Chapter 3

Normal Point of View.

Bella sat there, completely shocked by the exchange between her and Jacob. She knew he had feelings for her, that much was obvious, but he seemed so.... forceful. It actually scared her. She watched him leave the room and quickly jumped up to lock her door. She looked at the breakfast and saw that it was more than she would eat in a week so it must have been for the two of them. Bella dressed into her jeans and pulled out a long sleeved dark blue T- shirt. She went to the bathroom and after she was finished, she took the tray downstairs with her. She found Jacob in the kitchen whistling an unfamiliar tune. Obviously he wasn't worried about the bedroom exchange so she thought it best to deal with it later. She placed the tray down on the table and Jacob turned to look at her.

"Hey don't you look sexy!" Bella scrunched up her eyebrows and pulled a weird face but Jacob only laughed. Maybe later wasn't such a great idea.

"So where's my dad and Billy? Did they leave early?" Jacob was tucking into the food while she made herself a coffee.

"Aren't you going to eat Bells?" Bella shook her head and held up the coffee cup.

With a mouth full of food, he replied, "They took off early cause they said they had to organise some places for other people to stay while we are cleaning up. Also they said the school on Res was in threat, how cool would that be? no school for me, ha!" Jacob was waffling on and Bella couldn't help but smile. There was a break in the conversation, albeit one sided, so she thought she might get something clear.

"Jacob, I need to talk to you about something?" "Hmmm," came the reply while he continued to eat.

"I don't quite know how to say this...." Bella paused, wondering how to put it nicely.

"Just spit it out Bells." Jacob stopped eating and looked at her.

"Ummm, well Jacob, I just don't want you to get the wrong idea about 'us'," Bella used her hand to motion between the two of them.

Jacob leant across the table and looked her in the eye.

"Bells, don't worry about anything, I will be here for you, I won't leave you like the leech did." He raised his hand to stroke the side of her face and she leant away from his touch. He just laughed at her, stood up and then carried the empty tray to the sink.

Bella sat there looking deep into her coffee, not taking her eyes of the silken topaz liquid.

"It was complicated Jake..." Jacob spun around and slammed his fist down on the table making Bella jump and her coffee spill on the table.

"What's so complicated about it Bells, stop making excuses for him. If he wanted you and I say if, then he would never have done anything to hurt you. It's all crap, he lead you on and then dropped you. You meant nothing to him. NOTHING." Bella stared at this person standing in her kitchen, telling her the things she knew to be so true. How could he know all of this, how did he know how she felt, that she knew she was nothing to him, that she was a waste of his time.

Bella could not find her voice to speak and Jacob must have realised. He walked over to her and stood in front of the chair she was currently trembling in. He slowly reached down and grabbed her arms and pulled her up to him. He pulled her closer to him and then she cried. He hugged her tightly while the tears trickled down his bare chest but what she couldn't see, was the snickering, self satisfying look on his face.

Bella and Jacob finished breakfast and then went up to town to the hospital. Bella was nervous, but only because she wanted to see Carlisle. She hadn't seen him in such a long time and she missed him and Esme terribly. She hoped that she could shake Jacob for long enough so she could have a quiet word with him. That was the plan anyway.

The drive was quiet but mostly because Bella had the music on in her truck so she could avoid any more interrogation from her passenger. They drove into the gates of the hospital and as she drove through the staff car park to get to the public car park, she noticed Carlisle's car and she couldn't help the butterfly's in her stomach. They found a spot and she got out of her car slowly as Jacob seemed to be in a rush. She hoped he hadn't caught on to her plan.

As luck and fate would have it, her phone rang. She looked at Jacob and told him she needed to take the call as it was Renee and she was worried. She quickly convinced him to go on ahead and she would follow him in in a little while. As anxious as he was, Jacob still took too long to decide and Bella had to answer the phone with him there before her mother lost her patience and hung up. She deliberately made it sound like boring mother/daughter talk and Jacob then finally got the hint and left.

Bella's POV

I talked and walked slowly into the hospital while filling Renee in on the events of the fire. As she talked, I unconsciously walked towards Carlisle's office and as I turned a corner, I was surprised to see him leaning up against a wall, waiting. His eyes were on mine in an instant and I completely lost my train of thought and mumbled a goodbye to mum and then slowly lowered my hand down to my side. My feet felt like they were concrete blocks but something drove me on to his side. I finally reached him and all of a sudden I didn't feel like this was such a great idea. The last time I saw him was when he told me to leave their property as Edward was fighting with Emmett. All of a sudden I was nervous and I decided to leave. I mumbled sorry to him and quickly turned around to leave.

"Bella, you don't need to leave sweetheart, plus I have someone in my office who really wants to see you." I turned to face him and I couldn't help but look into his eyes with such a fatherly love that even Carlisle could see it. He put his arm around my shoulders and led me down the corridor to his office.

"So Bella, how have you been?" Carlisle still had his arm around my shoulders and I relished the ice cold marble feeling that I felt on my side where he had me tucked into his body. It was completely pathetic but it reminded me of Edward.

"umm, I have been better Carlisle, but I am getting there." I was silent for a few minutes, hoping I hadn't said too much and then I mumbled quietly, "but I have missed everyone." Carlisle squeezed my shoulder and placed a light kiss on my head and then stopped in front of his closed door.

He stepped aside and pulled on the lever.

The door slid open and inside I saw Esme impatiently bouncing on the balls of her feet. She saw me and she moved forward, a little quicker than any normal person, and embraced me, her surrogate daughter. Carlisle laughed at her eagerness but I was so happy that I didn't care. I wrapped my arms around Esme and for once in my life, I wasn't worried about what would happen or what people might think. I held on tight and I could feel that Esme was also holding on to me as well. We pulled apart when we heard that Carlisle had closed the door and Esme reached down and wiped the tears away from my cheeks.

"Oh my poor Bella, how are you sweetie, I have missed you so much?" Esme pulled me down to sit next to her on Carlisle's lounge and she held my hands firmly but not too tight. She was probably afraid I might break which knowing her strength, I could of.

"I feel good right now Esme, but how did you know that I would be here?" Esme looked at Carlisle and smiled that beautiful, warm, motherly smile of hers and I instantly knew Alice was behind it. It was actually quite nice to know that she was, as I felt so saddened that she had left me too and had made no effort to see me or speak to me. I knew Edward was behind it but it still hurt. A lot.

"Bella, I am worried about you, you look too thin, are you eating darling? Carlisle get the girl some food please?" Esme placed her order to Carlisle but I stopped him.

"Carlisle, No I am fine, thank you. I just want to talk to you I miss you both so much." Carlisle smiled and sat down to talk to me for a while.

The conversation was wonderful, Esme told me all about Rosie and Emmett and Alice and Jasper. Obviously they both avoided mentioning his name and for that, I was grateful. We talked for quite a while and when Carlisle went to do his rounds, Esme and I went down stairs so she could 'see' me eat something. I bought a sandwich so she would be happy. I realised we had been talking for a while and I thought I had better find Jacob.

"Esme, I am so sorry, I really don't want to go but I have to find Jacob. I am so sorry." Esme couldn't hide her disappointment and it made me feel even worse. She stood up and pulled me into a hug and it was probably a gentle one by her standards but I was struggling to breath. She let go and I tried not to huff out my breath or gasp for air. She looked at my face as if she was committing it all to memory. She brushed the hair of my face and I leant into her hand.

"Bella I understand this is so hard for you, but please be careful and hang in there my darling. It will all work out in the end, please have faith in us and Edward." The mention of his name created the gaping hole in my heart and Esme obviously sensed my discomfort.

"Bella, he does love you, don't forget that." I shook my head, I couldn't hear this, it wasn't true. I knew how he felt, he made it clear to me that I am nothing to him. But I decided that I wasn't going to lose Esme and Carlisle too, I loved them too much.

I hugged her again and told her I would try to see her again and I left with the tears tracking their hot trails down my cheeks. I couldn't look at Esme as I knew the look on her face would be etched in my mind.

I stumbled down the hallway and the pain of seeing Esme and Carlisle hit me hard. I found a small alcove and grabbed hold of my stomach so the pain wouldn't tear me apart. I crumbled down to my feet and cried for a few more minutes. After I let it out, I stood up, took a deep breath and walked out to find Jacob. Jacob didn't seem to be concerned that I was away for so long as the boys had woken up and were having a laugh at his antics. I told him we had better go as we needed to go down to the reserve and see if Charlie and Billy needed us.

I said bye to the boys and they eagerly asked Jacob when he would be back and he looked at me with a questioning look.

I suggested tomorrow after school as I couldn't miss another day and they were quite happy with that. The walk down the hall way was quiet. I could see him looking at me from the corner of my eye but I didn't acknowledge him as I didn't feel the need to explain myself to him.

"Well how was she?" My mouth got into gear way before my brain did.

"She was wonderful, I missed her so much." Jacob looked at me funny and only then did I realise he was talking about Renee not Esme.

"Yeah just the sound of her voice makes me realise how much I miss her, but she was fine, once I told her everyone was safe." I covered. Jacob nodded but I got the distinct feeling this wasn't over.

Our drive down to the Res was basically Jacob enacting everything that had happened with the two boys. I found out their names were Pete and Paul. I ahhed and ummed in all the right places so he didn't think I was ignoring him. I actually felt unbelievably better now that I had seen Esme and Carlisle. I couldn't believe how completely attached to them I had become in such a short amount of time. It was like they were my real parents as well.

We pulled in to the make shift office and I parked the truck. Jacob jumped out and went to find Billy and as luck would have it Charlie wasn't too far off. I walked over to him and he looked exhausted.

"Dad are you OK?" He turned around quickly at the sound of my voice.

"We made the news in Jacksonville." His eyebrows went up into his hair line so I explained the call from Renee. After talking to Charlie and then moving some other people to new accommodation, I drove home. Jacob offered to stay and help Billy and I was extremely glad for the peace and quiet. I drove home slowly and replayed the hospital visit over and over in my head. I missed those two so much and I felt such relief at being able to spend some time with them. As I drove along the main road, I slowed down at the school. I glanced at the time and saw that school finished in twenty minutes so I figured I would have enough time to go to the office and explain my absence and leave before running into anyone.

I pulled in quickly, I was unusually brave today. I parked in the spot that hid my truck, or at least tried to hide it, from the people entering the car park and I raced up to the office. So my bravery wasn't such a bright idea, as I fell over twice in my haste to make it to the office without being seen. I stumbled in the door and dusted off my knees and tried to clean the scrapes off my palms. I settled for a quick rub on my jeans and I raised my head to address the office lady. The room was awfully quiet and now I knew why. The office lady was watching me do my quick clean up but what was disturbing was Edward was sitting in a chair off to the side of me and I didn't see him. I only looked over in that direction because she was looking at him and me with a strange expression on her face.

I looked at his face and his expression was murderous. I quickly looked away and contemplated making a run for it. I could probably just turn around and leave and call them to explain my absence because I sure as hell didn't want to say it in front of him.

"Hi Isabella, are you here to pick up the papers chief Swan called about?" I looked at her with a blank expression so she answered for me.

"Yes of course you are." She walked out the back of the office so I walked over to the desk thinking about how quickly Edward could kill me now. His look was enough to stop my heart. Even though he was ridiculously angry with me, for apparently no reason, I still couldn't help but be hurt by his presence. Against my better judgement, I turned to peak a look at him through my hair. I moved my eyes first without moving any other part and when my peripheral vision wasn't enough, I slightly turned my shoulders. I was breathing very erratically and I knew he could hear it. I fooled myself into thinking that maybe he had walked out the door and I would turn around and he wasn't even there. I continued ever so slowly and then almost screamed. He was right behind me. I mean 'right' behind me. I am surprised that I didn't feel his presence or smelt his scent.

I turned around to face him dead on and he looked disgusted, exactly the same way he did when he first met me so long ago.

"Edward would you just say what you want to say and get it over and done with." My bravery made a triumphant return. His eyes seemed to tell a different story from the one he was trying to pull off. He leant in closer and growled at me.

"I don't have anything to say to you any more, by the way, you have an new odour attached to your skin, you're dog friend getting in very close is he?"

I couldn't believe it, he was stooping to a new depth. It was bad enough that he didn't want me but he didn't want me to have any friends either.

"You are unbelievable, you don't speak to me for months and now you insult my friend, mind you the only friend I have?" I tried to sound tough but it came across wimpy.

"May I remind you Edward, this is your doing, all of this is because you didn't want me. I was not good enough to be on the arm of Edward Cullen, mind you no one would have ever loved you as much as I did. I didn't leave you, you left me so you have no right to say these things."

His hand reached forward and he took my hair in his hand, he lifted the strand of hair to his face and smelled it. I was shocked into a frozen state. My failing hope started to return, maybe he was having second thoughts about us breaking up. He dropped it like it was poison.

"Who else have you been with Bella, getting around I smell?" I couldn't believe him, what was he implying.

"I beg your pardon?" I, again, tried to look annoyed but it wasn't working. I just wanted to cry and forget everything that had happened. I could smell his scent and it was driving me insane with desire. But then realisation dawned on me, how could I forget, how could I go on and pretend nothing happened when everything did. How could I go on and think he loved me when I knew he didn't.

"Edward, I can't do this." I tried to get past him but he grabbed my elbow. He leant in again and smelled me, it was getting annoying.

"You have been around a vampire or some one from my family, haven't you?" He was furious and I couldn't let him know because then I may not see them again and it felt too good to lose. The only way I could get out of this was to change the subject without him realising. I knew I needed to make him angry enough to let me go so I said the only thing I could think of under such pressure.

"Jacob lives with me now and we have been together all day, so all you can smell is defeat Edward."

I couldn't believe those words fell from my mouth. I was going to be sick, I had to get out before I threw up my sandwich all over him. The office lady came in and gave me my papers and at the same time the school bell rang. I turned around and tried without success, to listen to what the office lady was telling me. I knew Charlie would ask but I could feel the heat rising from my feet to my face and I needed to get out, so I would have to wing it for Charlie. I turned around and the look Edward gave me was shocked. I thought maybe I should try and fix my mess but it wasn't entirely my mess to fix.

I walked towards him but he put his hand up and stopped me. He told me to get out and as I was completely gutted, I walked out as quickly as my shaking feet could carry me. I got into the cool air and the warm tracks of tears I was fighting against, poured down my face. My vision was blurred and I ran in the direction of my parked truck. I needed the sanctuary of my cabin so I could scream and let the pain consume me.

I didn't see it, I didn't hear it, but I felt it. I was running towards my truck and my head was down. I felt something hit the side of my body and head so hard that I was thrown through the air. It all felt like it was happening in slow motion but I knew it wasn't. I came down from my flight with a huge crash and all I could see or hear, I wasn't sure which one, was broken glass all around me. I felt the trickle of something warm oozing out of my head and maybe my mouth, I couldn't be sure, but I could smell blood so strongly that I still may have been sick. Surprisingly though, there was no pain. Nothing. I heard the screams of unknown people and car tyres screeching but it was getting darker and all I wanted to do was go to sleep.

Poor Bella, she just can't seem to get a break...

let me know what you think

Sirius xoxo