear the devastated expression on Edward's face. His features were contorted between anger and despair. His amber eyes turned dark as they fixated on Jacob. Bella was covering her nakedness with her duvet, but Jacob didn't care. In fact he flaunted it. He took his time shrugging on his abandoned jeans, ignoring Edward deliberately, calculatingly. Bella saw Edward's fists clench. No one had spoken thus far. Even in this desperate situation all were conscious that Charlie was sleeping in the room down the hall. None of them could risk discovery. But Bella knew what would happen when Jacob and Edward left the house. They would fight and she couldn't risk that. The thought of either of them being hurt because of her betrayal sickened her to the pit of her stomach. Her eyes flicked to Jacob. He was standing by the bed, not bothering to retrieve his t-shirt. His jeans hung low on his hips; he hadn't even bothered to button them. Last night she had gotten a hint of the change in Jacob, but it was more obvious now, as he gazed nonchalantly at Edward, looking at him as if he was nothing more than an irritating bug that needed to be squashed.

"I see you're up to your old tricks again. I think you must enjoy spying." Jacob was the first to speak.

Edward's jaw clenched. He glanced at Bella briefly before averting his eyes. His feelings were too raw to deal with now. He had to concentrate on his rival. He avoided reading Jacob's mind, the pictures that Jacob painted of his night with Bella was clear for him to see, and only added to his pain. He wanted to tear Black to shreds, to wipe the smug expression off of his face. Jacob was deliberately baiting him mentally because he knew that Bella would be unaware of the torment he could inflict. "I think it's time you left." Edward's voice was as cold as his skin.

Jacob laughed darkly. "You know its bad luck to see the bride before the big day. You just screwed yourself."

"I'm here because Alice warned me you were back. She became concerned when she couldn't see Bella. I rushed straight over here to offer my support." Edward frowned, swallowing thickly, as he tried to recover his poise. He glanced at Bella again. She still hadn't spoken, in fact seemed unable to. Her face said it all however. Edward sighed, seeing the shame, guilt and regret shining in her beautiful brown eyes. "We can get past this." He said to her directly, ignoring Jacob as he if he wasn't even there.

"We had sex. I think that's a clear enough message." Jacob snapped. He was losing his cool now. He couldn't believe the crap that was coming out of Cullen's mouth. How could you possibly get past something like that? The fool was deluded.

Edward read the thoughts running through Jacob's mind; the last really riled him up. His eyes narrowed. "You are the one who is deluded. You said it yourself. It was just sex. That's it. It was just a physical act. It's not love. You might like to think it was more than that, but it wasn't." Edward's eyes blazed with repressed anger. He could see his words had gotten under Jacob's skin and he pressed his advantage. "I understand the human need for affection. I confess I held back on providing that to Bella. She is human and has human frailties. You know she feels guilty about hurting you. So you ran off like a spoilt child, and then came back on the eve of the biggest day of her life just so you could take advantage of that guilt. You thought giving her something I was holding back from would somehow seal the love between you. Well you were wrong."

It worked. Despite Jacob's best efforts Edward's taunts were getting to him. His jaw clenched and he tensed. He was slowly losing his control. He stepped forward, just at the same time as Edward. Bella became alarmed. She could see the anger escalating. If it kicked off, it could turn chaotic. Edward's sudden entrance into the room had startled her. Her emotions were all over the place. She didn't know what to say or how to defend herself. It was made worse with them all being in the same room. It would be better if she could speak to each privately. She asked them to stop, they didn't listen. She wished she could climb out of bed and get between them but she was still naked under the bedcovers. She tried again, begging them to calm down, but they were so caught up in their anger, they still refused to heed her. Being ignored only aroused her anger. It was like her opinion didn't matter. The focus was all on their damn rivalry and not the real issues. Bella could think of only one way to physically stop them. "Dad." She cried out loudly.

That brought their attention back to her. Bella climbed out of bed, wrapped up in her duvet as she called for Charlie again. She saw the confusion on Edward's face and her anger died. Guilt consumed her again and all she could do was mouth sorry. Charlie was stirring. They heard his heavy tread on the floorboards as he approached her room. When the door handle began to turn Edward was forced to flee. Bella expected Jacob to do the same, but instead he just stood beside her, watching her intently. Bella gazed back at him in alarm. Why wasn't he leaving? Charlie would be pissed to find them in the room together like this, him half naked and her fully under the duvet she was wrapped in. It was obvious what had happened. The door opened and a weary Charlie walked in. He was still half asleep. He had taken the night shift in order to distract himself from his unhappiness at his daughter's impending nuptials, and his worry over Jacob's disappearance. He had been working all night chasing leads, hoping that he would find the one clue which would lead him to Billy's son. He badly wanted to give his best friend some good news. However he didn't expect to see the object of his search standing half naked in his daughter's room.

"What the hell is going on here?" Charlie stared at his red faced daughter and then Jacob, who was standing, looking defiant and totally unapologetic.

"Dad, it's not what you think." Bella said lamely.

Charlie rubbed a hand over his face. His tired brain began to whir slowly. "Where have you been?" He demanded as he approached Jacob and glared at him. "You can wipe that look off your face. Do you know the worry you have caused your father. Do you understand how many man hours have been spent searching for you? Do you? I had your face plastered everywhere. On billboards, milk cartons. Now I find you standing here, in my daughter's room, half…." Charlie suddenly ran out of steam as it suddenly hit him like a thunderbolt. "Have you been here all night?" There was steel in his voice now.

"Yes." Jacob spoke before Bella had a chance to.

"Doing what may I ask?" Charlie tore his eyes away from Jacob and zoned in on his distressed daughter. He wasn't stupid; he knew why she was wrapped up in her quilt. Her clothes were strewn all over the floor. Bella's room was always tidy. "I see." He finished coldly. "Get dressed, both of you. I want you down stairs in five minutes." He left the room, slamming the door behind him.


"That went well." Jacob finally reached for his t-shirt and yanked it over his head.

"Are you for real?" Bella was trying to get dressed while still covering her nakedness with the duvet.

"Why are you covering yourself? It's nothing I've not seen before." Jacob snatched the covers away from her before she could respond. She felt exposed under his scrutinising gaze. Her skin burned with mortification as she remembered the way she had given herself to him the night before. The way she had responded to his skilful touch, the sounds she had made, the pleading. She felt her body responding to those memories and she hated herself for it. She could see that Jacob could sense her attraction to him. His whole posture relaxed and he finally turned, giving her the privacy she craved while she finished dressing.

"We have to work out what to say." Bella said eventually when she was fully dressed.

Jacob turned around to face her. He put his hands on her face and splayed his long fingers across her cheeks. "Charlie's not an idiot. He knows perfectly well what happened."

Bella's eyes closed as he used his thumbs to caress her skin. She was so sensitive to his touch. His mouth pressed on hers, taken Bella unawares. She gasped, parting her lips, his tongue sliding past. She tasted him, her hands sliding up his strong arms, and finding their way around his neck as she clung to him. "You can't deny what is between us." Jacob murmured against her ear, he nipped the lobe gently and Bella couldn't contain the pleasurable shudder that ran through her. "Come on, we better go down."

Bella opened her eyes. She felt slightly disorientated. She couldn't believe the effect that Jacob was having on her. Her body was humming, each nerve end tingling. It was only when he stepped away that she was able to think again. Her senses cleared and her guilt and shame over betraying Edward returned full force. She couldn't believe that she had lapsed so badly in judgement. She had made a bad situation so much worse. She was supposed to be marrying Edward in a few hours, but had easily gone behind his back when Jacob returned so unexpectedly. She had given Jacob something so precious, something that should have been Edward's. She was walking an emotional tightrope, and knew she would soon fall.


"Please tell me you used protection." Charlie muttered as he threw some rashers of bacon into a frying pan. He had already given Jacob a long lecture about ditching his responsibilities and worrying those who loved him by taking off like he had. Jacob had found it hard to endure, and had been forced to clamp his mouth shut to stop himself issuing a retort. Charlie Swan had no idea what he had been through.

"I'm on the pill." Bella mumbled. Her skin flushed and she averted her eyes from Jacob's piercing stare. This news has surprised him. Why would she feel the need to take contraceptives? He wished they were alone so he could demand an explanation, but had to remain quiet because of Charlie's presence.

"Good." Charlie was relieved. He automatically added some fried eggs to the mix and began to serve up the cooked breakfast. He gave Jacob double what he put aside for him and Bella. He was used to Jacob's gargantuan appetite, even if he didn't understand it. "As soon as breakfast is over I'll drive you home." He told Jacob. "I've already called Billy and he's eager to see you. I would have tanned your ass, but luckily your dad is more understanding."

Jacob's jaw flexed at this statement. He managed to nod abruptly and resumed eating his food. Bella was sitting on the other side of the table to him so was unable to offer any comfort. She choked her own food down, trying to contain her nerves. She had seen the confused expression cross Jacob's face when she revealed she was taking the pill. That was another long winded explanation she was going to have to deal with.

"When we've dropped Jake home I'll come with you to the Cullen's. Its best we tell them face to face the wedding is off now. You'll have to be honest with him, kiddo." Charlie would never be able to say Edward's name. "But it's for the best. You were too young to get married. You haven't lived enough yet."

Bella did choke on her food this time. Her eyes watered and she reached for a glass of water. The cool liquid made the food slide down but her throat still felt tight with fear. Jacob had stopped all pretence at eating. His emotions were raw and his hands shook as he tried to contain his wolf. Charlie had no idea how close to the bone his innocent words were. 'You haven't lived enough yet.' He had no idea his daughter had nearly married someone who was intent on ending that life. Jacob's eyes met Bella's and he saw the flash of guilt in them. His blood ran cold as he pondered exactly what reason she was feeling so ashamed. There were so many reasons but he hoped it wasn't because she had slept with him and thus betrayed the bloodsucker.

"You need to calm down, both of you." Charlie was astute enough to pick up on the tension, even if he didn't fully understand it. His prayers had been answered, although not in the way he had expected. He felt uncomfortable thinking about his best friend's son sleeping with his daughter under his roof, but it had been the catalyst for Bella to halt this fiasco of a wedding to a guy he didn't like or trust. Thankfully she was on the pill so a pregnancy scare had been averted. In his mind they all just needed to settle down and deal with the aftermath. "Come on now, finish eating." He ordered.


Talk, they really needed to talk, but they weren't being given any space. There was so much that needed to be said and clarified. Jacob didn't know what to think or feel. When it came down to it he didn't trust Bella. He had lost that trust when the wedding invitation had come floating through his door and he had had fled into the wild as he tried to outrun his despair. He had returned last night, not sure what he was doing, or what he was feeling. His head had been filled with Bella for the last few days, and his wolf had unconsciously led him to her door. He hadn't expected what happened afterward. He had been acting on instinct. Maybe Bella had too. He glanced at her often on the journey to La Push. He had always been able to read her, but right now, he couldn't. By the despairing look on her face, she appeared to be doing the same. They may have connected physically last night, but emotionally they were as far apart as ever.

The drive was too short. Before they could relax Charlie had parked up outside his old home. The redwood house seemed smaller than he remembered. His dad speared on the front porch. His lined face was pensive. Jacob had to breathe deeply to stop the guilt eating him up inside. He had left his disabled father to fend for himself. He guessed that his pack had stepped in while he was away licking his wounds, but that wasn't a good enough excuse. Jacob hurriedly climbed out of the car and ran to his father. Billy couldn't contain his tears as he reached out so he could embrace his only son. Jacob hunkered down and put his arms around his frail father. No words were spoken, but they hugged for a long time.


"I'll just say a few words to Billy and then we'll head to the Cullen's. You stay here." Charlie said to his daughter. Bella nodded. She watched in trepidation as Charlie went to join Billy and Jacob. The three of them huddled together and began to converse. She wondered what they were saying to each other. Jacob occasionally glanced over in her direction as she remained in the cruiser, but his expression was unreadable.

Bella sagged in her seat. Soon she was going to have to face Edward again. She didn't know how she would find the words to apologise for her actions. She couldn't even begin to explain them herself. The fact that he was willing to overlook her discretion spoke volumes about how much he loved her, but was her love just as intense as his. She had always thought so. But it couldn't be. She had melted into Jacob's arms as soon as he had come back to her. He had come home, and in her relief she had lowered her barriers and let him in. There was no explaining her actions. She was the worst kind of person, toying with both of their hearts. Bella hated herself so much, she wished she could tear herself in two, and give both guys the best part of herself. But that was impossible.

The conversation between Charlie and the others dragged on and on. Bella began to panic at the thought of facing Edward and his family. She wouldn't be able to bear their disappointment. She had always struggled to live up to their ideal of her, now that would have been shattered. She felt like the lowest of the low. She worried about Edward, she worried about Jacob. She was so tense and emotionally distraught that she was on the verge of hysteria. The sound of the car door opening pulled her out of her funk. She saw her father motion for her to get out of the car.

"I thought we were going straight to the Cullen's." Bella said in confusion as she climbed out clumsily.

"No, I'm going on your behalf." Charlie informed her. "Billy reminded me how much influence Cullen has on you. I'm not having you railroaded into going through with it out of guilt. You'll stay here with Billy and Jake until I return."

"You can't make those kinds of decisions for me." Bella said heatedly. She glared at Jacob who was still on the porch with Billy. "I'm a grown woman with a mind of my own."

"You're naïve, Bella. I have eyes. I know I have held back from interfering too much, I was afraid of losing you. But that has to stop now. I never wanted you to marry him. I don't like or trust him. I've had to watch you suffer depression because of him, you've got hurt on numerous occasions when in his company…"

"I explained all that." Bella cried desperately.

"You've run away, twice." Charlie refused to be thwarted. "No, Bella, I won't be put off. You stay here." Before she could say anymore he got into the cruiser and sped off.

A/N-thank you for reading!