A/N - Thank you to everyone who is reading and as always, the reviews are very much appreciated.

I'm delighted to discover that the second part of this trilogy "Reunited" has been nominated for the Top Ten Twilight Fictions completed in April so if you can spare a moment to vote for me, a thousand thanks in advance. Voting finishes at the end of May.

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CHAPTER SIX

I didn't realise I had fallen asleep again until I woke to bright daylight. I had dreamed that I was lying on the bed watching Edward, while he sat in the corner watching me, neither of us speaking, but merely sharing the silence. Now I opened my eyes to find that I was alone and the house was silent.

I got up slowly and went to the bathroom, hunting around for something I could use as a stool so I could take a bath, but there was nothing in the bedroom that I could submerge in water. Instead I lowered myself carefully into the tub, propped my foot up on the rim next to the taps and let the water rise slowly around me. I lay there soaking for some time, wondering where everybody was and hoping that Edward might have gotten over his reluctance to hunt.

I hadn't bothered to check the time when I got up, but I guessed I probably lay in the bath for thirty minutes or more before I started washing my hair and sponging myself. I was just finishing up when I heard a heavy thud that would have had me leaping to my feet if I hadn't been hampered by a plaster cast.

"What the hell?" I muttered.

"Sorry, Jake!" Emmett's voice boomed. "I brought you a door. What are you doing in there?"

"Taking a bath, is that ok?"

He guffawed loudly. "I'm just going to hang this for you, alright?"

"Thanks. Where's Edward?" I struggled upright, carefully stepping onto the mat beside the bath and began to dry myself.

"He's...uh...he went out with some of the others."

"Hunting?" I secured the towel around my waist and hopped, leaning on the wall, back into the bedroom, realising I hadn't taken clean clothes into the bathroom with me.

"No." Emmett glanced at me and then turned his attention to the new heavy wood door onto which he was screwing a hinge. "Your Dad called. Edward's upset."

"Why? What happened?" I demanded anxiously. Had Edward talked to my Dad? If that was the case I couldn't imagine for one minute Dad would have said anything unkind to him, whatever Mom might have told him.

"Esme took the call. They had a pretty long discussion. Jasper already said your Mom knew about us and she obviously told your Dad."

"I had to say something to explain why I couldn't be here and why Edward could recover from a broken back and paralysis. My parents already knew about our past lives and about me being a wolf previously."

"And they believed all of that shit?"

"Yes. Carlisle and Esme aren't pissed at me for telling them, are they?"

"No, they understand, given the circumstances. Esme made it pretty clear in the call that they can't say anything to anybody. Your Dad said something like, 'Who am I gonna tell? They'd think I'm nuts'."

I chuckled. "That sounds like Dad."

"They want to see you; Esme told him you'd call later."

"So is Edward upset about them knowing what he is?" I asked.

"Not really, he gets that you had to. It's because your Dad was calling to remind you that you're both supposed to be starting work this week. He wanted to know if he should call your school to tell them about your leg. It made Edward realise he's not going to be able to teach at the college - at least not for a year."

"Shit," I groaned. I had completely forgotten about the jobs that awaited us and now I realised that not only would Edward not be able to begin his career, but it would also be some considerable time before my leg healed, which meant I wouldn't be able to take up my position either.

"Where is he?" I got up again and began looking for some clothes. Most of my things had been at my parents' house before we went camping and I had packed nothing when Emmett and Zara fetched me. I expected I would have to borrow something from one of the vampires, but when I opened a drawer I found a pile of brand new pairs of socks and shorts. The next drawer held an assortment of t-shirts and short-sleeved shirts in my size and I knew without looking that I would find pants and other items in the wardrobe.

"Esme went into Forks and bought those early this morning," Emmett said, eyeing the red shirt I had picked up. "Edward's in the forest. Carlisle's at the hospital, but Jasper and the women have gone after him."

"God, I hope he's ok. Damn this fucking leg!" I cursed, pulling the shirt on. I couldn't even run outside and begin looking for him myself; I couldn't go to him when he needed me and could only wait for him to come to me.

"He'll be fine when he calms down. You need to calm down," Emmett said smoothly.

"I'm just frustrated by how hampered I am," I grumbled. "And I feel selfish for complaining about something so minor when Edward's going through so much." I turned away from him to finish dressing, finding cargo shorts in the wardrobe which were the easiest item to get over my plaster. By the time I was done, Emmett had the door on its hinges and was tightening the last few screws.

"Who needs workmen?" he said with a smirk. "It takes two of them to do something like this, plus they take ten times as long and stop every fifteen minutes for a coffee break."

Despite my anxiety, I couldn't help smiling. I decided to go down to the kitchen to find something to eat and take the time to call my Dad, until I noticed from the calendar beside the refrigerator that it was Monday and both he and Mom would have now gone to work. Instead I made coffee and toast and sat down to wait for the other vampires to return, praying that Edward would be ok.

In the meantime I called my school and spoke to the head of the sports department. The school didn't open until the following week, but all of the staff were there preparing, as I should have been and the first thing I did was apologise for failing to show up. I explained about the accident and that I had been muddled with pain medication since and then reluctantly advised that I would have to withdraw from the position.

Carlisle had previously told me it would be unlikely that I could walk without crutches for at least four or five months, possibly longer, given the severity of the break and had told me horrifying details about the screws he had put into the bone to encourage it to mend correctly. He would need to operate again to remove these and then I would need another period for the flesh to heal.

The school was disappointed, but I was relieved that they didn't feel I had let them down. A temporary coach would be hired to cover the position while they revisited the other applications they had turned down in favour of me. When I hung up the phone, I felt deflated. It may be half a year before I could consider making an attempt to get my career started, assuming that by then I would be capable of running. However, I knew that many schools and colleges wouldn't be looking for new staff in the middle of a year so it was possible I would have to wait for the following summer before I could reapply.

I reminded myself that I should think myself lucky that I had only broken my leg. It could have been much worse; I could have had to give up all thoughts of a career for the moment the way Edward had to and for the first time I was grateful for the fact that he had such a huge bank balance. At least we wouldn't be forced to live off of the Cullens or my family while neither of us were capable of earning anything.

It was noon before the vampires returned. I had moved into one of the living rooms and had my leg propped up on a stool when suddenly Edward appeared in front of me. His golden eyes glowed, but his expression was anguished.

"I'm sorry I disappeared," he sighed.

"It's alright; come sit with me."

I patted the cushion next to me and in a second he was sitting there, close enough for his thigh to rest against mine. After a brief pause he leaned in closer and laid his head on my shoulder. I slid my arm around him and grasped one of his hands in my free one.

"I won't be able to work," he said miserably. "I hadn't even thought about it before, with trying to get used to...this."

"You won't be able to work yet," I corrected. "Just like me. I won't be on my feet properly for six months and after that, I'll probably only be able to coach if I can run. I called the school a little while ago and told them I won't be taking up my position."

"I'm so sorry," Edward groaned. "All I've been thinking about is the things I can't do. I'm being selfish."

"No, you're not. But listen...you will be able to teach, one day. Look at Carlisle - he's a surgeon. He's in contact with people constantly and a long time ago you were too. You and the others all went to Forks high school, didn't you? And many other schools before that. When you're no longer a newborn, you can reapply; we'll probably be able to do that around the same time."

"I guess. I need to let the college know. Would you mind calling them?" he asked.

"Of course I don't mind; who should I say I am?"

"My husband." Edward raised his head and smirked suddenly. "I put you down as my closest relative on the application form."

My heart fluttered and instinctively I turned my head towards him and brushed my lips against his cheek. Even as I did it I expected him to jerk away, but he closed his eyes and stayed completely still. I risked another small kiss, to his jaw this time, and he let out a soft sigh.

"I thought you'd be more upset than this," I murmured.

"I was, but I already panicked the others by running off. I'm telling myself that it's not just me who's suffering here. I'm scared about so many aspects of this, but I know you are too. You know what makes me more sad than not being able to teach? Carlisle told me the letter came through from my lawyer. The house is ready for us and we won't...we won't be able to live in it."

"One day we will," I said firmly. "It's ours and it'll just wait until we're ready for it. We'll be able to enjoy it for a few years, just like we planned, until we move on to...wherever."

Edward pulled away from me with a groan. "I've been trying not to think about that. Since we talked yesterday, you made me feel like this could really work...that we could be together and it would be ok." He dropped his head into his hands unhappily. "How can I take you away from your family? It would be decades before we could come back to this area again. You'd have to say goodbye to them and I can't ask that of you."

This was one thing that I hadn't spent too much time thinking about yet. I knew inside that we probably only had five or so years before the other Cullens would have to move away. Edward might have been able to get away with it for one or two more, but eventually we would have to leave Forks and go somewhere nobody knew us.

"Don't tell me it'll be alright," Edward went on. "I can hear your thoughts. You've been putting off thinking about it."

"I wasn't going to say it'll be alright, but I do know we can make it work," I said determinedly. "I don't want to leave my family behind, of course I don't, but you're my husband. You come first over everybody else and wherever you are, that's where I'll be. My family can visit any time they want, wherever we are. By the time we have to leave, my sisters will be older; they'll all understand. They won't like it, but they'll accept that I have to be with you."

"You have an answer for everything."

"Of course and if I don't, we'll figure one out. I love you; nothing's going to change that and nothing is going to come between us." I caught his hand again, squeezing the firm, cold flesh. "Those are things we can deal with later though. The main priority is for you to be comfortable in your own skin again and for us to learn how to be together."

"Do you know that the others think I'll be like this for months?" Edward asked. "The first time Carlisle turned me after my parents died of influenza, I wished I'd gone with them. I couldn't understand my mother asking him to do this to me and I drove him crazy for a year. I was hell bent on self-destruction and almost starved to death three times. It got better eventually, but I was never comfortable with who I was; at least not for a few years.

"It was virtually the same in the 1930s when I left Carlisle and Esme and went rogue. Each time I...each time I killed, I told myself I was doing the world a favour; saving lives by getting rid of a murderer or a rapist, but it just made me as bad as they were. When I came to my senses I was almost too ashamed to go back and then it was the same all over again. I was like a newborn, trying to be satisfied with animal blood and almost consumed by guilt over what I'd done. I starved myself, thinking everybody else would be better off.

"I don't want to be like that again, Jacob. Even now, I hear your words, but I listen to your thoughts too because I know they can't fool me and they tell me the same thing - that you don't have any doubts about us; that you trust me. I don't want to put you through all of my shit for a year or a month or even a week. I just want to fix myself. You have your own problems to deal with and on top of it all you have a depressed, awkward, frightened vampire to worry about. I want to prove everybody wrong and I want to be what you want."

For a moment I was speechless. He seemed so determined. Such a short time ago he had been convinced our life together was over, had even taken off his wedding ring and since then constant doubts had been in his mind. He was afraid of hurting me, of growing away from me, of taking me away from my family and he hated that he had become what he dreaded when we met four years before, but he was doing his best to fight those feelings off and make things better. However, the brief periods of time where he had felt more positive had so far quickly been drowned by fears and doubts and I couldn't help wondering if the same would happen now. He was determined now, but in a few hours would he be back to thinking there was no hope for us?

"Now you do doubt me." He gave me a small, crooked and rather rueful smile. "I don't blame you, I know it's not going to happen over night. I know I'm essentially going to be a newborn until next year and I won't be safe around humans, other than you, which I know I can deal with because I want to so badly. But I won't let myself be a constant worry to you and my family. I just need to...um...concentrate on adjusting my attitude."

"Edward, you know what will help a lot? What the others have been trying to tell you?" I didn't get the chance to put into words what I was thinking; I was seeing him flying through the forest in pursuit of a mountain lion and he saw the thought immediately.

"Hunt." He grimaced slightly.

"Why are you so reluctant to do it?"

"Because...it sounds ridiculous, but it's like taking the final step into accepting what I am and I haven't wanted to do that. While I'm drinking from cups I can still try to convince myself that I'm not really a vampire."

"It's not ridiculous," I said at once. "I understand. But will you try?"

"Yes. As soon as I begin to get thirsty again; maybe even before. Jasper told me if I don't let myself get to that stage, I'll find it easier to be near you."

"How is it now?"

"It's ok. I made my way through half the surgery supplies again."

I raised my free hand to touch his face, tentatively stroking my fingertips over his cheekbone.

"I want so much to touch you; I just don't know if I'm making things harder for you," I said.

"I'm ok if I don't breathe. I don't need to anyway, I just keep doing it out of habit."

"Can I kiss you?"

My heart picked up speed and I waited for him to blur away from me; to put what he thought was a safe distance between us. It was only yesterday when I had leaned into him, making him fly away from me, but it was also yesterday when he snuggled close and kissed my neck. I was unsure and reluctant to make moves without making certain it wouldn't worry him.

"Yes."

I held my breath as I brought my lips to his. It was the slightest touch, barely a brush before I drew back an inch or two and raised my eyes. His were closed and he was like a statue, unmoving and not breathing. I tried again, allowing my lips to caress his a little, their coolness shocking me even thought he felt the way I expected. I breathed in and caught the scent of him as my lips tasted his; sweetness that drew me in and made me long for more.

I didn't really expect much of a response, but slowly his lips parted and moved against mine, a soft moan issuing from him, the sound immediately beginning to arouse me. He raised his hand to my neck, the icy palm resting on my warm skin inside my collar, making me shiver and whimper into his mouth. My heart was banging urgently against my ribs, blood rushing in my ears and at the same time making its way south, causing my cock to stiffen in my pants. I wanted to wrap my arms around him, crush him against me and thrust my tongue into his mouth, but I forced myself to keep my movements slow and gentle, convinced that too much would spoil the moment. Our lips continued to cling, sliding over each other eagerly for what seemed to me like an age, but was probably only a few more seconds before Edward drew back and breathed out rapidly, his cool breath fanning my cheek before the gap between us increased. His hand was still on my neck, his thumb stroking over the rapid pulse there and my spine tingled, causing my upper body to shake slightly.

I glanced down, noticing the prominent bulge in my pants as my cock strained against the fabric and I resisted the urge to adjust myself with difficulty. I couldn't help taking a quick look at Edward's lap, but it was clear the kiss hadn't affected him in the same way it had me and I was instantly disappointed.

"I'm sorry," he murmured. "I don't know why. I guess this is all too new; I'm not ready. I haven't gotten hard since I was changed."

"It's alright, you've probably had too many worries up to now for anything to happen. I love that I can kiss you again. I missed this and you feel...you taste...incredible."

Edward smiled and lowered his eyes and I would have been willing to bet if he were human, he would have been blushing.

"That's one thing I'm glad to be a vampire for," he said. "I'd blush at the drop of a hat before."

He stayed with me for the rest of the day. After a while I called his college and explained that we had been involved in a serious hiking accident. He had broken his back and it was unlikely he would recover sufficiently to be able to teach, at least for possibly twelve months. They were horrified by the news and as disappointed as my school had been that Edward wouldn't be working with them. Esme came in and made the suggestion that if Edward was unable to get a position in a school or college nearby when he was ready to, there was always the possibility that he could be a private tutor, either working from the Cullens' house or our own in Port Angeles. The idea seemed to lift his spirits and he didn't appear to dwell on his stalled career, even joking that having had rich parents would be useful for a while.

I called my Dad in the evening when I knew the family would have finished with dinner and he talked to me privately for a while, explaining that he had been a little doubtful at first when he had discussed what had happened with Mom, but after his long conversation with Esme both of them had accepted what the Cullens were. He found it harder to accept that I could still be with Edward, even though we had originally met and fallen in love when he was already a vampire. I feared that my family wouldn't want to see him even when he was safe to be around them, but Dad assured me that they would get used to it. For the time being, my sisters would be told only that Edward had been severely injured in the accident and that although he would recover, it would take a long time and that for the moment he couldn't have visitors.

I promised to get one of the Cullens to drive me to Neah Bay on Saturday to visit and then Dad put me on speaker phone so that I could talk to Mom and my sisters at the same time. Edward left me alone while I was talking to them and afterwards it was him who helped me up the stairs to our room.

We spent a couple hours watching a movie together, a completely mundane and normal pastime that actually had Edward laughing a few times as he lay face down on the bed next to me, his chin resting in his hands. I knew he was using the opportunity to forget what he was again even only temporarily, but when the movie ended and Jasper appeared at the door, he sat up at once.

"I'm ready," he said decidedly.

"Where are you going?"

I rolled over awkwardly, wincing as I knocked my leg on my other knee and struggled to sit up. Edward got to his feet, sucked in a long needless breath and blew it out slowly.

"I'm going hunting," he told me. "Don't wait up."