Chapter 8: Worries and Woes
I sat in the warm cab with my arms wrapped around my legs and I stared at the road in front of me. In the end it was Jacob who broke the silence.
"I hope he wasn't your friend."
"Who?"
"That bloodsucker we killed. The one in that meadow." My eyes nearly bugged out of my head. I turned to look at Jacob incredulously.
"Laurent is dead?"
"If he was the leech who was sniffing you and trying to make you lunch, then yes." In my mind I saw him again. Laurent leaning towards me, his scarlet eyes boring into my own while his teeth came closer and closer to my outstretched arm. I shuddered at the memory.
"How?"
Jacob laughed, "it's what we do Bella. It's what we were born to do." I remembered the giant wolves that had emerged from the woods. The russet beast that had looked me in the eye before turning to chase down the monster that had threatened me.
"But they're so fast." I objected.
"We're faster."
"And strong. They're like marble." I continued to argue.
"Strong teeth." He smiled at me, showing me his pearly whites. "Bella, we chased down that leech, tore him apart and then burnt the pieces. He's not coming back."
I started to cry. I think it was mainly relief, but there was a bit of hysteria left over from the constant terror I'd been experiencing that last couple of days. Jacob left one hand on the steering wheel and pulled me to him with the other.
"Bells, honey. I'm sorry. He was going to hurt you. We had to kill him. Although he was technically on Cullen territory, they're gone now. So we're trying to cover more ground." Jacob was babbling, trying to justify what he did and comfort me at the same time.
"So he's not coming after me anymore?" My voice was muffled against his bare shoulder. His warm musky scent filled my nose and calmed me down.
"No."
I sighed with relief. "Thank you."
"Is that's what's wrong? You thought this whole time he was still out there?" We had arrived at my house. Jacob parked my truck and then turned to face me.
"What else was I supposed to think, Jake? I didn't even know werewolves existed. I saw a vampire run out of my sight followed by some giant wolves. I know how strong they are and how fast. I've been praying that he would be satisfied with just killing me and leaving Charlie alone." My breath was shaky and my nose was running. "I've been so scared. And alone. My best friend abandoned me and I couldn't tell anyone else." Jacob's face was a mask of pain. He pulled me to him again and murmured apologies in my hair.
"I promise you that you're safe." He pulled back and brushed my hair out of my face.
We sat in silence for a moment. I let my mind process what I'd found out. My best friend was a werewolf. This werewolf and his friends had killed the creature that was trying to kill me. I was safe now. I sighed in relief.
"I've got to go."
"I know. Know that I'm keeping you safe tonight, I'll be nearby." Jacob smiled at me. "Come and see me in the morning."
I was too exhausted to argue. I stumbled from my truck to my house. Turning to wave goodbye, he was already gone.
As I entered the house, I heard Charlie snoring on the sofa.
"Dad, get up. You're going to hurt your back if you sleep here." I tugged at his arm. Charlie snorted and slowly focussed his eyes on me.
"You get what you wanted?"
"Yeah Dad."
"Good." He answered blearily and then dragged himself up the stairs.
I slept soundly. It was such a relief. My eyes focused on my alarm clock, it was after ten in the morning. Heaven. It was Sunday, and school started again tomorrow. I rolled out of bed and walked slowly to the bathroom. A long hot shower soothed away the last of my worries from my tense muscles.
Dressing warmly I slowly made my way down the stairs and to the kitchen. I needed a big breakfast today and was in the mood for an omelette. Three eggs, a large glass of juice and two slices of toast later I was ready to face the day. I was feeling good. I was sure I'd eaten more today for breakfast than I had all last week.
The funny thing was, although I hadn't been eating much at all the past two weeks or so, my jeans were still sitting firmly around my waist. It was actually uncomfortable. These were the jeans that had been huge on me three months ago, at my lowest point, were now too small. I trudged back upstairs, feeling slightly ridiculous, and found another pair of jeans. A pair I hadn't worn in nearly five months. A pair that had always been too big for me. They fit me perfectly. I thought it strange, but I was pleased I was finally gaining weight again. But the bathroom mirror had shown me this morning that my cheeks were still hollow, my collar bones were still too prominent. It was a little strange. But I put it from my mind. I was going to La Push today.
"I missed you." Jacob's arms wrapped around me the second I had left my truck. I knew he wasn't just talking about last night.
"I know. I missed you too, Jake." Jacob put his arm around me and we started to walk. We walked in silence for a while, just getting used to the idea of being friends again. Eventually we made our way down to the beach.
"So," I stared awkwardly, "how's being a werewolf working out for you?"
Jacob let his head roll back and he laughed. "Now that you know, it's awesome." He enthused.
"I have some questions." I was always curious where the line fell between fact and fiction for my mythical creatures.
"Of course you do. Shoot."
"Do you need a full moon to change?"
"Nope." He looked smug for a moment, then that old sadness crossed his face. "We can change whenever we want, but it's usually when we get angry. I get angry, I start to shake, everything goes red and then I'm a wolf. It's the main reason I pushed you away. I didn't want you to get hurt. It only takes a second for me to lose my temper and then I have claws and teeth and you're hurt."
Things started to make sense. Jacob thought he was dangerous and didn't want to hurt me. The waves lapped at the shore, a quiet regular sound, like a heartbeat.
"You seem in control to me."
"I would never hurt you." Jacob's eyes suddenly seemed too full of love, too strong, too much for me. I looked away, watching the seagulls flutter on the breeze and wracked my brain for werewolf mythology.
"You're so warm all the time?" I turned the phrase into a question.
"We just run hotter than normal people." I just nodded in response.
"I thought werewolves were supposed to be, you know, half-man half-wolf, but you're just a freakishly large wolf."
"Another myth. This is what we are." We had reached our bleached tree. I took a seat and let a finger trace patterns on the driftwood.
"So you said last night that you're fast?" I prompted. I wanted him to start telling me more.
"Well we're faster than those bloodsuckers, so that probably means something to you." Jacob replied as he sat down next to me.
It certainly did. I still remember the rush of the wind on my face as I flew in the arms of someone I loved. I nodded.
"Also, when I'm a wolf, I can hear the rest of the pack's thoughts. It helps us coordinate, you know, when we're hunting. But it can get kind of annoying the rest of the time, having everyone else know every little thing that comes into your head."
"Hmm." I nodded. Talk of mind-reading was just too close to the bone. It hurt too much.
"So Sam is the leader of the pack?"
"Yes, he's the alpha." Again, another grimace crossed Jacob's face.
A comfortable silence fell over us. I started to look at the incident in the meadow in a different light. Laurent threatening me and then killed by the wolves before he could get back to...
"Victoria!" I stood up and my head swivelled from left to right, searching for that flame-haired monster.
"Bella, what's wrong?" Jacob stood up next to me, his hands out ready for anything.
"It's not over." I realised how stupid I'd been. Sure Laurent was dead, but that wouldn't stop her from coming. "Laurent was just a scout. He was just doing this as a favour to Victoria."
"You mean the red-haired bloodsucker?"
I just nodded, my fear choking me.
"We've got it under control." Jacob waved his hands at me in a cloud of confidence. "She keeps coming at Forks, but we keeping scaring her off. We just run patrol and she turns tail and runs."
"Don't you go near her, Jacob." I ordered. I gripped his shoulders and stared in his eyes to make my point. "She's dangerous. Very dangerous."
"She's just another leech, Bella. Nothing we can't handle."
"But you could get hurt!"
"Don't be stupid. I'll be fine." He pulled himself out of my grasp easily and sat down on the log. "It would be so much easier if we knew what she was after." He mused.
"Me."
Jacob's head whipped around at an alarming speed and he gaped at me. "What?"
"She's after me." I stood up and walked towards the shoreline, my arms held me together. As much as I'd tried to forget about the creatures of the night, the paranormal came back to haunt me again and again. I sometimes wondered if God just wanted me dead or perhaps he just needed some entertainment.
"Why you?"
I breathed slowly in and then out. "Because Edward," I swallowed back my pain, "was responsible for the death of her mate last spring. So she wants me dead. A mate for a mate, Laurent said. I guess she doesn't know he and I aren't..." Jacob came up behind me and wrapped me in strong arms.
"I need to tell the pack. This is really important."
It was over two hours later before we were alone again. I had gone to Emily's house, Sam's Emily. Seeing the way they were together was beautiful and excruciating, it made me feel so alone and unwanted. Now that I saw Emily though, I partially understood why Jacob had pushed me away. The terrible scars down one side of her body were frightening. Sam had lost control for a second, and now Emily will have to live for the rest of her life with the consequences.
Jacob told the pack my news while they devoured enough food to feed three basketball teams. Eventually I was dubbed 'vampire girl' by the irritable Paul. I was sure he was angry that Jacob and I had found a way around Sam's order. Embry, at least, was happy to see me.
After reorganising their patrols they wandered out of the house ready to part ways. Paul was staring at me, like he found something about me disgusting. He finally said something. To Jacob.
"Well Jake, take your leech lover home. How does it feel to be second choice to a bloodsucker?"
"Just ignore him, Jake." Embry put a steadying hand on his brother. Jacob might have been able to ignore him but I couldn't. Anger flooded through me. This person was insulting my Jacob. I took two steps forward and slapped him across his stupid smug face.
"You leave him alone. You jerk."
Paul suddenly shuddered, his arms twitching. Sam grabbed me around the waist and pulled me back. Paul suddenly exploded into a giant ball of fur and came running at me. Before I had a chance to scream Jacob tore past me and phased into a wolf in mid-jump. The two beasts clashed and then rolled around and around, biting at each other. Sam sighed.
"Embry, Jared, take Bella back to Jake's house." He then turned away and ran after the giants beasts in the scrub.
"C'mon Bella. Let's go."
"But Jacob? He's going to get hurt." I protested.
"Nah," Jared said, "they'll be fine."
With those laidback assurances on my mind, I quietly fretted as these boys escorted me back to the Black's house.
Billy home, so I waited in the garage. Occasionally I leant on the rabbit, but I spent most of the time pacing. It had started to rain again. The fractured rhythm pounded on the tin roof while I tried hard not to let repressed memories come to the surface. Instead I marvelled at seeing Jacob turning into that giant russet wolf. Eventually I started feeling queasy and I had butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
Then Jacob Black strolled in like he didn't have a worry in the world. He was laughing.
"Oh Jake, you're okay." I ran to him.
"Course I'm fine."
"I was worried you'd get hurt."
"I'm fine. And even if I did get hurt, I heal quick, it's a wolf thing. Do you wanna see?" Jacob walked past me and grabbed a screwdriver off the bench.
"Ugh. No, Jake. I believe you." I looked outside and realised it was getting darker. "I've got to get home."
"I'll drive. I'm not ready to let you go yet."
That night, as my head hit the pillow, I felt safe. I knew Jacob was running around out there, watching over me. Although it upset me to think how he was running himself ragged over me, he told me that there was absolutely nothing I could say to stop him from doing it. So I relented and let myself be looked after.
The following week at school went by in a blur. Everyone gushed about their Christmases and I just nodded and smiled and watched the clock. I spent every afternoon in La Push when I wasn't working. Jacob and I spent time doing homework, watching lame television shows and generally just enjoying each other's company. Occasionally he would ask a question about the Cullens. I tried not to hurt at the mention of their name and answered as truthfully as I could. He was particularly interested in hearing about the extra talents some of them possessed.
"You mean he could hear anyone's thoughts."
"Everyone but me." My knees were up and my arms hugged them to my chest.
"What's wrong with you?" Jacob raised a brow at me.
"I don't know. Apparently I have a freaky brain." Jacob laughed at me. I turned back to the television. The cooking show was over and a new program had begun. The phone started ringing and Jacob walked away to answer it. It looked like the cooking shows were over for the day so I picked up the remote and switched to a random channel. This one was halfway through a biology documentary, something called An Everyday Miracle. I turned to watch Jacob on the phone when suddenly something made me prick up my ears and listen. The narrator had a friendly, all-knowing male voice, "...may be detected in a number of different ways without medical testing. Most pregnant women experience symptoms such as a missed period. nausea, vomiting, excessive tiredness and fatigue..." The voice continued its lesson but I snatched up the remote and violently switched off the television.
Jacob came back into the room looking like he had bad news.
"Bells, I'm sorry but I've got to run patrol. Some things changed and they need me."
"Okay." I answered but my mind was trying not to think. I stood up, said goodbye and then drove home, all the while trying not to catalogue my symptoms. This just wasn't real. I'd only ever had sex (I still blushed at thinking the word) once and it was with a vampire. A vampire who could not have children. There was absolutely no way in the world that it was possible. Was it?
A/N: Reviews? Do you like where I'm going? Was it obvious all along? Please drop me a line....
