A/N: I had to resubmit this because I realised I missed out a word when I had checked it before submitting. One tiny word that bugged me so much I had to make sure it got back in there. Sorry for the inconvenience!
Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all the characters, I'm just having fun with them.
End of Last Chapter:
"Please Jake" I begged "Please just let me stay home"
"I'm sorry Bella" Jake said softly "I should have stopped to think about how hard this must be on you. I'm not happy about this though...can I come over and try to talk some sense in you?"
"You can try" I laughed "But remember who you're talking too. I'm not exactly the definition of sensible"
"No Bella, you're not" Jake said with resignation "I'll be over in 10".
Putting the phone back on the cradle, I wondered through the fog of exhaustion how I was going to be able to handle this conversation with Jacob.
As I set about making dinner, I had to laugh at myself. Every time I thought it couldn't get any more difficult or complicated fate proved me wrong. What on earth was in store for me next?
Chapter Four
I wonder where he is!
I was beginning to get worried. Well that was a lie...I was beside myself with worry, but was trying to fend off yet another panic attack today.
Charlie and I had long finished dinner, I had cleaned up and was now trying to start on some study, but Jacob was yet to turn up at the house. Charlie had been called out on a job that he said was going to take a while and now the house was claustrophobically silent and still. I could hear the ticking of the kitchen clock and with every second my unease grew.
I looked at the clock...an hour had passed since we had talked on the phone. Although I tried to reassure myself he had probably gotten sidetracked or waylaid on the reservation, my mind couldn't help wandering into dangerous territory. What if Victoria had turned up, what if they had gone to confront her and Jacob had been hurt...killed! What if the pack had decided to confront the Cullen's, what if there had been a fight...what if....
"Damn it" I said out loud "I'm not staying here any longer".
I grab the keys to my truck and headed out the door.
Like hell I was going to marinate in an endless sea of 'what ifs' all night. There were two possible answers to the question 'where the hell was Jacob'. Answer number one: 'he's fine, just sidetracked'. In this instance I wasn't going to sit around and work myself into a disgusting ball of mess for nothing. Answer number two: 'he's not fine', in which case I was not going to sit here passively waiting to accept the news that would kill me, especially since I would know that it would have been all my fault.
I pushed the truck as fast as it could safely go heading in the direction of La Push and kept my eyes on lookout for any sign of Jake. I had driven for maybe 10 minutes when I saw something reflect the beam of my headlights in the forest. Slowing down and winding down my window I kept whispering to myself 'It's nothing... just a piece of old scrap metal probably', but as the truck drew parallel with what had caused the reflection I saw exactly what was lying just off to the side of the road....Jacob's bike!
I slowly got out of the truck and quietly shut the door behind me. I stood still and listened for a while...nothing.
I didn't know what to do and started to panic. I hated being so frail and mortal in a world where everyone else seemed to be bullet-proof and deadly.
If Jacob was running about in the woods because of Victoria, how sensible was it to go running in after him? I wouldn't stand 10 seconds in a battle with Victoria...the three previous run-ins with vampires who were after my blood had taught me that.
And yet, here I was still alive and relatively unscathed, my heart still definitely beating. Perhaps as much as I was a magnet for danger I was just as good at managing to live through it. And if I didn't try to help Jacob when he was in trouble, would I be able to live through the emotional consequences of that?
Just as I was beginning to make up my mind to be a complete idiot and go after him into the forest, I heard it. A low growl that definitely didn't come from an animal followed by a human voice shouting....Jacobs's voice!
Whatever was going on, he hadn't shifted into his wolf form and was a vulnerable human in the midst of god knows what.
I no longer had to think, my body had made up its mind and only told my brain what it was doing as I was already whizzing through the forest.
It had gotten dark and I could barely see my surroundings, all I knew was that I was heading downhill and picking up speed by the second.
"Jacob!" I screamed "Jacob where are you?"
The blood was pumping so hard in my ears that I couldn't tell whether anyone had answered me. A few stray branches scraped at my face and I was losing control over my velocity and direction. I stumbled a few times, grazing my hands, but the adrenaline had me back on my feet immediately, still screaming Jacobs name and running deeper and deeper into a forest where I could hardly see in front of my face.
The ground appeared to be levelling out, but I was still hurtling at a ridiculous speed thanks to gravity...which in all honesty has never been my best friend.
My lungs were burning with every breath and my legs felt so shaky that I was amazed they were still holding up my body. My heart was thumping loudly and erratically and I wondered if it was going to explode....
and then it stopped.
My heart stopped, my breath stopped and the weight of my body on my legs stopped....because I had managed to run straight off a cliff!
It felt like experiencing sudden turbulence on a plane. My stomach took a while to catch up with my body, and my mind took a while to catch up with what exactly I had done...only a few milliseconds, but it seemed like a lot longer in the moment.
I could see the stone ground beneath me, probably about 12 feet down, and prayed for multiple broken bones rather than one broken head.
And then nothing
....nothing!
No crash, no landing, no bright light, no searing pain. Instead cold, strong arms and a deep throaty chuckle. Then I was placed in a standing position back on the ground.
"You can open your eyes now Bella"
"EMMETT!!!" I screamed coming back to life. "Oh Emmett, I've missed you so much!!!"
I flung myself back into his arms and hugged him so tight that if he weren't a vampire he would have been crushed.
He was shaking with laughter, and I pulled back to look at him.
"Some things don't change do they Bella? If I didn't know better, I'd think you put yourself in danger on purpose just so you can cop a good vampire manhandling!"
I laughed and gave him a smack across the arm, wincing in pain as my fingers cracked against his hard skin.
"Oh my god Bella, how did you manage to stay alive longer than 5 minutes after we left!!"
And with that he was beside himself with laughter, messing up my hair with one hand while curling me into a hug with the other.
"I'm not too sure myself Emmett" I chuckled back "But as you probably know I was working on that"
"Hmmm yes, your definitely in a pickle little one, but never fear Emmett's here! By the way, we found your dog...you really should get him neutered you know...stops them from wandering they say....or is that cats?"
"Jacob!" I yelled. I couldn't believe I had forgotten about him. "What's happened Emmett, is he ok? You haven't fought with him have you?" It made me sick to think what could have happened. Jacob was no match for Emmett!
Emmett took my arm and started to lead me through the forest.
"He's fine, he's just having a few problems with the short leash the treaty has him on" he chuckled, quite pleased with himself for this joke.
"Actually" A familiar voice boomed across the forest "I was telling these overgrown bats that I'd love an excuse to tear them to pieces"....Jacob.
I looked at Emmett with one eyebrow raised "So you've had the chance to get to know my Jacob?" I said with a smile.
"Yes, he's....charming" Emmett laughed "Believe it or not Jaspers managed to calm him down, which is lucky because if he had shifted into his wolf form I hate to think what could of happened..."
"Jaspers here? Do you think he will be angry when he sees me? I feel so rotten when I think..."
Emmett cut me off with a chuckle "Edward was right about your ridiculous thought patterns....the guy tries to eat you and your stressing that he's angry with you! Your definitely one of a kind Bells!"
" That's me" I said a little too bitterly for my liking...Emmett had been nothing but lovely to me since I'd met him and didn't deserve to be talked to like that. I decided to change the subject "You said you would hate to think what could of happened if Jacob had shifted into wolf form...since when have vampires worried about the safety of werewolves"
"Ha! Never!" Emmett said good-humouredly, but then followed this with quite a serious tone "Alice told us about everything Bella, I hope you don't mind. It was a good thing too, because if Jacob had bumbled into our path without us hearing about how close you two were, he would have been dead within seconds. But when Alice stressed how much the mutt meant to you, how much we would be taking away from you by hurting him...well, none of us want to be the bearers of that burden Bella."
"Thanks Emmett" I said softly, squeezing his hand.
"Don't mention it Bella. But did you really have to come hurtling through the forest and jumping off cliffs to make sure we didn't kill your pet? You could have just asked politely...although that wouldn't have been half as hilarious"
"I was actually more worried it was Victoria he was fighting with" I admitted.
With that Emmett hit his forehead with his open palm and groaned "So you came stampeding through the forest, by yourself, with the grace of a psychotic elephant in order to confront Victoria...for petes sake Bella, we are going to have a harder time keeping you alive than I thought!"
I didn't respond. He was right, it was stupid of me...if Jacob was no match for Victoria then I was pretty much dead on arrival.
"I'm glad you're so foolhardy though" he continued, giving me an extra squeeze "It makes life much more fun when you're around!"
It was really dark now, and I could just make out 3 figures in the approaching foreground. Two of them were as silver as the moon, standing dead still on the spot, the other was dark and pacing frantically back and forth in a line.
"Bella!" the dark one shouted...Jacob "What the hell are you doing out here!"
"Hi Jake, how are you? I'm fine thanks for asking" I replied jokingly, but was met with cold silence.
I was glad I couldn't see their faces from here because I was sure they would not be welcoming.
"Well?" One of the silvery figures asked....Edward "Answer the dog, what are you doing out here?"
"You didn't show up" I directed towards Jacob "And I was really worried about you. I drove out to find you and saw your bike by the side of the road. When I heard a fight I just reacted on autopilot. I know it was stupid, but you really should have called!"
"And said what exactly" Jacob yelled, obviously furious at me "I ran into your leech of an ex and his bloodsucker pals, we're just hanging out in the woods so I'll be a little late?"
"That would have done the trick" I said carefully. I was embarrassed at how Jacob was behaving and didn't know what to do.
Now that I was standing a few feet away from them I could see them more clearly. Jacob was indeed furious...agitated and apparently unable to stand still.
Jasper was looking at me with a friendly smile, and was probably concentrating on trying to calm Jake down.
Edward was staring at me with a mixture of anger and concern.
"Did you get hurt?" he asked gently, and I was taken aback for a moment. He had been so cold and uncaring at school that it was a shock to hear him talk to me like he cared at all.
"Don't worry bro, I caught her" Emmett said "Do you want to hear something funny...Bella thought Jacob might have been fighting with Victoria...that's why she came running in here!"
"What!" Jacob exclaimed
"Is that true Bella?" Edward asked with a resigned tone, as if this didn't surprise, or please him, in the least.
"Does it really matter? Emmett and I have already covered the 'stupid Bella' topic" I sighed in reply "what's going on out here anyway?"
Emmett explained the situation to me. He, Jasper and Edward had been tracking the scent of a vampire they were unfamiliar with through the forest when Jacob had caught their scent and went to investigate. Apparently they had been standing here for the last half hour negotiating the finer points of the treaty...in other words arguing...until I came plummeting through the forest and ran off a cliff.
"Well" I said "Now that everyone has kissed and made up, I'm going home"
I began walking to my truck when Jacob sprinted to my side and grabbed my arm "No Bella, you really need to come back to La Push".
"Get your filthy paws off her before I rip them off your arms" Edward hissed.
I turned to look at Edward in surprise, shocked that he would have such a reaction. I was about to tell him that I was in no danger when Jacob barked back "I welcome you to try, I've been waiting five long months to kill you for what you did to her".
"What I did, I did for her safety, and from what I can gather you've done nothing but put her in harms way since the moment you met her...now get your disgusting hands off her"
"What right do you have to tell me what to do" Jacob scathingly replied "I was the one who had to look at her and see how sick she was, how much pain was in her eyes, how much damage you had done. I was the one who never left her, who was there for her when she needed someone. I was the one to make her happy again, to open her heart up to life again. What right do you have to stand there spouting about her safety and well-being when all you've done is hurt her more than she's ever been hurt in her life.....!"
Jacob was staring at Edward and squinting his eyes in hard concentration, obviously telling something to Edward through his thoughts. Edward looked shocked, pained and then instantly angry "And you think that gives you any right over her?" He menaced "Being in the right place at the right time? All it makes you is lucky, pup!"
"Yes" Jacob smirked "But then...what does it make you?"
A growl erupted from Edward and I knew a serious fight was seconds away. My head was pounding and my eyes welled with tears. This was more than I could handle.
"Stop!" I yelled....silence. I had to think of something before things got ugly. I had to separate Jacob from the Cullen's for now and then try and talk some sense into them later.
"Firstly, stop talking about me like I wasn't here! And this whole business about 'rights' over me seems extremely last century...Jacob, could you drive me home please, I'm far too tired and upset to drive myself right now".
As I asked this, I stole a glance at Edward and saw that he looked hurt.
Things were beginning to get much more confusing and complicated...Edward had just said that he left to keep me safe, not because he didn't love me...and now he looked hurt that I wanted to go home with Jacob.
A part of me was suddenly excited to think that he might actually still love me, but the larger part of me was sure that, in my fatigued state, I was reading much more into the situation than was there. Either way I was dead tired, I needed to separate Jake and Edward, and I needed to go home pronto.
I looked to Jacob and saw that he had a smug look on his face and was just staring at Edward, who in response growled menacingly. Jake was being charming again, I'm sure.
"Come on Jake, if we don't get home before Charlie I'm in deep trouble"
"No worries Bells" Jacob said, wrapping his arm around my shoulder...more growling...and we headed back to the truck.
I turned to say goodbye, but the three beautiful silvery figures had already disappeared into the shadows of the forest. I was suddenly struck by the fact that I hadn't had a chance to talk to Jasper.
"Jasper!" I yelled, and suddenly he shot out of the forest to stand a few metres before us.
"What Bella? Are you ok?" He asked concerned.
I sprung from Jacob's hold and threw myself into Jaspers' arms "Please, forgive me for everything I did to your family!" I cried, hating the thought of what the events of last time I saw him must have put him through.
Jasper looked into my eyes with so much emotion and shook his head "You really are as magnificent as Edward says you are, aren't you Bella? I will forgive you, but only for the crime of punishing yourself for something that was never your fault. In return forgive me please for breaking your heart"
"But you didn't" I replied confused.
"Yes I did Bella, in one way or another it is exactly what I did. I will see you soon...promise"
and with that he disappeared again into the night.
I walked back to Jake and the truck. He was simply shaking his head with a stern look on his face.
Once in the truck I let Jake have it "How dare you say those things to Edward! And do you think it made me feel good to be squabbled over like a possession? That was ludicrous and I won't tolerate it again"
"Sorry" he replied "And I know it won't happen again, because you won't be seeing the Cullen's again".
"I don't have a choice Jake, Alice and Edward go to my school!"
"So, you'll just have to take an extended holiday for a while"
"No Jake I'm sorry if it hurts you, but I love the Cullen's, they're like my family. I want to see them again!"
Jacob looked at me with utter disgust and it hurt so badly to see him look at me like that "You want to see them again...what is wrong with you Bella! Have you gone mental? They almost killed you and then practically left you for dead without saying goodbye...Edward ripped your heart out and is now doing a little dance over it and you still want to see them again!"
All of a sudden he went deadly calm and furiously serious...this was the Jacob I remembered from way back when he first discovered he was a werewolf... "It makes no difference anyway Bella, you're not allowed to see them and that's that."
"You can't stop me" I spat.
"Yes I can" Jacob warned.
"Then you're going to have to try your best" I continued "because I'm not going to stop seeing them just because you have a problem with them!"
"If you want to choose them over me, over us, then that's your choice...but it's the wrong one". Jacob said menacingly.
"Wait a minute" I cried, tears springing back to my eyes "You're saying I have to choose...them or you"
"Yes"
"And if I choose them you're just going to wash your hands of me?"
"You could put it that way yes"
"Well then....I guess you're no better than he is" I hurled at him.
Jacob clenched the steering wheel hard and the vein by his jaw flicked. I had hurt him with that comment and although I regretted it, I had to make him see what he was doing here.
"If that's the way you want to look at it, fine" he replied coldly "But only a fool would see it that way".
"Stop the car Jake" I insisted, but he just ignored me "STOP THE CAR!" I yelled.
Slowly Jake pulled over to the side of the road.
"You said to Edward in the forest that you were the one who never left me, who was always there for me. But now you're saying if I don't obey your rules you are going to abandon me?"
"Things are different now Bella" he said in a softer tone than before "It's not the same as simply 'being there' for you. Vampires are our enemy, they are dangerous, they are the one thing we were designed to kill. How can you possibly think we could allow you to continue to be friends with them?"
"I don't expect the others to understand Jake....just you..."
But the cold look had returned in his eyes "Well I don't understand Bella, and I don't want to. If you choose to keep in contact with them I can no longer guarantee your safety, Charlie's safety, the packs safety or even the town of Forks safety...so make your choice, but make sure it's the right one."
"I won't choose" I whispered "I can't do it"
"Then let me do it for you" Jake whispered in return, and in the blink of an eye he was gone.
I could just make out his figure running down the road before it shimmered and changed, blending in to the forest.
I sat in the car for a while, just staring through the rear-view mirror at the place where I last saw him, in shock that I had lost my best friend.
I wished so badly I could have chosen Jake, but it was a promise I wouldn't have been able to keep. I would have only let him down again, and I was sick of doing that.
I tried to keep my eyes focussed on the road he had just been on, but my vision become clouded and blurry as the tears began to overwhelm my sight. How had I ended up like this? Alone, empty, in pain. I had so much grieving to process. No one had died, yet I had so many goodbyes and losses to count.
I moved across into the driver's seat and started the engine, but didn't want to go home. I had an overwhelming desire to drive as fast and as far away from this place as possible. I was surrounded by century old battles and wars and was the only one without a friend or family in the middle of it beside me. Despite so many people in my life professing their desire to keep me safe and happy, all anyone had done was hurt me more than I thought possible and left me at the mercy of my own broken heart.
When I got home Charlie was still out, thank god. I didn't feel like having to explain why I'd been out so late and had come home crying.
I thought about calling Jake's place, but decided that I should let him think about what had happened for a little while. Jake is hot headed but reasonable, I just needed the reason to kick in.
I was just about to head to my room when Charlie came through the door looking absolutely shattered.
"Hard night?" I cringed.
He just stood at the bench in the kitchen rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
"You need to stick close to home for a while Bella" He said finally. I raised my eyebrow in response.
"Remember those killings we had last year?" he offered as explanation "Well, looks like the killer's back."
"They've killed again? Here?" I asked in a panic...so Victoria was not only back, she was hunting in the area again! The confidence and boldness she was gaining made me shiver with fear. I tried to calm myself so that Charlie wouldn't see how terrified I was. "Sure dad, I promise I'll keep myself safe" I reassured him.
He looked so tired and sad. I crossed the room and placed my hand on his shoulder "Dad, I'm so sorry that this is happening...was the victim anyone you knew?"
"No, an out-of-towner here for a hunting trip" He paused, and then continued "This is serious Bella, don't go wandering around on your own...it's very important" He looked me directly in the eyes with such overpowering emotion that I knew there was more to this story.
"Dad, what is it? You looked....well, you look terrified!"
"Ahhhh..." I could see Charlie was weighing up whether to tell me something or not "You see, it appears that the group of hunters the victim was here with disturbed the killers, so they didn't have time to cover their tracks...we didn't find just one set of foot prints leading away from the scene of the crime Bella..."
I looked at Charlie quizzically, and then all of a sudden what he was saying began to sink in..."There is more than one...?" I whispered.
"It appears so..." Charlie replied wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose again. I saw a world of worry and responsibility on Charlie's shoulders, and knew exactly what he was feeling. If he in anyway felt responsible, it was nothing compared to how I felt at this precise moment.
But two vampires....the weight of this took a while to sink in, and when it did it came crashing down on me with the coldest blast of terror I had felt since I was being stalked by James...Victoria was not alone...she had someone here to help her...
I heard someone gasping "oh my god, oh my god" and realised that someone was me.
My head started spinning, my body was shaking furiously and before I knew it I had crashed to the floor in shock and panic.
"Bella!" Charlie cried and raced to my crumpled mass on the kitchen floor "Honey, are you ok? Can you speak? Bella!"
"Dad" I croaked, bringing up my hand to touch his face "I'm sorry...it's been a really long day and I'm not feeling so well"
"Shall I call a doctor?" Charlie fretted...poor Charlie, he had so much on his plate, he didn't need a hysterical daughter added to the list.
"No, I'll be ok, I just need a minute...and some space" I tried to smile reassuringly at Charlie, but it probably came out more like a wince. Nevertheless he gave me some room and got me a glass of water.
"Bella, I really hate to do this to you, but I need to go back out...all our men are working round the clock on this one as you could imagine. I'll give Billy a call and get Jake to come..."
"NO!" I shouted out quickly, Charlie spun in my direction with a startled look on his face
"No?" he asked genuinely.
I looked down at my hands and muttered "Jake's not speaking to me at the moment"
"Well this is kind of important" Charlie said annoyed while striding to the phone "I'm sure he can get his head out of his...."
"Alice!" I cried out before Charlie had a chance to make the call "Alice could come here and stay with me...like a sleep over"
"Alice?" Charlie was incredulous "Firstly, I'm not sure if that's wise given recent events and secondly I doubt whether that slip of a thing could offer you any protection!"
"Please Dad, I can't go to La Push. I promise we'll stay indoors and ring you if there's even a slight smell of trouble...please trust me Dad, I'm more than safe with Alice"
Charlie stood there shaking his head "Don't let me regret this Bella" And as he dialled the phone he muttered "I must be crazy....Yes hello, Dr Cullen? It's Chief Swan here....good and you? ...Yes, nasty business that...Actually I have to go back out and.....That's actually why I called....That sounds good, but I'm a bit concerned.....oh well that makes it easier then....thanks Dr Cullen I appreciate it, have a pleasant evening" And he hung up the phone. "Pack a bag Bells, you're going to stay at the Cullen's tonight"
My mouth dropped open.
"And yes I'm well aware of what you're thinking, but it appears the boys have left this evening on a camping trip so at least he won't be there...It's not ideal I know Bella, but really....you and Alice here on your own, it's not exactly a scenario that calms a father's heart. And like you've said, the Cullen's are good people"
My mouth was still open.
"You'll be ok Bella, trust me. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for" And he gave me a little hug.
A knock at the door signalled Alice's arrival, Charlie made some quick conversation and then headed out into the night again. Before he left he turned and bit his bottom lip...obviously second guessing his decision.
My mouth was still open.
"Don't worry Charlie" Alice soothed "She's going to be perfectly fine, I'll make sure of that"
Charlie nodded, thanked Alice and gave me a wave that appeared to me to be more of an apology. Then he headed once more out into the night.
"Bella" Alice sang "I've already packed a big for you, it's in the car. Come on I can't wait to spend some time with you!"
"Alice...is this truly happening to me?" I huffed, she nodded her head smiling "What have I ever done to deserve this!" I exclaimed, half laughing, half serious, as she dragged me out of the house by my arm.
"Your just lucky I say" she laughed back "And if I really wanted to get a kick out of all of this, I could imagine what Charlie's face would look like if he were told Carlisle lied and that the boys are very much at home tonight...."
"Not funny Alice!" I yelled getting into the car.
"Not joking Bella" she purred, and then floored the accelerator sending us flying down the street with no way of escaping out of the car.