Title: Becoming
Author: Lazalot_Anreads
Beta: None
Characters/Pairings: Bella/Jacob
Rating: NC-17
Challenge: None
Summary: As Jacob turns into a Werewolf, Bella turns into a Witch. Then the Pack asks Bella to join them, and she agrees. After that, life gets even stranger than it already was.
Notes: New Moon AU
Chapter 007
Over the next week, Bella and Jacob settled into a routine. They'd wake up, shower and dress, eat breakfast, exercise for two hours, work with Bella's Book for two hours, eat lunch, exercise for another hour, relax for a while, eat dinner, get ready for bed, make love, and sleep. They were both satisfied with the schedule, and more importantly, it worked for Bella's heat cycle. Having sex once a day seemed to be enough, probably since they were alone together. It would likely have been a lot more demanding if they'd stayed on the Reservation.
On Saturday, Sam called to tell them that he was bringing Charlie up for a visit the next day. He and Billy had explained everything to Bella's father, and while he'd grudgingly accepted the craziness, he still wanted to see his daughter. Bella was nervous, but agreed to the visit easily. She wanted to see her Dad, too.
Sunday found the four of them sitting awkwardly at the small kitchen table. "So … how are you handling things, Dad?" Bella finally broke the silence. "I mean, you seem okay, but this is all pretty awesome. Are you really alright, or are you just in shock?"
Charlie managed a weak smile for her. "A little of both, I think. Bella … can you tell me why? I mean, you chose this, or so I'm told. Why?"
"I guess … well, I'd already become a Witch, you know. So when Sam invited me to join the Pack, I agreed. Why be a freak alone, right?" Bella blushed and looked down at the table. She wasn't explaining right, but she thought Charlie probably knew her well enough to get it. At least, she HOPED he got it.
"You are not a freak." Charlie's voice was firm. "Don't ever call yourself that again. You might be a Witch and a Werewolf, but you're still my daughter and I STILL love you."
"Thanks, Dad. I love you, too." When Bella looked up, her eyes were shining. But neither Swan could stand too much emotion at once, so she cleared her throat and changed the subject. "You really are handling this exceptionally well, you know. Jake thought you might want to kill him."
Charlie snorted, eyeing Jacob up and down. "As if I could. Kid could break me in half, I'm sure. Besides, from what I hear, the two of you really don't have a choice about this Mating thing." He shifted, obviously uncomfortable. "So … just keep the details to yourself, and we'll all be fine. Okay?"
"Yes, sir!" Jacob agreed immediately.
"Good. I guess that's it then, really. I just wanted to make sure you were okay, honey." Charlie stood and walked around the table. Bella stood to meet him, and they hugged briefly. "Sam? Are you ready to go?"
"Yes, sir." Sam stood up and flashed a smile at Bella and Jacob. "Take care, guys. See you in three weeks!"
"See you." Jacob wrapped his arms around Bella's waist from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Drive safely."
"Always." That said, Sam and Charlie left them alone again.
"That wasn't so bad." Jacob squeezed Bella gently. "You okay?"
Bella tilted her head back to kiss him, pulling away with a bright smile. "I'm great, Jake, how about you?"
"Fabulous." Jake kissed her again before letting go. "But hungry. What's for lunch?"
Bella laughed, and for once there were no edges in the sound.
The following three weeks positively flew by, and before they knew it, Bella and Jacob were home again. Unfortunately, they weren't the only ones.
"We found out last night." Sam had pulled Bella and Jacob to a slightly more private section of the beach. They'd been celebrating, but it was nearly midnight and Sam knew he had to tell the new Alpha and his Bitch what was going on before they found out some other way. "The Cullens returned a week ago. Charlie says they've been driving him crazy trying to find you, Bella."
Bella's chest hurt, but the pain was manageable. She squeezed Jacob's hand. "I guess we were expecting this. Look, Sam, Jacob and I will deal with this, but it's been a long day and right now all I want to do is sleep."
"That's fine, Bella. I just thought you guys should know." Sam smiled, patted Jacob's shoulder and squeezed Bella's, then left them alone.
Jacob immediately turned and pulled Bella even closer to himself than she already was. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, Jake, I'm fine. It hurts, but the pain is nothing compared to everything I feel for you." Bella's eyes were as sincere as her tone. "I'm not in love with Edward anymore, Jake. I'm in love with you."
"GOD, you have no idea how relieved I am to hear that!" Jacob grinned widely and lifted his Mate, swinging her in a circle before setting her back down. "Now then … where are we sleeping tonight?"
"Your place. I don't think Charlie is ready to watch us go to bed together, and besides, he's got to be asleep by now. Also, your bed is closest, and I really am exhausted."
So they went to Jacob's house and snuggled together in his small bed, not making love first as they usually did. Bella was asleep as soon as her head touched Jacob's shoulder, and he wasn't far behind her.
They would deal with the Cullens tomorrow after school.
It really sucked, going to a different school than her Mate. Bella went to the office first, handing in the note Charlie had somehow gotten a doctor to write for him. It stated that Bella had been out for so long because she'd had Mono. The school accepted that and so she went on to homeroom.
Edward and Alice Cullen caught her on the way to lunch, but she'd been expecting something like that and so followed them willingly enough to the parking lot to talk.
"What's HAPPENED to you?" Alice asked as soon as they cleared the doors. "You look different, you smell different …"
"It's a long story." Bella kept her voice cool. "I don't owe you any explanations, either. Just tell me what you want so I can go eat something. I'm STARVING." It wasn't a lie. Ever since she'd become a Werewolf, Bella had been putting away more food than a teenage boy with the munchies.
"What do you mean, tell you what we want? We're worried about you! We don't WANT anything!" Edward looked hurt, but Bella refused to let it bother her. He'd been the one to leave her so brutally, after all - what right did HE have to be hurt?
I don't want to do this alone. GOD, I wish Jake were here. I miss him. Should I tell Alice and Edward that I'm a Witch and a Werewolf now? Eleanor said we needed to make peace with the Cullens … DAMN it! I don't WANT to make peace! I really just want to forget about them. But that's never going to happen. I guess I should just tell them - maybe then they'll let me go to lunch.
"Okay, fine. Here's the short version." Bella took a deep breath. "After you left, I found out I was a Witch. Then Jacob Black invited me to join his Pack. I said yes, and he turned me into a Werewolf. We're Mates now. Oh, and Charlie knows everything about all of us."
Alice and Edward gaped at her for a long time before Edward finally spoke. "What do you mean, you're MATED?"
Bella sighed. "Look, this really isn't the time or the place for this conversation. Can we meet somewhere after school?"
"You could come to our place." Alice's voice was shy and a little bit sad. "The family has missed you so much, Bella. We were so worried when your future disappeared last month - we came back as quickly as we could. PLEASE come."
Bella's heart softened a little and she smiled at Alice. "Of course I'll come, but only if I can bring Jake."
Alice slapped a hand over Edward's mouth before he could say anything and smiled back at Bella. "Of course your Mate is welcome."
"Good." Bella breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, I'm sorry, but I really need to eat. You guys can sit with me if you want." That said, she turned and walked back inside, making a beeline for the cafeteria. A quick glance at the clock told her she had only fifteen minutes to eat, so she hurriedly piled food on her tray and sat down at an empty table. Alice and Edward sat with her.
They watched in utter astonishment as she practically inhaled everything on her tray. Alice giggled nervously. "I guess you WERE hungry. I'm sorry we kept you from your lunch for so long."
Bella shrugged and got up to dump her tray. When she sat back down, she was feeling much more mellow. "That's okay. You didn't know." The bell rang then and they got up to go to class.
Biology was awkward, to say the least. Since Bella and Edward had both missed so much school, they were still partners. Their work didn't suffer, but neither one seemed to know what to say to the other when they finished thirty minutes before the class would be dismissed.
Finally, Edward cleared his throat. "You look REALLY different." He kept his voice low enough that nobody except Bella could hear him. It seemed to be a test, because had Bella still been Human, SHE wouldn't have been able to hear him either.
Bella glared at him and spoke just as quietly. "I AM different. A lot has happened since you left."
"Are you really Mated?" He looked heartbroken. Bella didn't feel the least bit sorry for him. It served him right, after what he'd said and done to her. "Are you really in love with someone else, Bella?"
"Yes and yes." Bella's tone was harsh. "His name is Jacob Black and he put me together after you tore me apart."
Edward didn't seem to have anything to say to that, so they were silent for the rest of the class.
Finally, the school day ended and after promising Alice that she and Jacob would be by at around eight o'clock that evening, she got in her truck and drove to the Reservation.
Jacob was waiting for her outside his garage. She ran to him and jumped into his arms, feeling as though it had been months since she'd seen him instead of just hours. "We have GOT to do something about this school thing, Jake."
Jacob kissed her before setting her down and studying her face. "How'd it go with the Cullens? I'm sorry I couldn't be there. You're right, something needs to be done about our going to separate schools."
"I promised Alice we'd be at her house by eight tonight." Bella wasn't worried about his reaction; she knew that he'd made his peace with all of the Cullens except Edward. He'd had to - they were going to be allies, after all. "Edward was weird, but I mostly just ignored him."
"That's my girl." Jacob loved that he could say that truthfully, now. Bella really was HIS girl. "So eight o'clock, huh? That gives us plenty of time." He lifted her into his arms again, and she wrapped her legs around his waist.
"Plenty of time for what?" Bella laughed. She knew exactly what Jacob was alluding to, but she wanted to hear him say it.
"Plenty of time to make you scream my name in ecstasy, that's what." He started walking towards the house. "Plenty of time to make sure you smell more like me than yourself when we see Edward Cullen tonight."
"That sounds like a plan to me!"
