A.N - I love, love, loooove this chapter. I hope you guys do too.


Eight

Jacob was standing some distance away; Edward pulled over almost as soon as he came into sight.

"So, vampires really can't travel into La Push?" The realisation seemed, to Bella, trivial after everything that had happened.

"Yes, that's true." Edward pulled open Bella's car door, helping her out. "It was in the terms of the treaty Carlisle signed."

Bella nodded acceptingly as she and Edward began to walk towards Jacob, who was walking towards them. Her eyes widened as she fully registered the sight he made. It couldn't have been possible – not at all – but Bella could have sworn that he'd grown a lot since she'd last saw him a few hours ago.

Both men stopped at the same time, reaching the invisible border. The air between them almost crackled with tension. Her hand tightened around Edward's.

"Bella?" Jacob called, his eyes locked on the amber eyes of her boyfriend. "Are you al-?"

"I would NEVER hurt her." Edward's words were a growl of instinctive anger, rumbling from his chest, and answering a question that had gone unasked.

Jacob, for his part, remained calm and pointedly raised an eyebrow at Edward, who sighed. "Yes," he admitted, his voice laced with exhaustion. "I can read minds." Catching a glimpse at Bella's face, where a mixture of disbelief and hurt contorted her expression, Edward immediately backtracked. "But not Bella's. I can't read Bella's mind." He turned to stare at her intently, willing her to believe him. "I cannot hear your thoughts; they are entirely your own."

The blush that graced her pale cheeks was more relief than embarrassment.

"Besides," Edward turned his attention back to Jacob, calmly tugging Bella into his embrace and tensing up for all of two seconds as he got used to the now closer scent of her blood. "I think it's you who has things to share, don't you dog?"

Her almost-brother glared. "Bella knows all the stories. She knows of the pact between the werewolf and the bloodsucker. She knows of the horrible things vampires have done."

"Yes, but does she know that you are a descendant of those werewolves?"

"She knows that you're a leech and she still accepts you!"

"She –"

"… Is right here and can talk for herself." Bella interrupted the argument and stepped away from Edward, although she still kept her hand tightly wrapped in his. "Jacob? Is it true?"

He hung his head. "Yes, Bella. Remember when I got sick a few weeks back? Well, that was when it happened. That's when I … changed."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I dunno." Jacob lifted a muscular arm and scratched the back of his head. "Embarrassment? Fear? Then the vampires came along and you fell for this one," Jacob jerked his head angrily at Edward, "and what was I supposed to do? Your thoughts were filled with him, whether you were scared or infatuated."

"You still could have told me." Bella insisted, at which Jacob's heard jerked up and regarded her sadly.

"The revealing of one mythical creature this week was life-changing enough, don't you think?"

She smiled, widely, with the unnoticeable glitter of unshed tears in her eyes. That was the Jacob she knew and loved.

"Yes," Edward interrupted, "but life will also be changing for Bella – for the both of you – again, shortly."

"What do you mean?" Jacob's anger was rolling off him in waves and his fist was clenched in an effort to deny his wolf the urge to change and attack his natural enemy for putting Bella's life at risk.

"Jacob Black," Edward stated stoically, in his musical – to Bella's ears – voice. "We need your help."


The Volturi were due, according to Alice, to arrive the next day.

Bella and Edward had spoken to Jacob and asked him to tell Billy she was spending the night at Jessica's. Reluctantly, he'd agreed, before checking, "five o'clock tomorrow, right?"

"Right."

He encased her in a tight hug then, his muscled, scalding arms burning her in the places previously inhabited by cold. "Be careful," his voice said huskily into her ear before he let her go and looked over at Edward. "Look after her."

"With my life," Edward inclined his head at Jacob in acknowledgement before both he and Bella climbed into the silver Volvo and sped away, back to the Cullen house.

The house was silent, save for a few whispered conversations that were too quiet for Bella to understand. Curled up against Edward, his perfect and strong form cradling her as his nose remained buried in her neck, teasing himself with her blood but never tasting, Bella felt her exhaustion catch up with her and began to sleepily droop against Edward.

"Sleep, Bella, honey," he whispered. "Tomorrow will be hard on us both."

Tired, she nodded and yawned. As much as Bella wanted to stay awake with Edward, spend all night talking to him and building up memories with him so he wouldn't forget her, should everything fail miserably tomorrow night, her body was begging for sleep. For oblivion.

"Stay with me?" Her question was mumbled, and directed towards his marble chest where her face lay.

"Always." Pressing a kiss to her temple, he picked her up in his arms easily and the next thing Bella knew, they were lying together in Edward's room, on a bed that took up a considerable amount of space.

"Why do you have this, if vampires can't sleep?" She was awake enough to remember who she was with, what he was. She could never forget that he was perfect, otherworldly, no matter her state of consciousness.

"Because, Bella," Edward spoke quietly, lying still alongside her and tentatively reaching out to wrap her in his arms. "Humans do."

Then she slept.


As Bella lay sleeping, Edward lay awake and watching her. She mumbled in her sleep, sometimes forming clear words. The sound of his name tumbling from her lips was almost euphoric to hear.

He held her when she turned, brushed hair back from her cheek as it fell forward, placed kisses upon her face as it scrunched up in sleepy confusion. He loved her.

Edward loved Bella and the Volturi wanted to take her away from him, go against their agreement and deny Edward of his tua cantante just so he could join them. To become Prince of the Volturi.

There was no way on Earth that Edward was going to let them take her. He refused to live in a world that didn't have Bella in it.

If she died, he died.

Bella murmured, turned. Her lips opened slightly, parting.

She wasn't going to die.

His arms tightened minutely around her and he gazed down at her fiercely, relishing in the sound of her heartbeat sounding strongly and the feel of her warm skin against his own icy touch. Resisting the blood that pumped so close to the surface.

"I love you, Bella," he whispered, brushing his lips softly against hers before he shut his eyes and immersed himself in his senses.

Immersed himself in her.

And the calm before the storm that was certain to strike.