Chapter 4. Confrontation

She immediately felt paralyzed and simply looked at him with wide, wondering eyes. She then saw the tortured look on his face, and some deep instinct within her took over, willing her to immediately go to him, to find out what was hurting him. As soon as she crossed the room, a look of relief was born, and he immediately had her in his arms, hugging her, and telling her that he was so sorry, and how glad he was that she had not been killed jumping off the cliff. She was confused. The cliff? But how . . . Alice! She immediately realized that Alice must have seen her jump from the cliff, and since Alice was unable to see Jacob, once he saved her, she had been unable to see Bella as well.

Once Bella understood what had taken place, she immediately felt her heart go numb. "Well Edward, I'm sorry you wasted the trip, but as you can see I am quite fine, and not dead or mangled . . . at least not physically." Edward winced at her afterthought.

"Bella. . ." For once, Edward did not seem to have a prepared speech for her. "My love. . .."

"Don't call me that. Don't say things to me you don't mean!" she whispered as harshly as she could so that her father would not hear her.

"Bella. . ." Edward could see the look on her face, and realized she was close to tears. He seemed to mentally switch gears, and instead of trying to explain things while she was still shocked to have seen him, he instead implored, "Bella, when you have calmed down, I will be at the house. Come to see me when you are ready." And in an instant he was gone.

Bella sat heavily on her bed. Had these events really just occurred? Had she dreamed them? She buried her head in her hands, and she could smell Edward on them. Her mind reeled and her head spun, and she was not sure what she was supposed to think or feel. Somewhere in her confused haze, one word began to form in her mind. Jake. She needed Jake. She hesitated not sure if she needed Jake the friend, or Jake the new boyfriend. She did not want to hurt Jacob anymore. . . and yet in that moment, she needed him like the earth needed the sun.

In what seemed like 15 minutes, Jake was knocking on the door, and after Charlie answered it, he barely said hello before he was bounding up the stairs. As he opened the door, Bella saw a wide-eyed confused panic look across his face. Her heart sank. She was causing this look.

"What happened, why is he here, I can smell him, what did he say to you Bella, I am going to kill that filthy bloodsuck. ." His words were cut off by the look on Bella's face and her hand reaching for him. He immediately went to her, and pulled her to him much the way a mother will pull a child who has been lost in the mall to her once he is found. He held her desperately, fearing that everything he had worked so hard to build with Bella was suddenly in danger of being wiped out. It was so not fair. The stench on her did not improve his mood, and he immediately wished he was facing that leech this minute, tearing into his skin, ripping him to shreds."

Jake stayed with her for most of the day, but had to return to LaPush for a pack meeting. Edward's arrival into town meant high alert for the pack, and Jacob prayed for a reason that he would be able to somehow kill Edward, and keep him from hurting his Bella. HIS Bella. Jacob began to feel possessiveness rise within him, and though he wanted to question Bella, and ask for her reassurances, he simply looked at her, kissed her forehead, and her cheeks, and pulled her into him with comfort.

Bella knew that she would go see Edward, the same strange way salmon swim upstream and birds fly south for the winter. It just was. There was almost no choice about it, it just was. She waited until she was sure Jacob was long gone, and then she climbed into her truck and headed down the road. Her mind was whirling, and she wasn't quite sure what she expected from her trip to the Cullen home. When she arrived, Edward was already waiting at the door for her. She really did need a quieter vehicle or at least a new muffler she mused. Edward's face lit up when he saw her, and he exclaimed, "Bella, I knew you would come." She slowly ascended the stairs into the house she once thought of as her new family home, and walked past him ignoring his words.

Edward explained to Bella the reasons he had left, and how miserable he was without her. He told her of his tracking expedition, and then vaguely mentioned the fact that Victoria had managed to escape, censoring again, Bella realized. When Bella left the Cullen home, she was more confused than ever. She believed Edward's explanation of why he left, and she could not deny that she still loved him. She also could not deny that she needed Jake. She had not told Edward about Jake, fearing his reaction, and wanting to avoid a conflict between them.

When Bella returned home, Jacob was waiting for her in the driveway, and he was not happy. "Bella, what are you doing?" he asked. "Sam told us that Cullen was not the only blood sucker back in the area, Victoria is back too." He hesitated. "Why are you out driving around by yours. . ." suddenly Jake took a step back as he realized where she had been. His eyes looked like someone had just given a death sentence, and Bella knew that she was the one who had put the hurt there. "Whaa. . .?" Jacob was unable to form the words to ask her the questions running in his mind. 'Do you still want him, are you going to leave me, what about what we have, Bella I love you,' yet his mouth said nothing. He realized that his new relationship was in jeopardy, and felt his head swimming. He went to her, and pulled her to him with ferocity. "I won't let him take you away from me" he said, and suddenly started kissing her with a passion she had not yet felt from him. His usual control seemed absent somehow. He kissed Bella with a passion fueled by desperation, somehow feeling like he would burn his lips into hers.

She was shocked when Jacob grabbed her, and almost protested when he started kissing her so roughly. Once she realized what was happening, her protest died before it had even been raised. She felt her body lean into his, and kissed him back with a hunger she had never known. She felt as if her body was an independent part of her, and she almost felt as if she were watching the scene from outside of herself. Her body arched into his, and she felt her hands in Jacob's hair, pulling him closer to her, needing him closer to her. She felt his intensity, and quickly matched it. She felt the warmth in her body spreading completely through her, and ran her hands down his back. Unknowingly, she began to scratch his back, at one point digging her nails into his back. This only seemed to amplify Jacob's passion for her, and she found the new power of being able to affect him in this way intoxicating. She became completely lost in the moment, until she heard a huge crash to the side of the house.