Title: Becoming
Author: Lazalot_Anreads
Beta: None
Characters/Pairings: Bella/Jacob
Rating: NC-17
Challenge: None
Summary: As Jacob turns into a Werewolf, Bella turns into a Witch. Then the Pack asks Bella to join them, and she agrees. After that, life gets even stranger than it already was.
Notes: New Moon AU
Chapter 009
The pain was nothing compared to what it could have been. Bella knew that, and it made her feel terribly guilty that she didn't hurt more. Her mother was dead. How could she feel so relieved?
Jacob was the only person she could talk to about it. He understood. He said he'd have felt the same way if his Dad had died - that his first reaction would be to feel glad that it wasn't her. That made her feel a little bit better.
It was noon and they were cuddled together on Bella's bed, having skipped school with their parents' permission. They weren't talking about the accident, but they didn't really need to. Each knew how the other felt. Instead, they were talking about the coming war.
"What do you think it's about? Eleanor's war, I mean." Bella snuggled closer to her Mate.
"I don't know, Bells. Believe me, I've thought about it, but I just can't begin to guess." Jacob kissed her temple.
I wish Eleanor would have given us more details. How can we win when we don't know who - or what - we're fighting? When we don't even know WHY? I'm so scared. What if I lose Jacob? My Jacob, my Mate. I don't think I could live without him.
I want so badly to protect her from this, from everything, but I know better than to try. Bella is a strong, independent woman. I know she'll be right by my side in this, in EVERYTHING. I guess that's what Mates are for. But if I lose her, I'll kill myself.
"I love you." Bella sat up and turned to look at Jacob seriously. "You're my entire world, Jacob Black."
"As you are mine." Jacob sat up, too, and reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "I absolutely ADORE you, my sweet Bella."
They leaned in for a gentle kiss that turned into two, then three … Bella moaned as her Mate lowered her back onto the bed, lips still glued to hers. [YES, Jacob. Make love to me.]
So he did.
That evening, Alice stopped by. Bella had called her the night before to tell her what had happened and that she couldn't come over. After the Vampire had given her condolences, they'd made plans to do the spell the following evening - which was tonight.
"Okay, Alice, just keep your eyes open and hold still." Bella had a bowl of cool water in her hand, which she casually lifted and dumped over Alice's head. "EGO ostendo sum myself quod meus prosapia ut vestri penitus visum." The water, rather than spilling normally, was drawn directly into the Vampire's eyes. Alice frowned, but stayed as still as a statue otherwise. Bella smiled at her. "That should do it. Go ahead - try to look at my future."
Alice closed her eyes, concentrating, and almost immediately squealed in delight. "I can see you! You're with Jacob, and you're - oh. Oh!" She opened her eyes and smiled. "The two of you are very … passionate."
"Alice!" Bella blushed. But Jacob, who'd been watching the proceedings from his perch on the edge of the bed, just laughed.
Alice laughed as well, not looking the least bit uncomfortable. "I'm sorry, Bella, but I can't really control WHAT I see."
Bella huffed, but her eyes were amused. "Just promise me you'll always look away if you see something you shouldn't."
Alice giggled. "I promise."
For a moment there was silence, and then Jacob spoke up. "Well, Bella and I have a Pack meeting tonight. We should really get going."
The three of them said their goodbyes on the way out of the house, then went their separate ways.
They were both tired when they returned to Bella's house after the meeting. Being in charge was much more difficult than Sam had made it look, and they both wished they could hand the title of Alpha back over to him. Unfortunately, that was impossible.
Charlie was already asleep in his room, so they were quiet as they got ready for bed. As they slipped between the sheets, both of them nude, Jacob reached for Bella and pulled her close.
"I really miss Sam and Emily's apartment." He spoke quietly. "Things were so much easier there."
"We didn't have to worry about sending innocent children off to war then." Bella's tone was bitter. Seth Clearwater had recently phased, and neither she nor Jacob was happy about it. He was only fourteen, after all.
"I know, baby." Jacob kissed her hair. "I wish there was something we could do."
It was the endearment that made her think of it. She froze, feeling her eyes widen with horror. Sam had said that it was rare for a Bitch to get pregnant during her first heat, but since when did she and Jacob do things the normal way? Even though her period wasn't technically all that late, Bella was suddenly almost POSITIVE that she was pregnant.
"Oh, Jacob." She wasn't sure whether to laugh or to cry. This was the worst possible time for this. Sitting up, she turned to look at him. "Jacob, I MISSED my PERIOD."
Jacob's breath caught in his throat and he sat up as well, staring at her. "Are you sure? Wait, of COURSE you're sure. Do you think -"
"Yes." Bella cut him off with a wave of her hand. "I'm usually as regular as clockwork. Jake, what do we DO?"
"Well how the HELL should I know?" Jacob was completely stressed out. He ran both hands through his hair. "Oh my God, Bells, I don't think I'm ready to be a Dad yet!"
Bella kicked the sheet to the bottom of the bed and crawled into Jacob's lap, straddling him as she placed both palms on either side of his face. She looked deep into his eyes. "It's okay, love, RELAX. We don't even know for sure yet. But if I am pregnant, Jacob Black, I want you to know that I am HONORED to carry your child."
Jacob relaxed immediately. Bella was right. They would figure this out, just like everything else.
Bella was completely distracted in school the next day, but nobody called her on it. They all probably thought her preoccupation had to do with her mother's death, and if so, then they were partly right. She WAS thinking about her mother - but she was also thinking about BECOMING a mother. What would Renee have said? Would she have been disappointed in Bella, or would she have been happy for her? She'd never know.
Of course, Bella still hadn't taken a pregnancy test - she would be doing that after school, with Jacob there to hold her hand - but she was pretty sure anyway. She found herself touching her abdomen often throughout the day, wondering what their child would look like. Would he or she have Jacob's eyes? Would they have Bella's hair? The list of questions was endless.
Alice came up to her during lunch, after Bella had finished eating an obscene amount of food. "Bella, can we talk outside?"
So Bella followed the Vampire out into the light rain, pulling the hood of her jacket up in order to keep her hair dry. She wondered if Alice had seen that she was pregnant, and that was what she wanted to talk about. She couldn't have been further from the truth.
"I had a vision." Alice's arms were crossed and she was frowning hard. "Both of our families were fighting together against this HUGE army of Vampires, and you and your Mate were leading us. Did you know about this?"
Bella sighed. There was no sense in denying it. After all, they'd been planning to tell the Cullens eventually anyway. "I'm sorry, Alice. Yes, we knew about it - there was a letter in my Book from a woman named Eleanor. She had a gift a lot like yours, only her predictions were always set in stone. In the letter, she warned Jacob and I that a war would be coming."
"Why didn't you tell us?" Alice looked extremely hurt. "Do you not trust us at all anymore, Bella? Have we hurt you so much?"
Bella wasn't quite sure what to say to that, but she did her best to be completely honest. "Yes. You hurt me SO much more than you know when you all left me behind. I was a wreck for months. If it hadn't been for Jacob … well, I'm not sure WHAT I would have done. He helped me to heal. But Alice, the reason we didn't tell you wasn't because we don't trust you. We simply wanted to have more information to offer you when we broke the news."
Alice was quiet for a little while, taking that in. Then she leaned forward and hugged Bella tightly - not too tightly, though. "I'm SO sorry, Bella. We should never have listened to Edward. I promise you that I will NEVER leave you again without at least saying goodbye."
"Thanks, Alice." Bella licked her lips nervously as they separated. "I have to ask you something, though."
"I'll tell you anything I can." Alice's tone was very serious.
"It's not about the war - Jacob and I will grill you about THAT later. It's about me. In your vision … could you see if I was pregnant?"
Alice gasped, a hand going up to cover her mouth. "No, you weren't, but I'm almost positive that the war takes place over a year from now. If you really think that you're pregnant, Bella, I can try to see …"
"Please." Bella's voice cracked. Though she was more than pleased that she wouldn't be going to war with a bun in the oven, she was still nervous about what Alice would tell her. Was she pregnant? Bella didn't know which answer she was hoping for anymore. On one hand, she and Jacob - especially Jacob - were too young to be having kids already. But on the other hand, she knew that having Jacob's baby and raising he or she would be a hugely fulfilling experience.
Alice opened her eyes and grinned, her whole face lighting up. "You are! Oh, Bella, I saw the birth and it was SO beautiful … are you okay? Do you need to sit down, honey? You're as pale as a ghost."
Bella nodded and Alice led her to a picnic table nearby. She sat heavily, not caring that the butt of her jeans were getting wet. "I'm going to be a mother." Her whisper was full of awe. "I'm going to be the mother of my Mate's child."
"Um …" Alice bit her lip nervously. "That's not EXACTLY true, Bella."
"What? But you just said -"
"You're going to be the mother of your Mate's CHILDREN. Bella, you're pregnant with TWINS."
Bella swayed. If she hadn't already been sitting down, she would have fallen. As it was, Alice had to grab her shoulders to steady her. "TWINS?"
"That's right." Alice peered into her face. "Are you alright, Bella? Do you want me to take you home?"
"Yes, Alice, I'd appreciate that." Bella rose mechanically and started walking toward the parking lot, the Vampire holding her elbow in case she got dizzy again. "Wow. Twins, huh?"
"Yep." Alice got Bella situated in the passenger seat before getting into the driver's seat and starting the car - Edwards Volvo. "Are you okay with that?"
"I think so. I'm kind of numb right now. I mean, what am I going to tell Jacob? You do realize he's only sixteen, right?"
Alice gasped. "That GOD is a CHILD?"
Bella laughed. "I wouldn't call him a CHILD. He's very much a man, despite his age. But to be having kids NOW … it's a little much, don't you think?"
"Honey, I'm sure you'll both be fine." Alice smiled and winked at Bella, who relaxed. After all, if Alice said that they would be fine, then they would DEFINITELY be fine.
