Not With Her
Beta/advisor/proof reader: Maria Vilson
Chapter 10
Jake grumbled to himself as he walked away from Old Quil's house. How dare that old man tell him what to do! Who does he think he is anyway, just some old shaman, that's who. His dad was Chief of this tribe, and it wouldn't do for Old Quil to cross paths with him, so he'd better watch his step, Jake thought.
And Paul, what the fuck, man? One, minute he's being all tough fighting the imprint with Bella, and next he's all Mr. Cool, saving her arse. It should have been him saving her not that jerk, he thought.
"Well, I was there too, Mr. Nobody special, Lahote!" Jake calls out as he walks toward his house thrusting his arms around berating himself as he went. He just knew Paul was going to ruin everything by telling Bella about the imprint…Telling his Bella, that Paul just so happened to imprint on.
"Well good luck with that Dick head," Jake growled out. No one knew his Bella like he did, and once Bella found out that he was fighting the imprint she'd send him on his merry way. Bella doesn't cotton well to liars, Jake thought with a chuckle, and then thought better of it when he remembered that he had lied to her as well.
Jake sighed and squeezed his brow together hoping she would never find out that he had lied to her, or find out that he knew about the imprint and didn't tell her. Bella wasn't too hip on the idea of people keeping things from her either, he thought.
Damn why couldn't Paul just keep fighting the daggone imprint? If anyone could do it, it would be Paul, the stupid prick, Jake thought. Now what? How was he going to make it without his Bella? He'd have to think of something, he thought as he barged into his house letting the front door slam as he entered.
"Jake, what's wrong?" Billy asked after jumping almost out of his wheelchair, startled by the slamming of the door. Jake chuckled as he watched his dad jump, startled by the sound.
Jake also wondered what was up with his dad, not wanting to help Bella when she obviously needed his help, and not telling him about the venom in Bella's wrist. What was up with that? His dad knew how he felt about, Bella. He really needed to ask him about it, but right now he wasn't in the mood to hear how Bella wasn't good enough for him, so the hell with him too, he thought.
"Nothing, everything is just peachy," Jake sarcastically said under his breath as he stomped through the house.
Billy watched as Jake stormed into his room with a slam of that door as well.
"Hmm…I wonder what's going on now," Billy whispered as he rolled over to the phone and dialed Sam's phone number.
"Hello," a soft sweet voice said.
"Emily?" Billy said softly.
"Billy…is that you?"
"Yes, sweetie it's me, tell me is Sam around?" Billy asked.
"Sure, Billy hold on a sec," She said, as Billy heard the receiver to the phone softly being laid down, and Emily's soft footprints scamper across the room. He heard a door being opened as Emily called for Sam. "Sam, phone," Emily called. Then he heard the harder footfalls of Sam crossing the room.
"Who is it, sweetheart?"
"Billy," is all she said, as the next thing Billy heard was Sam picking up the receiver to the phone and then Sam's deep baritone voice.
"Hello, Billy what can I do for you?" Sam asked.
"Sam, do you know if Paul has told Bella about the imprint yet or not?" Billy asked. Sam sighed and shook his head not wanting to get into this with Billy again.
"Not that I know of, I haven't seen him since you tried to stop us from helping Bella last night," he replied, leaving out the part about the pack being at Old Quil's while the Elder and Sue extracted the venom from her wrist, "and by the way…what the hell was that all about last night?" Sam asked in an irritated voice as he asked what Billy was thinking with the confrontation at Billy's house yesterday.
"It's nothing that concerns you," Billy replied.
"Billy, Bella is part of this pack now, everything concerning her concerns me," Sam said.
"Look, Sam, I'm not talking to you about this, I just called to see if Paul told Bella about the imprint, and obviously he hasn't. I'll know how to proceed, thanks Sam, good-bye," Billy said as he slammed the phone down. Sam pulled the phone away from his ear and looked at it like it had done something to him, finally hanging it up shaking his head.
After Billy hung up, he sat there next to the phone trying to think of what to do. After Old Quil had called that emergency meeting this morning he was sure he was going to be ratted out, and was surprised that all Old Quil wanted to do was tell the other Elders that the venom in Bella's wrist was taken out and she wasn't in any danger for the time being, at least from being controlled by the Cullen boy.
With the Cullen boy being brought up they also had to decide what was to be done with the Cullens as well. The boy harming a human broke the treaty they had with them, and needed to be taken into consideration. They would have to call another meeting to face that dilemma at another time soon they decided.
Old Quil assured them that Bella's mate would make sure she stayed safe, which also confused Billy. He was told by Sam and Paul themselves, that Paul was still fighting the imprint, so as far as he was concerned she was still a threat, at least to him and Jake.
Old Quil also placed another contingency on the table; they needed to find a way to keep Bella on the Reservation, which Billy fought religiously against, and had also lost. He began to back down when some of the other Elders began looking at him with confusion, and began to ask questions about what he had against the girl. They were worried something else was going on and demanded that if the Tribe was in danger they needed to know about it.
Without giving himself away he told them that nothing was wrong, it's just Bella had been known to congregate with vampires and Billy didn't think it was a good idea to have her roaming around the Reservation.
Once it was settled that the girl, as they called her, was mated to one of the protectors and they were assured that having Bella on the Reservation would cause no danger what so ever, by Old Quil no less, the idea was laid to rest.
Billy did need to talk to Charlie again though, he would have to come up with a way to maybe blackmail Charlie into submission, he didn't know how yet, but he'd figure it out before this day had ended.
Billy was still sitting by the phone as his thoughts dissipated from earlier that day to the present. He really needed to talk to Charlie about all this, and he wasn't very happy with his friend right now. He had tried to get Charlie to send her away, but he wouldn't do it, this was too important. She can't be here, Billy thought getting more nervous by the minute. She'd ruin everything he had worked so hard for, he thought.
This is Charlie's fault, he continued. If he'd kept Bella away, made her stay with her mother from the beginning none of this would be happening, now he'd have to do something, that he had no other choice but doing, damn him," Billy cursed as he rolled his wheelchair into his room to devise a plan.
xxxXxxx
On the drive home, Charlie recalled all that went on at the Council meeting that he was surprised he was invited to, but seeing it was about his daughter, Isabella, he could see why he was invited.
Charlie sat there and stewed over Billy fighting over Bella staying on the Reservation. He didn't want her there, but Old Quil as well as Charlie thought it best if she stayed on the Reservation at least until they were sure she was safe from the Cullen boy. Charlie had had just about enough of Billy's arrogance.
The Council said they would take the idea under advisement, and asked Charlie to meet with them after the council meeting to discuss it. Charlie knew Billy was not a happy camper; he knew Billy wanted Bella as far from the Reservation as he could get her, even if it cost her, her life. Charlie knew Billy really didn't care which way it turned out, which made Charlie see red.
Of course Charlie agreed to keep Bella on the Reservation, but reluctantly. He didn't want Bella here either other than for his own selfish reasons; he'd much rather face what seemed to be soon inevitable than see his daughter become vampire food.
Charlie noticed the looks Billy was giving him, much like the looks Charlie had given him not a half hour ago, but still tried to ignore it. He knew Billy was worried, and needed to talk to him, but he could care less. The way Billy was acting as of late was literally pissing Charlie off.
Not only for what he was doing here at the meeting, but for what he had done to him earlier that morning. Charlie had worked the late shift and was just heading home, he remembered, thinking of what Billy had said as his thoughts faded from the meeting to what happened earlier that morning.
He remembered how Billy literally cornered Charlie at the gas station while filling up his cruiser. Billy had ordered Charlie to send Bella away to live with her mother. He remembered how they had argued and had come very close to blows, at Billy's demands that Charlie had literally ignored and refused to do. Charlie shook his head, clearing his thoughts as Billy still tried to gain his attention bringing Charlie out of his thoughts and back to the meeting by clearing his throat.
Charlie was getting so tired of all the lies and deceit he was hiding for Billy. Sure he was a big part of it, but if it was up to him, he would have told Bella the truth a long time ago. Billy was the only reason he had kept the secret for as long as he had, Charlie sighed tiredly.
xxxXxxx
After a while, Jake came out of his room and started rummaging through the refrigerator searching for the lunchmeat and mustard to make himself a few sandwiches. He grabbed the bread from the bread box and set to work in doing just that as Billy also entered the room.
Jake looked up at his father giving him a look of pure hatred, wanting to do harm to someone, preferably Paul, but to his father as well for keeping secrets about Bella from him. At the same time he was reminded of what Old Quil had done earlier, so without having to argue with his father about Bella once again, he complained about Old Quil.
"You need to do something about Old Quil, Dad," Jake said hatefully. Billy looked back at Jake with a furrowed brow.
"Why, what happened?" Billy asked, knowing that Bella and Paul were probably still there.
"That old man ran me off, told me Bella needed her rest. I mean who is he to tell me, the Chief's son what to do?" Jake chided. Billy smiled hearing that Jake was finally taking pride in his heritage, but to Jake it wasn't pride for his heritage. He was pissed that he had got run off leaving Paul there and not him.
"Was, Paul still there?" Billy asked ignoring all else Jake had said, hoping he was and was finally telling Bella about the imprint. Jake scowled at his dad. He knew his dad wanted Paul and Bella to be together, god only knows why, but this was Bella he was talking about, his Bella. He wasn't going to give his father the satisfaction of telling him what he thought Bella and Paul were talking about, even though it was upsetting to him.
"Yeah, but Old Quil was running everyone off, so I'm sure Paul is at his own house by now," Jake said. Billy nodded with a huff.
"Come on, Son. I need you to take me to see Charlie," he said in a rough voice. Jake swung his head up giving his dad a surprised look.
"Can't I eat first?" Jake bellowed.
"No time, I have to talk to Charlie, before it's too late," Billy said.
"Too late for what?" Jake asked, as he grabbed what sandwiches he'd already made and followed Billy from the house.
"It's none of your concern, Jake, now come on!" he yelled as Jake huffed and helped his dad into his truck and jumped in himself as he finished off what little was left of his sandwiches before starting the engine and roaring off to see Charlie.
xxxXxxx
Charlie had just walked in the door when he saw Bella sitting talking with Sue in their living room. He smiled and joined them. Bella saw her dad and jumped to her feet and gave him a tight hug.
"Dad, you're home," Bella said happily.
"Hey sweetheart, I hear your going to be here a while," Charlie said as he pulled away from Bella slightly and pulled her hand up to look at her bandage.
"Yeah, it's winter break anyway, so I hope you don't mind if I hang out here for a few weeks," Bella asked. Charlie was happy that he wouldn't need any of the suggestions the Council and he had come up with after the meeting for keeping her here.
"Of course not sweetheart, you know you're always welcome. How's the wrist?" he asked all in one breath. Bella lightly rubbed her fingers over the bandage and answered.
"Oh, its okay, Sue and Old Quil did a great job. Who would have thought…?" she began and then stopped in mid-sentence not wanting to get into a discussion about the Cullens with her dad. "Well, anyway…I'm just glad to be here to spend some time with you, uh…with all of you," Bella retracted including the rest of her family and not just Charlie.
"We're glad you're here too honey," Sue said as she got to her feet patting Bella on her back as she left the room to start lunch.
"Sit down, Bells, we need to talk," Charlie said. Bella cringed wondering if he also knew Paul had imprinted on her. She knew Paul had a history of whoring around and being the bad boy on the Reservation, and she could only guess how this conversation was going to end.
"Bells, I'm taking it that Paul has told you about the imprint. Am I correct?" he asked. Bella lowered her head and nodded.
"Yes, Dad, but you have to understand, this is my decision to make, and I still need a lot of information on the subject, and I plan to go talk to Emily before I make my decision," Bella said hurriedly. Charlie smiled proudly at his daughter giving her a nod of his head.
"That's good, Bells. It's important that you know everything involved in being an imprint, and Emily is very well knowledged on the subject so don't be afraid to ask her anything and everything about imprinting," Charlie offered.
"Believe me, Dad I will, I'm really not sure I want to be Paul's imprint though, I mean…he fought it for so long, and I just think…I think, that he really doesn't want me. He hates me, Dad," Bella said sadly.
"He doesn't hate you sweetheart, he hates the concept of imprinting," Charlie told her.
"Yeah, I know, he hates it because it's me he imprinted on," Bella continued. Charlie sighed.
"He hates imprinting, because it took his choice away, it has nothing to do with hating you Bells, he's a lot like you when it comes to people taking away your choices," Charlie told her.
"Dad, he hated that I was with Edward, he doesn't want to be with me because he can't see clearly past the thought of me being with a vampire," Bella said. Charlie cringed hearing about how Edward was a vampire and Bella was dating him.
"Well, sweetheart, it was kind of hard for me as well at first. But that's over now. Just give him some time, he'll come around," Charlie said.
"Yeah, well, I guess you're right, he has in some ways gotten past the Edward and me thing, and he did kind of look sad when he thought I didn't want him either, but it will take some time, especially with the way he kept all this from me. Why do the people I care about always keep things from me, Dad?" Bella asked sadly.
Charlie swallowed hard knowing he was doing the same thing. He knew what he kept from his daughter would crush her once she learned of it, and that scared him…a lot.
"Honey, I don't think they do it to hurt you, I think that they do it so you won't be hurt. Try to think of it as that they love you so much, that they can't stand the idea of you being hurt, they want you safely in their protection," Charlie said.
"Yeah, Dad, that's all good and all, but I'm not some china doll that needs to be protected all the time. I'm a grown woman who is capable of taking care of herself, and that includes emotionally as well as physically," Bella said meaningfully. As Charlie, gave her a sad look not knowing what to say about her outburst.
"I'm sorry, Dad, I think I'll go help Sue with lunch, and then I think I'll go to my room and rest for a while if that's okay. I need to think all this through, and then I need to go over to Emily's and have that talk with her," Bella said.
"That's fine sweetheart, go ahead we'll talk more, later," Charlie told her as Bella made her way to the kitchen as Charlie plopped down in his recliner. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath trying to relieve some of the stress he felt. He rubbed his hands over his face and sighed…"Damn you, Billy!" he whispered softly.
Next up Billy comes to talk to Charlie. Will they work thing out or will Billy cause more drama. Get ready as the big secret is revealed...Thanks for reading and for all the reviews, they mean a lot...bigg huggs.