A/N1: VERY IMPORTANT: This chapter makes mention of Edward's former marriage to Bella. In the very first chapter of Consequence of Heat, I did mention a former relationship between Bella and Edward, though I provided no other details. For my purposes, they did meet and marry, and Jacob was angry about it. After their wedding, Jacob confronted Edward in his rage, and when their eyes met, he imprinted. Bella, feeling betrayed, left Edward and the rest is history.
A/N2: My apologies for not responding personally to reviews for the Jacob outtake. It was an insanely busy week, but I loved and appreciated all of your responses! Special thanks to 4mejasper for the beta
Chapter 9
EPOV
"Wow, you slept for two whole days almost." Alice looked mock-astonished as she stood with her hand on the handle of the fridge. She swung the door open and took out the sandwich bread. "Welcome back to the world, brother."
My grin turned into a yawn and Alice laughed at me. I stretched as I asked her where the kids were.
"Oh, they're playing on that playscape again. They're nuts about that thing. Esme is with them. I came in to make some PB&Js for them. Help me."
She shoved the bag of bread at me as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes with my shirt sleeve. Then she laid out the peanut butter and jelly containers, along with two knives. I began to dole out the slices of bread.
"Jacob's been calling." I looked at up at her, but her eyes were focused on creating the sandwich. "Twice a day. Before work and after work, I assume. Usually we don't answer."
"And when you do?"
"It's always the same," she replied vaguely.
"What the hell is that, Alice."
"Okay," she said with a sigh. "He wants to talk to you. 'Just hand him the phone. Pretend I'm someone else.' He doesn't believe that you were sleeping so long."
"Hmmm."
"What, nothing to say? This news doesn't affect you?"
"What do you want, Alice? Of course, it affects me! I don't want to hurt him, but I'm sick of being hurt myself. I wouldn't have left if I had another choice."
"I get that. You guys, you fight all the time. It's crazy. Maybe not, like, active fighting, but like little disagreements that add up. You know, now that I think about it, the last few times I saw you both, I guess there were some signs. Some tension.
"The way you glared at each other at one point...so much resentment and stress directed at each other. I knew this was coming, even though I couldn't See it. You're both forever young and stubborn. There's no way it WASN'T going to happen. But you're good for each other, you NEED each other, and I think he'll see that now that you're gone."
She watched as she very deliberately placed the jam down on the counter after she had taken a year to spread it on her slice. Then she looked up at me, her wide eyes boring dramatically into my soul. "You did what you could, and this was the final straw. Now, it is up to him."
I nodded solemnly as she turned to fetch the peanut butter. When she turned back, she went on.
"You're both strong personalities. You both want things to be YOUR way, and you've both got tunnel vision now, only seeing how it affects yourself, but not really seeing what the other is going through. That's tough, man."
Alice set the knife down and leaned closer, her hands giving her a boost over the counter. She leaned forward even further until she was only a few inches away from me. "And now that you're human again, you need someone strong to protect you."
Except I knew what she was really saying. There was a shift in my brain—the dormant adolescent—and I was seething, my hands clenched into fists and my teeth bared. She flinched away.
"I. Don't. Need. Taking. Care. Of!"
She scrambled to make it better. "No, of course you don't. I'm sorry, Edward. It's just nice to have, that's all. I love how Jasper protects me."
I gritted my teeth. "Yes, but then that makes me the girl."
"Oh, Edward. Just accept it." I bristled, but she gave me no window to respond. "I only meant that that is the purpose of the imprint. Yeah, it made you able to do what only women have previously done. It was fated that you and Jacob would produce a hybrid child that would bring our species together! It's an amazing thing."
"But what happens to us after?" I half-whined.
"That part wasn't written by the imprint. It was only there as a means to create the child. He's an Alpha. It's conceivable that he could fuck just about any creature and make it bear his spawn. It just happened that you were the best candidate for that. Maybe your genes are superior when matched with his. Your children are all truly magnificent in many ways."
This was a lot to process. I felt like I couldn't wrap my head around it all. "Stop talking, Alice."
"No, seriously! This has been fated since you met Ephraim Black at the treaty signing. You were the lone vampire in a group of five, so naturally all eyes drew to you, to see what was wrong with you. Ephraim was straight and married, but he felt pity for you. How could something so beautiful be alone? Something about you that day imprinted itself on Ephraim's cells. The imprint was passed on through their blood. Perhaps Billy Black might have fallen for you if the circumstances were right."
"So you're telling me that the imprint doesn't guarantee love."
"I don't think so. Love has to be real."
My heart sank along with my shoulders. She looked at me with sympathy. "I'm sorry to be so blunt. I didn't mean to hurt you."
"Just forget it, Alice." I had to get out of there. There was too much information to process. Were we doomed to fail? If Jacob had fallen out of love with me and taken up with this Marcy woman, what was I supposed to do after spending months trying to fix us, and he found his solace in some woman's arms? "The kids need to have their lunch."
Alice nodded and I grabbed the sandwiches, turning to leave.
Before I could get away, the phone rang. We looked at each other; she was nervous, biting her lip. My jaw clenched and I shook my head no. She nodded solemnly and took a deep breath, then picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"Alice!...need to….Edward….really….to."
"He doesn't want to talk to you." She sounded quite firm.
The volume of his voice went up; he was getting angry. "But….fucking…!…you tell him…..."
"Jacob! I'm sorry."
There was a lot of muffled, incoherent shouting over the receiver, and I was grateful that I couldn't quite make out what he was saying. I was sure I didn't want to know.
When Alice hung up, I couldn't look at her, so I took the sandwiches and left. I just felt too awkward and embarrassed. Not just about Jacob's behavior, but my own part in this as well. I expected him to understand where I was coming from, but maybe I wasn't giving anything back. Maybe he felt the same way about me that I did about him. What was I doing wrong?
~SOD~
Jacob called twice a day, every day, but I refused to talk to him. Time made it easier for me not to speak to him. My heart had hardened to the point where I didn't think there was anything he could possibly say to make things better. However, as time went on and three days passed, the children were missing their Papa, and they began asking after him.
Sarah was sitting at the table, staring at her untouched breakfast. She turned her luminous green eyes on me, and when she spoke, her voice wavered.
"Daddy? Why isn't Papa here yet?"
I hesitated, caught off guard and not knowing what to say. I glanced over at Alice, who was bouncing Billy on her knee, a frown marring her petite features.
"Uh, he's still working, baby. You know Papa works really hard."
Sarah nodded solemnly, her lower lip quivering. "But I miss him."
I was at a loss for words and I looked away, fighting back tears of my own. Esme walked over to Sarah and put her arms around the little girl's shoulders, hugging her tightly. "Of course you do, dear. Papa misses you too. I'm sure he'll come here as soon as he can."
Sarah nodded again, sniffling. She looked forlorn, like she didn't really believe what Esme had said.
"Hey, Sarah. Why don't we take a walk to the lake?" Alice said, trying to divert Sarah's attention. It worked—Sarah loved going swimming. I mouthed a thank you to Alice as Sarah clapped her hands with excitement and rushed off to get into her swimsuit. Before long, both kids were ready, and Alice left with them.
I collapsed on the couch in the living room, unsure what to do. Sarah had noticed Jacob's absence now. How could I explain the situation to her in a way that made sense? I had no idea. Sighing heavily, I closed my eyes and leaned my head against the back of the couch. There were soft footsteps and a rustling, and when I opened my eyes, Esme was sitting on the armchair next to the couch, gazing at me with concern.
"Edward, how did things deteriorate like this? What changed?"
Even though I'd told her already the night I'd arrived, I reiterated the situation. "Our circumstances changed, financially and career-wise, and he takes out all of his frustrations on me, because he has no one else to talk to. His father died suddenly and the pack drifted apart, and we're all the way across America anyway."
"So he still feels alone, even though you are right there beside him."
"Yes," I whispered, looking at the floor.
"And he's sleeping with a woman?"
"I'm not sure if he's sleeping with her. He may be using her for emotional support behind my back. I'm not sure what would be worse. Whether he cheated on me physically or emotionally."
"I doubt he's having sex with her. That boy only has eyes for you. And those eyes don't hide their amorous looks when you're around."
"I don't know, Esme. Maybe he needed to try something else. Something I can't give him. After all, I've been with a girl, why shouldn't he get to?"
She shook her head vehemently. "No, Edward. I see what you're saying, but I just don't see that happening. He doesn't want a woman. Jacob loves only you with his body."
I sighed. "But not with his heart."
"We don't know that," Esme said firmly. She paused, clasping her hands together. "Maybe you should get married."
"Wait, what?" My eyebrows rose. "Have you been listening to this conversation?"
"No, I mean it, Edward. Maybe you guys should actually get legally married. You can in this state, and yet you never did. Why not?"
Does marriage solve everything for women? Maybe it did for women in my mother's time. "I did that once, with Bella, and look how that turned out."
"This isn't the same."
"I don't want another wedding and he doesn't have a problem with that. We're domestic partners and we're good with that. It's all the same rights, but no spectacle required."
"It wouldn't have to be," she argued.
"Oh please, you all would turn it into one. Particularly you and Alice."
She smiled knowingly and leaned toward me, her hands on her knees propping her. She looked like she was going to say the most scandalous thing.
"So elope," she said conspiratorially. I shook my head at her, but she pressed on. "Just to solidify your bond." A dreamy expression crossed her face as she stared past me, her eyes unfocused. "Say the words to each other as you gaze into one another's eyes. Agreeing to marry each other might bring the spark back and make you remember why you fell for each other in the first place." She smiled, her belief in her romantic notion of us total.
I burst her little bubble. "Esme, Jacob doesn't even want it." My voice was testy. "So who cares?"
"Ok, forget it," she said, mock-swatting me with her hand. "Sorry I brought it up."
"Thank you," I said, my expression gloomy.
"So." She dragged the word out, looking up at me through her eyelashes. "How's your sex life?"
"Esme!"
"What?" she asked, the picture of innocence.
"Don't you think I get enough sex questions and jokes from Emmett?"
She pouted. "I thought I was your friend."
"Yeah, but…you're also like my mom."
"Fine, but come on, Edward. I don't want to know details, I just want to know if you're doing it. So, how's your sex life."
"Barely there," I said flatly.
"Oh, well, there's your problem. You have to get that piece of it back, Edward. It's the essential piece. Without it, you're just two people living together. Like your brothers."
"Ugh. Mom."
She laughed. "You know what I mean. Like when your brothers live in the same house."
"Yeah, I know. It's just, the kids are so exhausting and they're all over me all day. I just want time for myself when they go to bed."
"Understandable. And Jacob goes off to work all day and is apart from the family. He comes home and the kids go to bed shortly after, and then his mate is busy pursuing other interests, so he's alone in his own home. He probably feels like YOU are the one that doesn't care about what he needs. And you kind of don't. Or at least, you care more about your own needs. And that's normal, but people have to make concessions to make things work sometimes. You are both going to need to make changes. But only the two of you can decide what those changes will be."
I'd never thought of it that way, and it made a lot of sense. What if I was mirroring Jacob's behavior back to him, or worse, if I was the one being mirrored? Before I could think too hard about it, Esme continued.
"So, anyway...that's my advice. Have more sex."
I sighed, knowing she was right, but also knowing it would be tough to add more sex to our lives. "But we're always so tense. Kind of kills the mood. And the kids, taking care of them is really exhausting."
"The kids sleep. And the rest, well, do it anyway." She shrugged and smiled. "You might find it was worth the effort."
An image of the two of us played in my mind, Jacob and I baring our teeth and snarling, me pinned to the wall with his hard, thick cock pummeling my ass. I swallowed hard and shook my head to clear it before speaking. "Uh, have you done that?"
She smiled. "Slept with Carlisle when I was cranky? Lots of times. Sometimes, those are the best times."
I thanked God that my gift barely worked anymore as she got a dreamy look in her eye. I did not want to see Esme having hot, angry sex. I tried to suppress a shudder. Then I found myself remembering my last time with Jacob, when he fucked me into the sofa. That had been fucking amazing.
Esme cleared her throat and I snapped out of my daydream. I blushed and a huge grin broke out on her face. My humanity was still a novelty to her.
She didn't look directly at me as she said, "So, er, Carlisle is coming."
Wait, my father was leaving Oregon, where he rules the whole kingdom of vampires, to tend to me? "What?"
"Well, you know Carlisle can't bear to see his children in pain. He feels a special pull to each of us. You, me, Rosalie, Emmett. He made us with his own venom. We are his progeny, and he would fight to the death for you."
I gasped, taken aback. "Esme, surely he doesn't plan to—"
"Oh, no!" she said quickly, waving her hands. "No, it was just a figure of speech. A poor one. He WOULD fight to the death for you; you know that because of what happened to Aro." It was true; he had killed Aro for me. "But in this case, he just wants to make sure you're okay and see if there's anything he can do, because he loves you, Edward. And I love you. All of us do. We only want you to be happy. Whether that's with Jacob or without him, we'll stand by you no matter what."
"I know. Thank you." Tears prickled behind my eyes. There was going to be no stopping them. Esme just scooted closer on the couch and hugged me close.
That was the second time I'd cried over this on a woman's shoulder.
A/N: A lot of talking in this one, huh? What did you think of what Alice and Esme had to say to Edward? And now Carlisle is coming too!
