Treaty, again
I wasn't sure how to react. It sounded almost as though Edward was… threatening me. I thought back to the time, and it seemed so long ago now, when I was first getting to know him. I knew that he had killed, and that he thirsted for me, and yet I found the danger wildly erotic. This time it wasn't quite the case- I felt sad. Edward always said that he would do anything to protect me. And yet I managed to screw things up so badly that he was now planning to rescind his words, take them away.
I turned and walked slowly out of his room, down the hall, and down the ornate staircase towards the foyer. I didn't see or hear anyone trying to stop me, and it was ridiculous to rush. If they wanted me dead, there was absolutely nothing I could do to defend myself. Ultimately, if I died they would have to contend with Jacob and his pack, beyond what had already occurred today, which I'm sure was a powerful deterrent. But there was nothing stopping them at this moment from taking my fragile human life. Part of me wanted them to.
No, that wasn't true. I just turned down by far the most pleasant possible way for my human life to end. A way that I had been yearning for since before Edward and I went to the prom over a year ago. A peaceful, intimate moment with Edward followed by an eternity with him, the perfect male companion, who loved me unflinchingly. The best family that you could possibly ask for. Immortality. Staying my exact same age, never showing a wrinkle, or a sunspot, or a gray hair. Undeniable beauty, speed, and grace, attributes I never possessed even for a millisecond as a human. I sighed. Why did I say no again?
I got my answer when I opened the front door of the Cullens' house, and Jacob was on the other side, waiting for me. His grin was all-encompassing, taking up over half of his face; it simply lit up the space around him, even in the dead of night. My personal sun. He wrapped his gargantuan arms around me, pulling me close to his sweltering chest. "Bella," he said softly. "I'm so glad you're okay." With that, he scooped me up into his arms and took off, running for the Guardian parked at the far end of the drive.
What I first construed as a romantic gesture was actually, in part, a very wise ploy in facilitating our escape. Jacob could run with me in his arms faster than I could run myself, both feet on the ground. In a few moments Jacob had opened the passenger's side door, gently placed me inside. He then leapt across the roof, sliding Dukes-of-Hazzard-style, before gunning the engine and flooring the accelerator. We peeled away from the Cullen property at a speed that I never dared the Guardian to go.
"Jacob, slow down!" I gasped. He shook his head.
"Not until we get to La Push," he replied seriously. Sensing my anxiousness, he shot me a grin, eyes sparkling. "Don't worry, honey, I have excellent reflexes, if you didn't already notice," He winked at me before turning his eyes back to the road.
I gulped, nodded. We drove in silence; Jacob thoughtful, me fearful. My heart was pumping wildly, practically out of my chest. As I listened to it, the erratic and arrhythmic sputtering, I wondered how much longer it would continue to beat, how much longer I would be alive. Would the Cullens hunt me? Would I ever get the opportunity to be transformed again? I couldn't say yes to Edward, not now. But that didn't necessarily mean not ever. I just needed more time to decide.
I didn't even react when we passed the turnoff for Charlie's place and headed straight towards the reservation. Who knew when Charlie would be back; he tended to be obsessive about his work projects, and there were not likely to be much forensic evidence in the case, seeing as how both victim and perpetrator(s) were mythical creatures that somehow happened to coexist in a small Washington town. I didn't want to go home alone; Rosalie's attack was still fresh on my mind. I knew that Rosalie and I were never going to be best girlfriends- we would never have sleepovers, start pillow fights in our underwear, talk about boys, or eat ice cream sundaes, giggling hysterically. But this evening's events had really thrown me for a loop, because I truly never thought she would try to kill me, either. I also knew that Charlie understood how distraught I was today, and trusted Jake to take care of me, wherever I was. Charlie barely acknowledged the fact that I didn't come home last night, either. So La Push it was.
By the time the initial shock of speeding down the highway at a hundred plus miles per hour wore off, I realized that I was crashing, completely exhausted. I had already had too many adrenaline surges today; I simply didn't have anything left. By the time we reached Billy's house, I was sound asleep.
I stirred slightly as I felt Jacob's radiating frame close by. I felt dampness next to my cheek; apparently I had drooled all over my shirt. Jacob lifted me into his arms and slowly carried me down the hall towards his tiny room. He took off my shoes, laid me down in his bed, covered me with a blanket, and kissed my cheek. Then Jacob was the perfect gentleman, if you could say that about a werewolf- he left me in his room and closed the door.
I awoke some time later to the sound of murmurings, voices, down the hallway. Glancing at Jacob's nightstand, I realized that it was after four p.m., and that I had been out cold for about twelve hours. Stretching my back and reaching my arms out wide, I stifled a yawn. I was still beat- yesterday had been, without a doubt, the longest day of my life.
There was no way I was going back to sleep now, however- I was entirely too curious. I quickly pulled myself together, running my fingers through my hair to straighten it, adjusting my clothes, and borrowing a little toothpaste from Jake to finger-brush my teeth. I then slowly made my way down the hallway towards the source of the conversation, the kitchen.
Sam, Jacob, Paul, Jared, and Embry were gathered around the kitchen table, speaking in subdued voices, though occasionally I had heard one of their voices rise animatedly before the inevitable shushing by the rest of the pack members. When I appeared in the doorway, the conversation immediately grinded to a halt and I felt five pairs of eyes gazing in my direction. I tried to be casual.
"Um, good morning, uh, I mean, afternoon," I stammered, opening the fridge. I desperately wanted some Gatorade; my throat was parched and my entire body felt weak, dehydrated. I supposed it could have something to do with the fact that I probably shed a couple liters' worth of tears in the last day or two. Being a boys' fridge, however, there was nothing but a few cans of Miller Genuine Draft. Ugh. I reached instead for a glass and began filling it with tap water.
Jacob looked at me, smirking slightly. "Sleep okay?" Perhaps he was thinking of the fact that I had spent the last two nights in his bed.
I nodded. "Just fine, thanks," I replied. Glass full, I sauntered a bit closer, leaning up against the counter. The boys looked at me expectantly, as though they were waiting for me to leave. But I stayed- I was too determined to see what they were up to.
"Uh, I'm so sorry about yesterday, Bella," Sam began. He sounded truly distressed. "I don't know- what else to say. It was terrible."
"Yeah, we're sorry," Jared and Embry chimed in. Paul stayed silent, arms crossed, eyes to the floor.
I approached Paul. As much as his combative nature had annoyed me in the past, and as upset as I still was about Emmett, I wasn't mad at him. I wasn't sure if I should have been or not. But it was so easy to get caught up in the Cullen perspective, and I knew so little about Paul's family, never even thought about what Paul might have had to go through growing up. It wasn't fair of me to judge him without hearing him out first. I gently put my hand on his shoulder. "I heard about your great-grandmother," I said simply.
Paul's head snapped up. "You're-" he stared at me in disbelief, spoke incredulously, "not pissed at me?"
I sighed. "Not right now. I guess I can understand. I just…I just wish that you could have known the Emmett that I did. It's a shame, more than anything."
Paul nodded in understanding. "I didn't know he was going to attack, Bella," he said seriously. "I didn't have any intention of breaking the treaty."
Here was my in. "So, the treaty's….broken. Beyond repair, I'm guessing. What happens now?" I asked, addressing the entire pack, but mostly Sam, I supposed. I tried to sound pitifully ignorant. I think I succeeded, likely because I was.
Sam responded authoritatively. He took a deep breath. "We keep preparing for a vampire attack, Bella. I am trying to imagine how I would respond if they had killed one of our members, even if we had jumped the line first. Despite Carlisle's self-control, I have to assume that he would seek revenge after losing someone so close to him, because I sure as hell would. So we wait for them and prepare to defend our lands if invaded."
I had to jump in. "But you won't…"
"No, we have no reason to go on the offensive," Sam replied, completing my thought. "But we didn't lose one of our own yesterday. Surely that has had devastating effects on their mindset."
I thought of Esme, Rosalie, Edward. It most certainly had. I nodded in agreement, fell silent.
Sam gestured for the other pack members to go outside. They obliged, then Sam turned to Jacob. "So are you all right with the plan? You don't mind taking over the patrol later this evening, when Quil and Seth are back?"
Jacob nodded, and then turned to me, explaining, "Just doing some reconnaissance of the treaty lines. Billy will be back by then, and Seth can be on the lookout in the backyard. Billy called the police station early this afternoon, woke Charlie up- apparently he had been sleeping sitting up in a chair. So he dragged him out- I think they went fishing or something. But Charlie was planning on returning to the station afterward, so you don't need to be worried about him alone at your house. Charlie is determined to find out what happened yesterday. And Billy told him that you were here, and that you were safe, and told Charlie not to worry about you. So you can hopefully relax and catch up on your sleep. I know that yesterday was hard for you."
Jacob turned back to Sam. "Good luck, brother," he said, hugging him.
Sam looked at me one last time. "I'm sorry for all of this, Bella," he said. Then he turned and exited the back door to join the rest of the pack, leaving Jacob and I alone.
