Disclaimer: I own nothing of Twilight. The saga, as well as the characters, belong to Stephenie Meyer, with the exception of the characters I have created and developed.
*SCREAMS IN EXCITEMENT!!!!!* OMG! Learning to Live Again has been nominated for Best Lemon at the Wolf Pack Wards!!!!!
I literally started crying when I saw that!
I never dreamed, not in a MILLION YEARS that my writing would be nominated for anything! There are so many talented writers out there, so this is a complete honor!!
You can see the list of nominees at www (dot) wolfpackawards (dot) webs (dot) com.
Voting ends on Sept 23rd 2009. There are a BUNCH of awesome stories nominated, so check them out!
Congrats, Ysar, tooldforthis, stretch and Live20 on your nominations!!
Thank you so much, for whomever nominated me!
Joey POV
Flashback…..12 hours earlier……
"Please save her, Edward. That's my mom…," I sobbed against his shirt.
"I promise we will do everything we possibly can," he said, kissing me once more before running out the door.
Immediately after Edward and Angelo left to bring my mother to the hospital, I sat down hard on the leather couch and cried uncontrollably. I was so scared for my mother's well being, as well as my siblings that she carried. I knew that my father leaving had sucked the soul right out of her, but the ramifications of being apart from him were slowly killing her.
"Joey?" Kaylee asked when she came over to me, holding Elizabeth's hand. They were both scared and crying, which snapped me out of my hysteria, and I got down on my knees and hugged them close.
"Bella is very sick, but she is going to be ok. They took her to see the doctor so she can get better," I soothed.
Once I calmed them down, and got myself under control, I brought out their Barbies and began making phone calls. I went down the entire list on my phone, letting everyone know what happened, and where my mother was being taken to. Emily and Angela agreed to watch Elizabeth and Kaylee, so I started gathering their things in preparation to leave, cursing under my breath when the phone rang.
"Black residence," I answered.
"Umm, may I please speak to Isabella?" the male voice on the other end asked.
"Who is this?" I demanded, frustrated that my time was being wasted by a damned telemarketer.
"I am so sorry to bother you, but my name is Chris Marmonte…," he began, but I cut him off.
"Look, whatever you are selling, I am not interested in it. We have a family emergency right now…," I said, pausing when he began talking over me.
"Mrs. Black, I am not a salesperson. I am actually a friend of your husband, Jacob," he said.
"Hello?" he asked when he was met with silence from my end.
"My father isn't here, and I don't expect him to be back anytime soon," I snapped, going to hang up the phone when he began shouting.
"Please don't hang up! Peter Winchester asked me to call you because they need help from Jacob's Pack," he frantically said.
Peter's with dad????
"Where are they?" I asked, anger and relief flooding me.
"Umm, I am in New Orleans. Peter brought Jacob here a few days ago, because he was sick. My sister helped him get well, and they left this morning to go after a vampire named…Irina? Yeah, that's her name. Anyways, Peter is really worried about your….father? And he asked me to call because he scared that Jake is going to get hurt and he wanted some reinforcements to come help…he's scared that your dad isn't going to survive, because he's not thinking clearly, and…," he babbled.
"Chris? Thank you so much for calling! Oh God, we have been so worried about him! My mother is very sick, probably the same way he was, and they had to rush her to the hospital. I was just on my way when you called. I need your information, and we will be down there in a few hours," I said, jotting down his information.
Once I got it all down, I thanked him again, and hung up. I picked up both of the girls, and raced to the car, making phone calls as I drove. By the time I got to Angela's house, Embry, Faith, Jasper, Alice, Quil and Maddy were waiting for me, and we left for the Council building, intent on taking the helicopter to New Orleans.
"Jasper, are you sure you know what you're doing?" I asked as he jerkily lifted the machine off the ground.
My stomach pitched and lurched at each movement, making me wonder if we would arrive alive.
"Don't you be worrying your pretty little head, Jo-Jo. I've been taking lessons for nearly a year now, and I promise to get us there in one piece," he smiled at me.
"Are there any barf bags in here?" a now green Embry groaned as he frantically looked around.
Just as I put a little plastic garbage can in front of him, he emptied his stomach, earning groans of protest from all of us.
"Ugh this is going to be a long flight," Quil grumbled, and I silently agreed.
When we arrived in New Orleans several hours later and found an open field within the bayou to land the chopper, which was NOT an easy feat to accomplish, I noticed an attractive couple walking toward us as we debarked. The man was about six foot four, with dark hair and icy blue eyes that seemed to look right through you, and was stunningly handsome. The young woman walking next to him was breathtakingly beautiful as well, with pale, creamy skin, sleek, fiery red hair, and the strangest colored amber eyes I had ever seen.
"Are you Chris?" I asked the man, and he nodded, extending his hand to meet mine in a handshake.
"Yes, and this is my sister, Sophie," he replied, introducing us.
"I'm Josephine Masen, Jacob's daughter. I'm the one you spoke to on the phone earlier. I cannot thank you enough for contacting me, because my father needs to get home as soon as possible," I said, then introduced everyone.
"Your mother is Bella, right?" Sophie asked, her face twisted with worry. The breeze then shifted, and her scent washed over me, and I looked at her curiously.
Definitely not fully human…..
"Yes…she is really sick and needs my dad right now," I said, feeling my chest tighten painfully as I recalled the state my mother was in before I got the call from Chris.
"I agree, he does need to leave as soon as possible. When I met your father, he was very…ill because he had been away from your mother too long. The Imprint does not allow for mates to be separated for more than a few weeks," she softly said.
"Well then, let's get operation 'Rescue Jake's moronic ass' underway!" Embry said as he fidgeted a bit, eager for a fight, eager to get to Jake, and eager to go back to Angela.
"Do you have a plan?" I asked Chris.
"Actually, Peter came up with it. Which of you are not shifters?" he asked, looking at each person in the group.
"Myself, Alice, Jasper and Faith, although we do have non-human strength and immunity to venom," I explained.
"You were vampires once!" Sophie gasped, looking at Jasper and Alice curiously. They were shaken momentarily by her observation, then Jasper answered her.
"Yes. Our family and I all were, but were given our lives back as a reward for helping take down the Volturi," he said, tilting his head as he picked up her emotions.
"You are not fully human, are you? You feel nervous, curious and excited. You have a heartbeat, but it's faster than a normal human's, and your scent has hints of vampire," he stated.
"I will explain everything later. You must all get going, because Jacob really needs your help, and I don't know how long Peter can protect him," she said, her eyes filled with concern.
Why is she so worried about my father's welfare, if they just met a few days ago? Did something happen between them….
I shook away my treacherous thoughts, knowing full well that my dad loved my mom more than his own life, having proved so many times over. Even though he messed up, big time, by leaving her to go off on his half cocked crusade, I knew that he would never do anything to bring her avoidable pain.
"Ok, so here is my plan," Chris began, explaining in detail to us.
Faith, Chris and I were to go to the French Quarter warehouse where my dad and Peter were at, pretending to be lost. Our goal was to be captured by the vampires that were sure to be posted outside as guard, and to be taken inside. Jasper and Alice were to hover overhead in the chopper, in case we needed to be extracted in a hurry. Embry, Quil and Maddy were to stay a few blocks away, and I was to alert them through our mental connection when it was time for them to come.
"Ok guys, let's go save my dad's butt!" I said, feeling the adrenaline course through me.
Current time……………..
The plan worked flawlessly, and now we were being forcefully hauled inside of the warehouse by the unsuspecting vampires. For whatever reason, they didn't seem to pick up that we smelled differently from normal humans, but who was I to complain?
When the doors opened, and we were shoved inside, my stomach got queasy when the scent of blood assaulted me. It seemed as if it was permeated into the walls, its thick cloak gagging me momentarily. As we were shoved towards the back of the huge building, the stench grew stronger, and I whimpered when I saw the four people chained to separate beds, each one going through the transformation from human into vampire. I quelled the rage that was building up inside of me, knowing that if I reacted to it, the whole mission would be jeopardized.
Then I saw my dad, slightly crouched and surrounded by vampires, his eyes glinting with hatred.
"Look what we found sneaking around outside, my queens!" One of the vampires said to the three women standing in the shadows.
Shock and rage filled me when I saw Charlotte standing there, supposedly having been killed in the attack at the Council months earlier. Her eyes met mine, and they widened in recognition fear as she began screaming.
"YOU MORONS! DOES YOUR SENSE OF SMELL NOT WORK??" she shrieked as she went to lunge at me.
"I don't think so, bitch!" Peter snarled as he grabbed onto Charlotte.
"Embry, Quil, Maddy! It's time!!! Charlotte is here too!! She totally played us! I'm going to kill the traitorous bitch!" I yelled out in my head, alerting the three wolves.
"Are you kidding me? We are on our way! Make sure you save some leech for us!" Embry replied.
Faintly, I could hear Jasper coming with the helicopter, and I smiled, knowing we were about finish Irina up, once and for all. Peter met my gaze and grinned, then focused on Chris, who was starting to tremble a bit.
"It took you long enough! I thought I was going to have to do this on my own, you jackass!" Peter scolded Chris, who was grinning like a fool himself.
"Hey, don't blame me! I did what you told me to do the minute you and Jake left!" Chris snapped.
"I'm a genius, aren't I?" Peter laughed, slapping Charlotte across the face when she tried to claw her way free.
Finally, my father's eyes met mine, and the hatred was replaced with so much pride that tears came to my eyes.
"Hi, dad! Are you ready to come home yet?" I asked, giving him a huge grin.
"God yes!" he shouted, just as a loud wolf howl broke through all of the hissing, and Maddy, Quil and Embry burst through the doors, tearing into the vampires in the room. I glanced over at Chris, who seemed to be concentrating on something, then he suddenly phased into a huge black wolf, joining into the fray.
Faith and I each took on a vampire, both of us wanting to get out a little aggression before incinerating them with either the wave or flames. I saw Charlotte break free from Peter, but he chased her down and pinned her against the wall, holding her there while everyone else fought.
"Irina, I have been looking forward to this day for a long time. I hope you burn in hell!" my dad spat as he circled her.
"Even if you kill me, Jacob, there are many others who will rise to take my place! You think that because the Volturi are now gone, that you are safe? You are delusional!" she snarled, turning and fleeing.
I saw him run after her, and knew that our fun time was over, and that it was time to take care of business before anyone got hurt.
"Peter! I have to shield you!" I yelled out.
He looked so torn, his feelings for Charlotte clouding his judgment. Finally, he hauled her with him, and I grudgingly surrounded them with my shield. Just before I sent out the wave, I saw a brown haired female vampire escape out the door, but I couldn't drop everything to run after her.
Don't worry, bitch, I'll track your ass down sooner or later…..
I then sent out the wave, disintegrating every single vampire that was not protected, into a huge could of purple smoke and dust. I dropped my shield, then took off after my father, who was dragging Irina back into the room.
"Oh good, you got her!" I said, expelling the breath I was holding.
"I wasn't about to make another mistake, losing her," he said.
"You might not want to witness this, Joey" he said, looking at me gently.
I knew what he was about to do to her, having seen a brief flash of it in his mind. I loved my dad, and knew he had a heart of gold, but this was his revenge. His retribution, and I knew he was going to do some horrible things to Irina, things I didn't want to see my father do.
"Ok," I said, leading everyone outside, leaving Peter, Charlotte, my dad and Irina behind.
JPOV
Because I fully intended on taking my time killing Irina, and didn't want Joey or the others to see that side of me, I waited until I knew they were gone, then turned to Irina.
"I am going to take great pleasure, killing you slowly," I said, giving her an iniquitous grin.
The normal insanity in her eyes fled, and in its place was terror, knowing that her end had finally come.
"Quit talking and fucking do it already!" she screamed as her whole body trembled.
"Oh, I will, Irina, but I will make sure you see every single thing I do to you," I said, my voice low and dangerous.
I placed my hands on either side of her face, and brought mine close to hers, almost like a lover would. When I reached the juncture where her neck met her shoulder, I bared my teeth and sunk them in, tearing away at her granite flesh.
"How does it fucking feel?" I snarled against her throat, relishing her pain filled screams.
Slowly, I pulled piece by piece of her away, until all that was attaching her head to her body was a small strip of hard skin. I gripped her head a bit tighter, her wails falling on my deaf ears as my hatred for her boiled over, and tore her head from her body, tossing it across the room. It landed at Peter's feet, and he looked down at it dazedly. He stuck his foot out and righted it, then turned her head toward me, so she could watch the unfathomable destruction I did to the remainder of her body. When I was finished, and all that remained of her was a pile of rubble, Peter kicked her head back over to me, and I grabbed it by the hair and faced her to me.
"Say hello to fucking satan, bitch," I said, flicking open a lighter and igniting her hair.
I threw her head into the pile that used to be her body and listened to her agonized wails, grinning in satisfaction. When her cries stopped, and she was gone, I turned to Peter, who was still restraining Charlotte. Both of them looked at me in fear, having witnessed a part of me that I never knew existed.
"What are you going to do with her, Peter?" I asked, trying to understand the struggle he was faced with.
They had been together for so long, and I knew a part of him still loved her, even though she never respected his love for her. After her last betrayal to him, as well as the families that took her in when they came to us after the battle against the Volturi, I knew she had to die. She couldn't be trusted, and had to pay for her betrayal.
"Charlotte, before I make any decisions here, I want to hear everything. Why did you do what you did? How did you hide it from everyone so well?" Peter asked, his voice low and calm.
She closed her eyes and took in an unneeded breath, then focused on him.
"They wanted to destroy us, or take away our means of living. They were going to hunt us down like dogs, or force us into a lifestyle we did not want," she began.
"Do you remember when I disappeared that weekend before we left to join Jasper and his family?" she asked, her eyes beseeching him.
"Yes. I assumed you went to meet with Henry, to have one last tryst before moving across the country," Peter said, his voice strained with pain and anger.
"I didn't go to him, Peter. I met with Maria, and we hatched the plan to take Black down, from the inside. You never knew this, but I too have a gift," she said.
"What? Invisibility?" Peter snapped.
"I can block a seers visions. I can manipulate people into seeing certain things that are not there. I was the one who stopped Alice, Emma and Elliot from seeing the attack," she explained.
"Charlotte, Jake and his family took us in! Yes, we had to change our diets, and refrain from hurting humans, but that was a small price to pay in order to continue our lives together. I loved you enough to make that sacrifice, even though it was hard as hell at first! I didn't want to die, and I didn't want to live without you, Char," Peter said, his voice choked with emotion and his body gently shaking with sobs.
"Charlotte, do you love me? Do you even want to be my mate? I need to know, because I am confused as all hell here. Am I not enough for you, that you need to find other lovers to satisfy your needs?" he begged.
"Yes, I do. You are everything to me, and I promise to show you that every single day we are together. I want you to claim me. I want to spend forever with you, Peter. I am so sorry for hurting you like I have. I was so selfish, not considering your feelings at all. Please, forgive me?" she asked, putting on a good show.
Peter closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, breathing deeply. I could tell he was carefully considering her words, although I knew that it was all bullshit. I could feel my anxiety rise up, along with the bile in my throat, knowing he loved her too much to see the truth. I knew I was going to have to kill my friend emotionally, because I would have to kill the person he loved.
"Charlotte," Peter breathed, opening his eyes and locking them onto hers.
He gently stroked her cheek, then kissed her, pouring all of the love her felt for her into the kiss. I was just about to spring forward and tear her away from him, when he pulled away, his face twisted in disgust.
"Say hi to Irina for me when you see her. The devil can have his whores back. I'm done with your lying, manipulative, skanky ass," he said, lunging forward, picking her up, and throwing her into the fire that was once her friend Irina.
When her screams of agony stopped, and she was gone, I looked at Peter. He had sunk to the floor and rocked back and forth, hugging himself in his grief. I didn't know what I could do for him, to help his pain, so I left him to his mourning, sitting down a few feet away from him. When his sobs began to quiet, he looked over at me, and spoke.
"Please, get me the hell out of here, Jake," he begged, his eyes glazing over.
I got to my feet and walked over to him, extending a hand.
"Come on. I don't want you burning up with the place when I light it on fire," I said, pulling him to his feet.
We walked around the large warehouse, setting fire to anything wooden we could find, hoping that it was enough to burn the place to the ground. We had to, in order to kill the people that were in mid-transformation, as well as burn it from our lives.
"Daddy!" Joey yelled when we walked outside, followed by smoke as it billowed out of the doors.
She launched herself into my arms, and I held her close, sobbing into her hair. A soft hand touched my shoulder, and I turned to see Madison standing there, phased back into human form.
"Oh dad, we missed you so much!" she cried as I took her into my arms also.
"I am so sorry for leaving you. I was so stupid! So so stupid!" I said over and over as I hugged my daughters.
"Jake, man, I always knew you had the IQ of Forest Gump, but I never expected your idiocy to surpass his!" Quil said as he and Embry walked over to me.
We all embraced, so glad to be together again and that nobody else got hurt from my rashness.
"Jake, the chopper is waiting for you near Sophie's house. I suggest we move this little party there, because I can hear the fire trucks coming. You also need to get home to your wife," Chris said, now phased back into human form.
"My Bella," I sighed, the enormity of being away from her nearly making me collapse.
Those of us who phased did so, and we ran through the French Quarter, trying to stay out of public view. Joey, Faith and Peter kept up with us, and within a short time, we entered the bayou. I let Chris lead, not knowing where I was exactly, and when we entered into a small clearing, I stopped, phasing back into human form.
"Jacob!" Alice squealed when she saw me, meeting me half way in the clearing and jumping into my arms.
"Hey, Pixie! God I missed your exuberance!" I laughed as I held onto her wriggling form.
When she calmed down, I set her down onto her feet, looking at her in shock when she hauled off and punched me in the nose, re-breaking it.
"OUCH! Not again!" I roared, trying to stop the blood that was pouring freely.
"You deserved that, and then some! Do you have any idea what you have done to this family? You! You! DOG!" she shrieked, throwing more punches my way.
Jasper finally came forward and restrained her, while Joey came over and reset my nose. When Jasper got Alice calmed down, he looked at me and shrugged.
"You did deserve it. I'm glad you're ok, though. Let's get you home," Jasper said, giving me a quick man hug.
"Sophie, Chris, again, thank you so much for everything you have done for me. I cannot find the words to express my gratitude," I said, walking over and embracing each of them.
"We have room in the chopper, if you would like to come back to La Push with us. You both will be safe there," I offered.
"Thank you, Jacob, but we have a few things to take care of here before we can come. We will be in touch with you once we are ready," Sophie replied, smiling softly.
We all said our goodbyes, then piled into the helicopter, buckling in while Jasper started the engine. Chris and Sophie stood a safe distance away, his arm draped protectively over her shoulder as we began to lift off. We waved one last time, then Jasper pointed us Northwest, towards home.
I'm coming, Bells! Oh God, baby, please hold on until I can get there…….
