Chapter 5: Heartbreak

Bella's life becomes even more confusing when Edward comes back into her life.

This is edited, or should I say co-authored by the fabulous jlove34. I would be lost without her. She is helping me fix up the previous chapters. So far, we've got the prologue and chapter 1 done—plus this BRAND NEW ONE! Hope you enjoy, please review.

"There is, and always will be, only you."-Jacob Black.

Bella POV.

The next two weeks that passed by were hard for everyone, especially for the Clearwater's. Harry's funeral took place two days following his death, and the day had been long and tiring for everyone involved. Leah barely held her temper long enough to bid her father farewell, though Seth had fared far better, in that regard. Of course, I attributed the differences in the two down to their individual temperaments, and the boy just had a naturally sunny spirit. Even amidst the sorrow of the situation, he always wore that trademark smile, making me feel warm and welcome in his company. His sister, on the other hand, had been anything but in the beginning, but in the last few weeks even she had warmed up slightly. I'd even gone as far as to consider the two of us friends, even though she still had the tendency to take her anger out upon me. But I hadn't minded, because I realized she had no one else, outside of Sam, and I knew she'd rather die then speak with her Alpha.

Jacob and I had gotten a lot closer following our imprint. We practically spent every available minute together, and I missed him when we were apart—our bond strengthening. Though I still wasn't prepared to further our relationship, I found his absence distressing. He made me feel comfortable and safe.

Alice's re-emergence in my life had placed a spanner in the works. She was apprehensive about my association with the wolves. The pixie vampire was quite adamant that they were dangerous creatures, and she feared for my safety. Her attitude simply rubbed me the wrong way. Enough so, that I ignored her initially, deleting her texts, screening her calls, and ignoring her pleading emails.

Today was the third day that I'd ignored her, and after a text that simply stated "Bella please, I don't want to do anything drastic," I threw my phone against the wall. I refused to allow her to threaten me—I would visit Jacob when and if I wished. It wasn't as though we could stay away from one another, because I was his imprint for god's sake, and no amount of misplaced concern would stop me.

After taking half an hour to calm myself, I lifted up the shattered remnants of my poor phone and dumped them in the bin. Then, I hovered over the carpet and carefully combed the area, making sure every piece was found. Knowing my luck, I'd need stitches if I caught my foot on any of the sharp plastic shards. After that, I decided to give Jacob a call and let him know that I no longer had a functioning mobile.

"Hello?" he said upon answering the phone. His voice immediately calmed me, and I started to crave his presence.

"Hey," I breathed back.

"What's up?" he asked, immediately knowing that there was something wrong.

"Alice sent me another text and I threw my phone at the wall," I said harshly.

"What'd she say now?" he growled, and I flinched slightly at his tone.

"I don't know. She said something about taking drastic action. I can't remember, really."

"Something drastic?" he asked, his tone sounded worried now. "What'd she mean by that?"

"I don't know—it's Alice. She's a tad dramatic; there's nothing to worry about."

"Sure, sure," he said, but he hadn't sounded convinced.

"Jake, trust me. There's nothing to worry about."

"Bella, I'm always going to worry. There's always going to be this great fear that something or someone is going to take you away from me. Especially since she's back now," he explained with a quiver in his voice.

"Jacob, nothing is going to separate us, you know that—best friends forever, no matter what."

"Yeah, sorry. You just mean so much to me, and I couldn't bare it if...if I ever lost you. I guess I just get a little insecure sometimes," his voice broke, causing hot tears to slide down my cheeks. I knew how he felt, for I had my own insecurities. However, it surprised me that Jake had them, too.

"You mean a lot to me, too. You know that right?"

"Yeah," he whispered back.

"Good. Now stop worrying. You know how I feel about you—that unbreakable bond.. Now, say that you'll go cell phone shopping with me later."

"Of course I will," he laughed. "Have you got the money for one though?"

"Yeah, I'll just dip into my college fund a bit, and work harder to pay it back."

"Sure, sure. What time do you want me over at?"

"Soon as you can. I've got all the cleaning done, and the dinner prepared."

"OK, I just have some washing to do, then I have to run a quick patrol. So, I'll be over in about an hour."

"Sure, sure," I said, and I practically felt him smile that I had copied his catch phrase. "I'll see you then."

"Yep, looking forward to it."

"Me, too," I replied, smiling. "Bye."

"Bye, Bells," he replied and hung up the phone.

I smiled to myself and hung up the phone, quickly washing up my lunch dishes before I changed my clothes. A knock on the door stopped me in my tracks, and I turned around and shuffled quickly to the door. I expected it to be one of the pack, checking up on me as normal, but I was wrong. I found myself completely taken back by who was on the other side. It wasn't one of the pack—it was him.

Edward stood as still as a board—amber eyes and ice-cold skin glittering in the dim sunlight. I sucked in a deep breath and immediately stepped back. He followed me over the threshold and in the shadows of my home, I clearly saw him for whom and what he was—a predator.

He took a deep breath, and his eyes immediately darkened with hunger. Those once beautiful topaz depths were now a fathomless obsidian—haunted and ravenous—highlighted by dark, amethyst shadows that clearly spoke volumes about his dietary needs, and my blood called to him. Here in the entry of my home, I felt exposed, entranced by his ravenous scrutiny. My breath became uneven, heart beating rapidly in my chest, as panic replaced my earlier calm. It was deafening and getting louder with each thump of my heart. Frankly, I was terrified.

His stoic features softened slightly, gazing at me with an air of desperation, bellying the rigidity of his stance.

"Bella," he cooed, his voice laced with concern.

I found myself unable to answer him, as I was slowly engulfed by the same harsh icy coldness that I had encountered in Alice's company. Pain surrounded me like a heavy cloak and I fell to my knees, unable to handle the strain. Edward knelt with me, intending to catch me mid fall, but I recoiled from his touch. I needed warmth—I needed my sun—and Edward was neither. My only comfort laid in the knowledge that Jacob had more then likely felt my terror through our bond, and he'd soon join me.

With great effort, I attempted to clamber to my feet, but I was unable to gamer the strength to haul myself off the floor. Edward's eyes bore into me with concern, but I refused to meet his gaze, instead attempting the feat again. He immediately placed a hand on my shoulder to steady me, but as his skin made contact with mine, I cried out in pain—the frigidity of his skin leaching into mine like ice water. The pain was so intense that I gasped loudly and promptly blacked out.

XXX

I was sinking, deeper and deeper, faster and faster into the dark abyss, pain flooding through me like a freight train. I knew I was screaming, because the pain was so unbearable. As I sunk even further into the darkness, I felt an icy coldness envelope me, pulling me out of the darkness, but I refused to follow it. I began to fight against the cold, craving Jacob's warmth, and I called out his name.

"Bella?" a sweet voice called out.

A murmur escaped my lips as I clawed my way back to consciousness. The voice murmured my name again and placed an ice-cold hand upon my cheek. The movement jerked me awake and the owner removed the appendage from my skin as though it burned them. I gasped, alarmed by his presence, and stared up into the owner's eyes—eyes that had haunted my dreams for months.

"You're back," I stuttered in shock.

"Yes," he whispered. He looked at me with an intense gaze, and I felt myself shrink back.

"Why?" I whimpered.

"Alice has been so worried about you," he whispered. I huffed. Alice! I should've known that when she said she'd do something drastic, the pixie had actually meant what she said.

"She doesn't need to be. I'm perfectly fine," I whispered. I dropped my gaze to my hands. I felt the love I had for him well up inside of me again, bubbling back to the surface, overwhelming me. I wanted to feel his love, but I knew how wrong it was. He said he'd fallen out of love with me—if he had even loved me to begin with.

"Are you?" He sounded doubtful, he tried to catch my gaze, but I refused to look up. "I've been worried about you as well," he said, and this time I looked up, shock evident on my face.

"You have?" I stuttered.

"Of course, why is that so hard for you to believe?" he asked tenderly, placing his hand on my cheek, and held it there until I shivered involuntarily.

"You said you didn't want me any more," I whispered brokenly.

"I lied. I had to lie, You believed me so easily."

"You lied to protect me?" My voice was laced with incredulity, and this time it was he who pulled back in surprise. "I went looking for you after you disappeared, and I got lost in the woods. I stumbled around for hours, turning around in circles. I was so distraught that I crumpled to the ground and just laid there as the rain poured over me. I almost caught pneumonia!

"God, I lived in a veritable nightmare since you left! I haven't slept properly in months, let alone eaten. The food tastes so bland that I can't stomach any of it. Charlie watched me become a shell of my former self, and he threatened to send me off to Jacksonville. But I refused to leave Forks—I just couldn't leave! I knew you wouldn't return, but on the off chance that you had, I wanted to be here even though it hurt so damned bad!" I screeched, my voice loud enough that the neighbors practically heard.

He flinched, clearly pained by my revelation. "I am so sorry, love. I thought I was protecting you—keeping you from the dangers of my world." I nodded and wiped away my traitorous tears.

He went to take my hands in his own but froze. There was no need to ask what was wrong—I knew. I felt the pull of the imprint moments before he stormed through the back door, calling out my name. Edward grasped me and swung me behind him before I even realized that I'd been moved. I peaked between the two of us, and caught sight of Jacob. If looks could kill...

"Let her go," he growled. Jacob stood in the arch of the doorway and glared at the vampire in question with a venomous gaze, growling like an animal. His body vibrated with enough fury that it looked as though it might overwhelm his body. Edward sneered and dipped into a crouch, his matching my wolf's, and I knew I had to intervene. The boy was seconds from phasing.

I leapt between the two men; hands outstretched, and yelled "No!" so loudly that it stopped both of them in their tracks.

"You can't hurt him," I pleaded, looking between the two of them with tears in my eyes. Jacob immediately stilled at my plea and placed a protective arm around my waist. I shrugged him off, not wanting to exasperate the situation with Edward any more then necessary. The heartbroken expression on his face told me that I'd done the right thing, for now at least.

"I shouldn't have left you," he said suddenly. "I left to protect you from myself, and you end up finding monsters more dangerous."

Jacob growled at this statement.

"Jacob is not dangerous," I hissed.

"He is Bella," Edward pleaded, stepping closer. He attempted to move me away from Jacob, but Jacob caught the movement and quickly pulled me away from him. Once again, I wanted to step away, but my body bellied my thoughts. I found it hard not to sink into his arms. His warmth felt so comforting.

"He isn't! I told Alice this. He's taken care of me for the past few months—kept me safe when you didn't. He helped me live again!"

"Bella, you don't understand. Werewolves are dangerous, especially young ones!"

"I know, Edward. I know who and what he is. Jacob's a protector—my protector. He's bound to keep me safe."

"Young wolves are dangerous, Bella," he said impatiently. Surprisingly, Jacob stayed relatively quiet throughout mine and Edward's little spat. I beamed at his restraint. "I have to protect you."

"I am no longer yours to protect." I spat.

He stiffened and looked at me with wide topaz eyes, heartbroken by my words. "So you're his?" he whispered.

"We're best friends," I admitted, and took a deep breath. What I wanted to reveal next would probably cause me to lose Edward forever. "I'm his imprint. You can't keep me away from him."

"Ugh, I should never have left you," he wailed brokenly. My heart broke too at that moment and hot tears spilled from my eyes.

"It would have happened anyway," Jacob said from behind me. Edward and I both turned to look at him. "I would've seen her at some point, and after I phased it would've been unstoppable," he said and took my hand in his own.

"No, if I hadn't left then it wouldn't have mattered. She would still love me."

"Unfortunately she still does," he spat and I elbowed him in the ribs. "Regardless of her feeling towards me, our bond would've manifested whether you were here or not. We were fated to be together—it was our destiny."

"She doesn't even want you," Edward roared, furious at Jacob's statement. I jumped, afraid for the first time in his presence. The vampire before me looked so angry, so heartbroken. I felt strange now that the tables had been turned. Now, I was the one who has hurt him.

"Perhaps not as a lover, but she definitely accepts me as a friend—a protector," he said confidently. For me, there is, and always will be only her. We cannot be apart, no matter what. You'll not break us apart!"

"Watch me!" he snarled, throwing one last look at me as he darted out the door. I collapsed in a heap on the floor, as Jacob slammed the door behind him with a huff. For a second he looked down at me air of empathy upon his lovely face before he dipped and drew me against his chest, cocooning me with his warmth. I fell into his arms gratefully and broke apart at the seams, once again thankful for his presence.

A.N. As you can tell there are a few lines in this chapter that you will recognize from the books/movies. No copyright infringement was intended. Anything you recognize belongs to Stephanie Meyer and E1 Entertainments.