A/N: Here we are ladies and gents, coming full circle back to the Prologue. Yes, Alice and Bella decided it was time to tell all to Edward - but fate stepped in and $#%$# that one up! There are multiple POVs in this chapter, but I think you will agree it was necessary for the flow of the story.
A special shout out to Kats Flower Girls. Thank you SO much for reading my story even though you had some....issues about it. Thank you for giving it a chance, for sticking around and for giving it such awesome reviews. I've also enjoyed our side chats very much!
To SandytheSandstorm for following me, supporting and giving epic comments on my chapters. You always make me think!
To my super awesome beta Ashley (Ms. Skittles) for her skills, support and cheering. I always love getting her little side notes (NO NO NO YOU CAN'T END IT THERE!) LOL! You can all thank her for this chapter coming out today, she is lightning fast.
*This is an edited chapter. Thanks a bunch to my beta Jess (jkane180) for helping me with my Twilighted project. Hehe.
*
Chapter 7
~Bella's Birthday...BASH~
~*Jacob's POV*~
Being part of a pack mentality really sucks sometimes. It's nice that we can communicate from afar as we run our patrols, hunting down the leeches that have been feeding on humans in the Seattle area recently, corralling them and trapping them until we can rip them to shreds, and watching the lights dim in their crimson eyes as their heads are torn from their stone bodies. When it comes to intimacy, dating, private moments, secrets...it rots. There are no secrets from the rest of the pack when we're in wolf form.
I knew when Bella told me about her dream that Sam would take issue with it. In general, he had a problem with me dating Bella because of what happened between him, Leah and Leah's cousin, Emily. Sam and Leah were engaged until he imprinted on Emily. When one of us imprints, it's a call that goes cell deep, is ingrained in the DNA, and can't be ignored. Sam had no choice but to leave Leah for Emily. To top things off, Leah just phased for the first time a few weeks ago, and now we all had to hear her howl and rage against Sam and Emily. The whole pack was going through her suffering with her, and it was painful—not to mention males weren't wired for female thought patterns...enough said.
When Sam heard I had a date with Bella, he came to talk with me.
"Jake, do you think this is wise right now?" he asked looking out over the water.
"Sam, I've loved Bella forever. I finally have my chance; she finally SEES me...how can I not?" I skimmed a stone across the water, praying that Sam would not exercise his right as Alpha to order me away from Bella.
"What happens if she falls for you, and you imprint on someone else?" he asked quietly, pain in his voice. It was obviously hard for him to have this conversation with his own situation so raw.
"Are you ordering me not to date Bella?" I asked harshly, turning to him and demanding an answer. I was unwilling to pussy-foot around the subject.
He sighed deeply. "No. Jake, as Alpha, my orders should be issued for the good of the pack. There's no danger to any of our brothers by you dating Bella, save for your own heart, right now. I won't stop you; I just want you to think about it. More and more of us are imprinting..."
"Thanks for your concern, but I'm going." Angrily, I whipped around and stomped up the beach.
"Don't be angry, Jake. Good luck; I hope it goes well for you–for all our sakes."
So here I was, the day after my almost-awesome date with Bella. Things were going along so well; she really seemed to be into me, attracted to me, and even a little bit nervous. Dinner was great, other than the fact that I ate like a wolf, but she was so nice about it. The kissing...wow. I melted under her soft rosy lips, and I think she was feeling it too—yes, I'm pretty sure she was. Drat the heat I put off though. I just had to open my shirt, and she just had to see the wolf on my t-shirt.
When she told me about the dream, I felt sick. She described me in my wolf form perfectly. Although Bella passed it off as just a dream I knew it affected her deeply, or she wouldn't have been so freaked out. Over the years, I had noticed little incidents with Bella. How she had intuition about things or a knack about answering me before I asked her a question—such as the time she winced just before a vase crashed to the floor in another room. I never mentioned it to her for fear of causing her discomfort. Since I'd had a crush on her since I was a little kid, I didn't want to give her any reason to avoid me, so I kept it to myself.
I had no choice but to phase tonight; it was my turn to patrol along with Sam. I supposed it was time to just get it over with—I couldn't hide it forever. Sigh.
Meeting Sam in the woods, we prepared to go on our patrol.
"Sam?"
"Yes, Jacob?"
"There are some things I need to show you."
"I suspected as much."
"You did?" Shock was evident in my voice.
"I know you better than you think, young Jacob. Do you want to talk now, or after we phase? We're patrolling alone—the way will be clear and open for us to talk freely—without interference."
"Let's phase; it'll be easier if you see it."
Muscles shimmering and shaking, tremors raced through our bodies, adding joints and rearranging sinew. What an adrenaline rush! We ran side by side through the woods...scenting all the creatures of the forest, the smell of the dirt and moss, the bark on the trees. After all this time, I was still amazed at how keen our senses were in wolf form.
Sam reviewed my thoughts and memories from the date with Bella, and he wasn't happy.
Do you think she knows about us, Jake?
No. She's shown some intuitive ability in the past, but I don't think she knows what this was.
Hmm. This could be a problem. I want you to go to the birthday party tomorrow night.
What? No! Things are so awkward after the way I left the other night -
That's an order. You WILL go to the party and see how Bella reacts to you; see if you can find anything out. We need to know if outsiders know about us. Bella may know more than she's letting on.
Sam's invocation of the Alpha command on me meant that no matter how unhappy it made me—I would be at that party because I had no choice. Damn.
~*Bella's POV*~
My birthday. Sigh. I didn't like days that were 'all about me'—I didn't like anything that was all about me—to be in the spotlight in any way. Angela had gone to a lot of trouble to set up this party, for whatever reason, and I didn't have the heart to disappoint her. Hopefully, it wouldn't be that bad.
I walked over to the main house at Charlie's request for a birthday breakfast. I knew my dad couldn't cook, so I wondered what he was up to. When I entered the kitchen, there were covered plates of French toast, scrambled eggs and bacon.
"Wow Dad, what's all this?"
"I wanted my little girl to have a nice birthday breakfast. Sit, sit," Charlie said gruffly, blushing. He was too cute.
Setting up the plates on the table, I poured us coffee, and we settled down to eat. We both reached for the French toast at the same time, and as our hands brushed, I got a flash.
"Woah, Dad. You and Sue Clearwater??" I giggled, and Charlie turned purple.
"She made breakfast and brought it over. You didn't think I cooked, did you?" He looked away.
"That's not what I'm talking about! I just saw Sue walking around the kitchen in your bathrobe. Did it happen yet?" I grinned.
Charlie spit coffee all over the table. "Bella Swan!"
"Sorry, Dad, I see what I see. Guess it hasn't happened yet—but it will. I approve, by the way. You need a little happiness, someone to be there for you." I smiled.
"Yeah, well...we do have a date of sorts tonight," he mumbled, busying himself by wiping the coffee off the table.
"You have a great time, Dad."
"Oh, here, your present!" Nice change of subject, Charlie.
He pointed to the empty seat to my left. There was a pretty, wrapped present with a fancy bow. As I picked it up, I could see that Sue had wrapped it for him, with a small smile playing about her lips. I was so excited for them!
Opening the box, I found a beautiful, sterling silver charm bracelet. It had a small easel, paint palette and swan on it already and room for several more charms.
"I just got a few...left room for you to add more on there." Charlie rubbed his neck nervously, looking everywhere but at me.
"I love it, Dad!" I jumped up and hugged him.
"Sue helped me pick it out," he said, so quietly I could barely hear him.
"I know." I grinned. It didn't take psychic ability to know that a woman's touch was all over this one.
"Well, have a great party tonight. Be safe—no drinking and driving," Charlie said gruffly. I rolled my eyes.
"You have a good time tonight, too, you hear? Just so you know, I won't come to the house in the morning—in case you wanted to have a guest or something."
"Get out of here, kid." He swatted me affectionately.
It was the last peaceful moment we would have together before all hell broke loose.
~*~*~
Angela came over to my place, so we could dress for the party together. She handed me a card when she walked in, and I rolled my eyes. "Didn't I say no birthday gifts?"
"Look, everyone chipped in towards your party in lieu of giving a gift, but you're my best friend, and I reserve the right to give you a gift! Got it?" Angela leaned in my face laughing.
"Okay, okay." I opened the card to find two round trip plane tickets to The Bahamas. My eyes bugged out. "What?!"
"Oh, totally selfish gift, girlfriend. We're going to be sitting on a hot beach sipping Bahama Mamas, baby. Just you, me and all the hotties on the beach....imagine it." Her eyes glazed over.
I hugged her tight, her excitement catching. "Thank you, Ang. I could use a vacation; I think this will be a good idea for us both."
"I mean, you could take Mike Newton, but I was hoping you would take me."
"Ewww! Don't even joke like that!"
When we were both dressed, we inspected ourselves in the mirror. I thought I looked pretty good in the green silk Angela and Jess had picked out. Angela was wearing a red halter dress, which was uncharacteristic for her, and she looked smashing.
"That dress is hot Ang, but so unlike your usual," I complimented.
"You know how you get feelings about things, Bells? Well, I do, too, sometimes. I have this feeling about tonight...kind of exciting and maybe a little dangerous," she giggled, her eyes bright.
"Well, alright then! Ready to get back out on the dating scene?"
"Maybe, yeah." Angela looked down at her hands.
Angela had dated Ben Cheney all through high school and into college. Six months ago, she decided to surprise him at his apartment with breakfast, and instead was the one to receive the surprise when she found another woman in his bed. Ouch. She was despondent for the first couple of months but was bouncing back nicely. Ben had been begging for another chance, but Angela wasn't hearing any of it.
"Hey, are you sure you're going to be okay with Ben being at the party tonight?" I rubbed her back comfortingly.
"Yeah, of course! We run in the same circles. I've forgiven him; I just can't be with him anymore. I can't ever trust him with my heart again, you know?"
"You're such an angel. I don't know many people who could be so forgiving."
"Okay, enough sniveling. Let's party!"
We jumped into Angela's Toyota and drove over to Breaking Dawn. The bouncer at the door looked us over appreciatively and let us right through. We giggled.
The room Angela rented was closed off by louvered doors that could be left open or closed. There was a small private dance floor, and music from the DJ was piped in over speakers which could be muted. Cushy furniture was arranged in cozy groupings around the room, and we had our own private waitress.
"Gosh, this is awesome Ang!" My mouth hung open.
"Isn't it great? I'm glad you like it. You deserve it."
Looking around the room, I saw Mike, Tyler, Lauren, Jessica, Eric and a few others had already arrived. There were choruses of 'Hey Bella!' and 'Happy Birthday!' as they spotted me.
Identical twins, Pam and Marlene, were gushing all over Tyler—eliciting an evil look from Lauren, who'd had a crush on him since high school. He'd had a few dates with Lauren—mostly to score, as he put it—but nothing developed. Tyler seemed to be enjoying the attention immensely and escorted the twins out on the dance floor. Angela and I just rolled our eyes; nothing ever changed.
Mike Newton made a beeline for me. "Hey Bella! Happy birthday, sweetie." He hugged me tight, holding on just a little too long.
"Thanks, Mike!" I said brightly, turning back to Angela.
The waitress came over to talk with Angela about the cake, and I was left alone with Mike. He put his arms around my waist from behind, hugging me to his chest. Leaning down he whispered in my ear, "So, what is the birthday girl wishing for tonight?"
I could just imagine what he was hoping to hear. "Oh, I don't know," I replied, noncommittal.
"I was thinking you might not want to go home alone on your birthday..." He kissed my ear, his moist breath making me squirm. Thankfully, my back was to him, because my eyes nearly bugged out of my head. I didn't get a chance to answer him.
"You mind getting your hands off her? Where's your respect for the lady?" A deep voice came from behind Mike.
"Jacob! You came!" Released, I spun around to see Jake towering over Mike menacingly.
"Yeah, just in time apparently." Jacob glared at Mike.
"Who's he?" Mike asked, affronted.
"I'm the guy who's going to teach you some manners," Jacob growled. They stood glaring at each other; Mike looked away first.
"Bella, I-I didn't mean to disrespect you," Mike stuttered.
"Forgotten—let's just have a good time okay?" I waved my hand.
Mike took the opportunity to slink away and ask Jessica to dance. Jess looked like she had just won the lottery, the poor girl.
"Jacob Black! I can't believe you just did that!" I chided.
"What...you wanted that—that—thing all over you? He's disgusting! Where I come from, you respect a woman."
"No, of course not. Thank you for defending my honor." I bowed to him, smiling.
Jake drew me into his arms, and I stiffened slightly. He looked down at me searchingly but didn't look surprised.
"I'm sorry, Bells. Things were left...a little uncomfortable the other night. It was my fault, and I'm sorry."
"It's okay, Jake, really. I'm just a little confused, and I can't switch gears back and forth. But I would love to dance with you."
"Sounds like a plan; let's go." He led me out to the dance floor where Mike and Jessica gave us a wide berth. I laughed.
Eric, Ben, Samantha and Jennifer were dancing. Both guys took one glance at Jacob towering over everyone and seemed to be intimidated. He tended to have that effect; it made me giggle.
A slow dance came on, and I put my arms up around Jacob's neck, my body pressed close to his. Mike gave us a dirty look as Jessica hung on to him for dear life, looking like she was in heaven.
Suddenly I felt Jacob stiffen, and all the air left his lungs; it sounded as though someone punched him in the stomach. My head rose from his chest, and the look on his face was a mixture of emotions that I couldn't fully name...his mouth hanging agape.
I turned to see what had Jacob so twisted up.
*
~*Jacob's POV*~
*
When I saw Mike with his slimy hands all over Bella, propositioning her like she was just any girl, I saw red. I knew the danger of getting too angry, so I settled for straight up intimidation. My sheer size was enough to ensure that Mike went scuttling off to find another mark.
Things were a little bit awkward with Bella when I took her in my arms. I apologized for my behavior the other night, but I could see that it would take a while before she got over it. That was okay; I wasn't even sure a relationship between us was a good idea right now. Sam was right; I hated to admit it.
Deciding to just have a good time and celebrate my friend, we headed out to the dance floor. A slow dance came on, and it was a little harder to think of her as my friend rather than as the beautiful woman that she was. Swaying to the music, I just tried to enjoy it without any expectation.
That's when it happened. My world exploded. A girl I had never seen before entered from a service entrance in the back of the room. She had long dark hair, full lips, and wore a red halter dress—and those legs! Ribbons of light spiraled from her, reaching out to me; my body stilled, and I was unable to move—my jaw dropping. Suddenly, there was no sound in the room save for her stiletto heels clicking on the hardwood floor and the swish of her skirt around her knees. She turned her head, and I could hear her silken hair gliding across her bare back. Her face came into full view—magnified—and I could see every curve and delicious angle of her perfection. My nostrils flared, and I could scent her from across the room—I recognized her smell—she smelled like home.
"Jake? Jake?" From far away, I heard Bella's voice. Bella. Oh, God.
"Bella, I'm so sorry." I was, truly.
"It's okay; you just spaced out there, I guess."
"Wh-who's that in the red d-dress?" I stammered.
"That' s Angela! She invited you to the party, remember?"
"Yes, Angela." What was I going to do?
"Birthday girl! Get on over here!" The music had picked up pace again, and Bella's friends were waving her over.
"Go, Bella, I'm going to get something to drink. I'll be out there soon."
"Okay."
I raced past Angela, out the back door, and into the alley. Jesus! I'd just imprinted on Bella's best friend! It had to be. The world had stopped spinning; the only thing that existed was her. It's the same way the other guys described it. What the hell? I didn't even know her!
"Argh!" I slid down the wall to a sitting position, scrubbing my fists into my eyes as they pricked with hot tears. Could things get any worse than this?
There was a metallic scrape as the door to the alley opened. Oh, dear God. Stiletto heels. Angela—I could smell her. My body immediately responded, wanting to go to her. I curled into myself.
"Hey, are you okay?" she called to me softly—her voice like a silken web, thrown over me, reeling me in. It wasn't something I could fight; imprinting went cell deep.
Looking up at her, I smiled. "Yeah, I'm okay. Thanks for asking."
"You almost knocked me down in your haste to get out of there. Is someone after you?" she teased.
"You could say that. I'm trying to escape who I am, but it isn't working."
"Want to talk about it?" she sounded so sympathetic.
"No, I can't. But, thank you." Not wanting to be rude, I stood up. Angela took a step back, looking up at me.
"Gosh...you're tall," she smiled, looking me over.
"Yeah. So, what are you doing out here all by yourself?" I asked, suddenly feeling protective.
"Well..." Looking down she blushed. "I wanted to see if you were...okay."
"H-how sweet," I whispered. Compelled, I took a step closer to this divine little creature. Tentatively, I reached my hand out and traced her cheek with one finger. She gasped but didn't move away. Her eyes met mine searchingly, unsure what to make of me, intrigued—but not afraid.
"I'm Angela."
"Jacob."
"Oh. Bella's Jacob." She stepped back, turning her head away, the mood broken.
"Angela, let me explain - " I began. What she must think of me! How could she know that I imprinted? That I was a werewolf, and I could never be with Bella now? That her face was the only one I would ever dream of again?
"No. Please, I—Jesus." She turned to go back inside.
I grabbed her arm gently, turning her back to me. "I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Angela. I – I just..."
"It's okay. Let's get back to the party. Tonight is about Bella, right?" She smiled.
"Right. May I?" Offering her my arm, we walked back into the party.
For the rest of the evening, Angela didn't seem to stray far away from me. Every time she looked at me she seemed conflicted, and I knew that she was concerned about her attraction to me, seeing as she was Bella's best friend. I had the same concern, but I knew it didn't matter. For the rest of my days, Angela was it for me—my Goddess.
I left the party a little bit early, feeling the compulsion to talk to Sam. I didn't trust myself to stay until the end. I said goodbye to Bella, giving her a big hug and promising to give her a call. Seeing she was busy talking with her friends again, I walked over to Angela.
"Goodbye, Angela; I hope to see you again soon," I said softly, taking her hand in mine and kissing it gently. Her mouth hung open, and she just nodded. If I wasn't mistaken, she was feeling something, too.
I wish I hadn't left; maybe things could have turned out different for everyone.
~*Bella's POV*~
The rest of the party went by in a happy blur. I actually managed to have fun once Mike had enough drinks in him to stop giving me dirty looks. Jess must have looked good to him after all the shots he'd consumed because he had his tongue jammed firmly down her throat. She was in heaven; I wanted to gag.
Jacob left before we had cake. He was acting a little strange, and I could swear something was going on between him and Angela. I had a flash of him touching her face in an alley when she handed me a piece of cake. I couldn't tell if it had already happened or if it was a future event.
When thinking of how that made me feel—I didn't mind. Deep down I knew that Edward was coming into my life, and there would be no other for me. After the dream I had, there was no denying that I was starting to have feelings for a vampire I had never met. But I wasn't going to think of that tonight.
As the party was winding down, I saw that there were too many drinkers and not enough drivers. Tyler was smashed, barely able to stand up with the help of the twins. Mike wasn't much better off, and Eric was sitting on a couch mumbling to himself.
"Hey, Ang, we have a problem."
"We do?" Her eyes widened.
"Tyler, Eric and Mike seem pretty drunk. The Peppermint Twins don't look much better off, and Jess is a bit tipsy. We seem to be the only sober ones," I sighed, rolling my eyes.
"Crap. Well, how about Tyler's van? Everyone should be able to fit in there, and we can come back for my car tomorrow. The rest of them will have to do the same." Angela shrugged.
"Sounds like a plan. By the way, I noticed something between you and Jake tonight..."
"Oh, Bella, I didn't know who he was at first! I'm so sorry." She bit her lip, tears in her eyes.
"Ang, stop! I just want to let you know that if there is anyone I would trust with Jake, it's you. I have realized that I am going to meet the man from my visions soon, and I think he is the one. Just wanted to let you know, it would be okay with me if you and Jake got together."
"Really? Because I felt...something pulling me toward him. I think he felt it, too, Bella."
"I agree with you; I sensed something, too. Okay, let's get these yahoos home."
After some grumbling from the guys, threatening from the police chief's daughter, and a lot of chaos—we settled in Tyler's van for the ride home. Angela was driving, I was riding shotgun, and the drunks were in back. They were singing '99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall' which really seemed funny—to them. It was amazing what drunk people found amusing that simply annoyed the sober.
We were almost back to Forks when it happened. Lights coming from the other direction on the highway sliced across the lanes in front of us. In impossibly slow motion I saw an eighteen-wheeler just ahead of us—trying to avoid an out of control car—fishtail and end up sideways, effectively blocking three lanes. There was simply nowhere to go. Angela jammed on the brakes—almost coming to a stop—when we were hit from behind by another car, ramming us into the truck. I could hear the impact as several cars hit both Tyler's van and the eighteen-wheeler. The night was a cacophony of twisting, creaking metal, glass shattering, screams and then...blackness.
~*~
I was dreaming again. This time, I was in the clearing observing myself from above. I was lying on a hospital bed in the middle of the clearing; my body was bandaged and splinted, and I was sickly pale. My Adonis strode over to the bed with purpose. Gently, he lifted my body and licked at the blood on my neck, closing his eyes in ecstasy. Throwing his head back, he hissed, body shaking. Leaning down, he bared his teeth, latching onto my neck and began suckling. His eyes drifted closed as he drank deeply until there was nothing left. He laid my now lifeless body back down, turning away, almost in disgust. He looked up then, his eyes red as rubies...
The scene changed, and Edward was with a blond man with golden eyes. Edward was on his knees, broken and sobbing, and the man begged him to stay. "After what I've done, I don't deserve a place here. I'm the worst kind of monster. I will spend the rest of my days alone." His words were filled with self-loathing.
~*~
BEEP...BEEP...BEEP
"She's stabilized, and we've stopped the bleeding. This one's going to make it. I don't know about the driver though."
"Head trauma...doesn't look promising."
"They lost the other girl."
BLACKNESS...
"Five dead."
"How much longer?"
"Almost there."
BLACKNESS...
"Edward."
"She's talking! Sweetheart, who's Edward? Was he in the van with you?" A male voice came from above me.
Rocking back and forth...wailing siren...beeping sounds...hissing noise.
"Edward."
"It'll be okay. We're almost to the hospital."
"Where am I?"
"Ambulance, honey. You were in an accident; we're on the way to the hospital." He had a soothing voice.
"Angela?"
"Who's Angela?"
"She was driving the van."
Dead silence. Oh, God.
"Is she..."
"She's alive. They airlifted her from the scene. I'm sorry; I don't know more." He brushed the hair back from my forehead; it was such a comforting gesture.
"The others?"
"Honey, just hold on. There are a lot of ambulances heading to the hospital. My main concern has to be monitoring you right now."
My eyes drifted closed, the swaying of the ambulance and the sounds lulling me. The next time I woke, I would be fighting for my life.
*
So, what do you think of Jacob imprinting on Angela? Do you think she will live? As always, review and I will tease you.
