Chapter Eleven; Jacob
No-one spoke. The only sound was Alice and Edward's ragged breathing. Alice's eyes drifted back down and she stared at the floor. Everyone else appeared to be frozen -- Then a new sound slowly got louder. Nessie's breathing was getting faster, until it started coming in short gasps.
"No." She whispered defiantly, breaking the almost-silence. "No, you couldn't have seen that. There must be a mistake. Aunt Alice, look again, you must have it wrong!" Each word sounded forced as she struggled to control her breathing.
"Ness, it wasn't a mistake, that's what I saw. I'm sorry." Alice whispered.
"What exactly did you see, Alice?" I choked out.
"I don't. . . Jake, you don't want me to describe it." She said, her eyes not meeting mine.
"Yes, I do." I told her, "Please, Alice. I have to know" I almost pleaded.
Ness groaned beside me, but didn't object to the story. I wasn't sure why I wanted to know really. Morbid curiosity maybe. I told Alice, though, that I wanted to know so that I could work out how to avoid it, obviously.
"Okay," She sighed, "Just give me a second." She took a few deep breaths before standing, to walk over and sit back down on the sofa.
Edward and Bella stayed on the floor by her feet, their eyes locked on my face.
"Okay, well, like Edward told you, I saw you in the meadow with Edward and I, and Jane. She and Edward were yelling at each other, I think, I can't be sure what it was about, it was all fuzzy. You and I were in between them, you facing Edward, me facing Jane. You were in your human form. Jane. . . Snarled at something Edward said, then turned to you. . . And she smiled." Her voice was low and strained. She took another deep breath, then kept going,
"She was burning you. That's her. . . gift, remember? You were on the ground, screaming in pain, and we both ran to you. But, just as we reached you, you stopped. I turned to look at Jane and she smiled at me." Alice Shuddered and closed her eyes. She went on, her voice a whisper now,
"The pain. . . It's like nothing else. That's when I screamed. And, because Edward was in my head, and I could quite clearly feel the pain, he could, too."
Bella whimpered behind me and cowered into Edward's side. Alice glanced at her, an apologetic look in her eyes.
"I couldn't hear anything, the pain was too much. So, I didn't hear them coming, and I didn't hear you backing away. Then suddenly, the pain stopped and in the same second, we heard you snarl and growl. Alec and Felix had appeared, and they were both snapping at you." Her voice cracked and rose a pitch higher in pain,
"Before we could do anything to help, Jane lunged at us both. She bit at my arm, at the same time she took a swipe at Edward's face. Edward was quicker though, and he grabbed her arm and pulled. Her arm snapped and she snarled, which caught Alec's attention. He flew at me. We couldn't hear you. Edward and I were kind of occupied with Jane and Alec, so we couldn't watch you, they both kept coming at us, although we were ripping them apart," A tiny hint of a smug smile flashed on her face, then it crumpled again in pain,
"But then. . . You screamed for Edward. The four of us froze at the sound and turned to you, just as Felix. . . Just as he put his bared teeth to your neck. . . And ripped." She shuddered then whispered, "Your eyes. . . You looked so betrayed, as if we had turned our backs on you. We couldn't help you, Jake. We didn't know. I'm so sorry. We didn't know." She finished so quietly, even I had to strain to hear her. Her body shook with silent, dry sobs.
Jasper flashed to her side and pulled her against him. He rocked her gently, his arms wrapped around her. He shushed her and soothed her, promising her she was okay.
"Alice, you're okay, I'm fine." I promised her, too.
"Jacob. . ." Nessie whispered, "Are you okay?" Her voice sounded thick.
I tightened my arms around her and kissed her gently once,
"I'm fine, Ness. Honestly." I whispered. I turned back to Alice,
"Alice, it's okay. Come on now. I'm fine." I smiled as she glanced up at me.
Just then, a thought occurred to me. A strange time to notice something like this, and I wasn't sure what triggered it, but suddenly I realized that something was missing.
"Hold on," I started slowly, "where are the Denali's and Zafrina?"
"Oh, they're gone. When Alice had the first vision, we thought up en excuse which meant they had to leave. They were worried, but they agreed without question." Carlisle told me with a fond smile for our friends.
"Good." I said. I didn't want them involved in this. Although, I knew they would be furious that we'd kept them out when they found out about it.
Edward flashed a tight smile in agreement. He knew that they were as eager for a fight with the Volturi as Emmett was. Especially the Denali's. But we couldn't put them in danger. We knew that if they stayed, that they would fight with us, and they would get hurt. We couldn't allow that. I was suddenly fiercely grateful that Carlisle had sent them away.
"Okay, so what do we do now? We have to find a way to stop this from happening. We can't just let Jake die." Bella said quietly.
"Hell, no we can't!" Rosalie said with such venom that it took be by surprise, "If I can't bite my little nephew here, then there's no way Felix gets to!" She spit his name with disgust.
I grinned at her, "Thanks, Rose." I chuckled once and she winked at me.
"All right!" Emmett said, clapping his hands together, "What's the plan?"
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The next few days were filled with planning, and Alice continued to search into the future for any changes. We needed a time scale, we needed to know how long we had. The day Alice called to us, I was in the kitchen with Rose, I making a sandwich, she was cleaning up my mess at the back of me. It was three days after Alice had foreseen my horrific death.
"Jake, Rose, come in here." Alice called to us, just as Rosalie snapped at my hand for making more crumbs.
I laughed at her then stuck my tongue out, waving my sandwich in her face. She rolled her eyes as yet more crumbs flaked off the bread onto the floor. I ducked out of the kitchen with a chuckle before she could take a swing at me. We came into the dining room together, me dodging a swift kick that Rose aimed at my behind. She laughed and winked when I grinned at her. I didn't notice that everyone else was already there, watching us, until Emmett muttered,
"That's going to take some getting used to." His eyes flashed from me to Rose, then back.
"What?" I asked him, my mouth full, glancing down at my sandwich. Surely he was used to my huge apatite by now?
"Not the food, dog. He means me and you actually getting along." Rose told me, mussing my hair as she walked passed to stand next to Emmett.
"Oh, that. Well, yeah, she's not so bad when I stopped focusing on what a huge pain in the ass she was. You know Blondie, you're actually quite funny when you stop all the growling." I grinned at her.
She did growl then, playfully, then she grinned back at me, "You're not so bad yourself actually."
"Okay, okay, wonderful -- we're all friends now." Alice snapped, "But can we please focus?"
She glared around at us all, just daring any one to act up. My grin got bigger as her eyes settled on me. Her lips twitched at the edges as she fought back a smile of her own.
"Sorry, Alice. What's up?" I asked her.
"I was searching for Jane. She knows now that we know they're coming, so they're going to regroup, so to speak. They're going back to Italy. . . To meet up with Demetri." She glanced quickly at Bella, who had gnashed her teeth together at the mention of the name.
"So, does that mean that they're coming here now?" Ness asked, worry in her voice.
"No, not yet. They'll meet up to plan. At first, Demetri didn't want to be involved, he didn't want to defy Aro and the others," Alice explained, "But now he's changed his mind. He's got a serious problem with this family, for whatever reason. He will go to Aro and ask him to re-asses. He will ask him to reconsider coming here for us. But Aro will tell him no, he wants nothing more to do with us. He will not cause us anymore harm apparently." She said, clearly not believing it. "But, Aro will say that he can't stop Demetri and the others doing what they wish. He will tell Demetri to do what he feels is best, but to keep him out of it." Alice made a face, then turned to face Edward.
"Demetri will meet up with Jane, Alec and Felix and they will think up a plan. They know we're expecting them, so they're going to try to surprise us. Not the smartest move, considering what I can do. They'll have just about figured out what they're gong to do. . . And they'll be here in three weeks." Her last words left the air feeling cold.
"Three weeks. . ." Esme repeated in a whisper, almost to herself.
No one spoke for a long moment, then Edward said,
"Okay, all right! Sush, everyone just relax!" His eyes were screwed up.
"Um, no one said anything, bro." Emmett said, looking at him like he was crazy.
Edward rolled his eyes at Emmett and lifted his hand to tap his finger tip to his temple.
"Ah, right, yeah. Sorry." Emmett mumbled.
"Carlisle, you actually had an interesting thought." Edward said, turning to his father.
"I did?" Carlisle replied, surprised.
"Yes, You thought 'Maybe we should surprise them.' It was fleeting, but I heard it. And I think that's what we have to do." He finished, glancing around at us all.
Everyone stared back at him, not quite understanding what he was getting at, then. . .
"Oh! You mean. . . no? Edward, you can't be serious! That's way too dangerous!" Bella told him.
"There is no way I'm going to Italy!" Jasper almost yelled at him, getting it the same time as Bella.
There was a murmur of comprehension around the room. Italy? Is he serious? My brother's gone crazy!
"Yeah, Italy! That's an idea! Think about it! There's no way they're going to expect us to turn up there! Edward, you're a genius!" Emmett grinned at Edward.
Edward laughed, "Thanks, Em."
"Edward, not to kill Emmett's buzz," Bella began, scowling at Emmett," But trekking off to Italy is a total suicide mission! What if Aro and the others decide to join them? There aren't enough of us to defeat them. We will lose." Her eyes flickered to Nessie for a short second then back to Edward, "And on their turf! That's just stupid!" She growled the last three words at her love.
"Okay, fine, they've got the edge in Italy, and yes, it would be better if there were more of. . ." He paused, "Oh!" His eyes widened, "Hold on a second!" He told us excitedly.
He flashed out of the room, and for the briefest second we all stared after him in surprise. Then we heard something more surprising. Nessie and Bella gasped, Jasper grinned hugely, and Emmett laughed then hissed "Excellent!" The rest of us just boggled in the direction of the door. We heard Edward open it, then he heard a low growl from outside,
"Now, I know you didn't think you were keeping us out of this!" A female voice scalded, "No way Edward Cullen. We're in!"
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"Thought you were getting rid of us, huh Carlisle?" Tanya grinned as she walked into the dining room, followed by the rest of the Denali's.
"Tanya! Awesome!" Emmett walked over and high-fived her.
"Didn't buy the story then, Tanya?" Jasper asked her with a laugh.
"No. We know you better than that. Silly Cullens. To think we would leave when we knew there was obviously something wrong. We thought you knew us better than that?" She asked, looking disapprovingly around at us all. We all just grinned back at her.
"So, where did you go? Where have you been for the last ten days?" Alice asked them.
"Well. . ." Kate began sheepishly, " We kinda hid out at Jake and Nessie's. Sorry, guys." She said with an embarrassed shrug.
Nessie laughed, "That's alright, Kate. We weren't using it were we? I'm glad you stayed." She told them.
"Thanks, Ness. Now, I do want to hear all about your honeymoon. The good parts at least. But first, you" She jabbed a finger at Edward, "Explain."
Edward told the Denali's the whole story. From Alice's first vision, to the idea he had just before they got here. They knew the last part, they'd been listening outside. They cringed when Edward described the vision Alice had had of us in the meadow, and when he explained that Alec, Jane and Felix were to meet up with Demetri, Tanya and Carmen ground their teeth, just like Bella. They were geared up and actually excited about the impending fight.
"You do realize, though, that when we decimate these four, and we will destroy them, "Carmen said through clenched teeth, "That the other's will come looking after us?"
"Yeah, I'm counting on it." Uncle Emmett with a grin.
"Emmett. . ." Rose groaned, rolling her eyes at him.
"Ah, come on, Rose! We won't get another chance like this. They've separated. Once we take down Jane and her friends, the others will be easy!" He told her. She couldn't really argue.
"Jake," Edward said suddenly, You had better let Sam and your pack know what's going on. They'll want to know."
"Yeah, suppose you're right. I'll go do that now." I kissed Nessie once quickly, "Won't be long." I told her.
I didn't go far. I phased outside the house and listened.
Jacob. Sam greeted me. How was the honeymoon?
Hey Sam. It was great, thanks. Where's everyone else? You the only one who's phased, or is everyone else sleeping?
The silence in his head was screaming at me.
Sam. . . I began slowly, What's going on? Where is everyone?
Jacob. . . Haven't you heard? I thought Billy would have told the Cullens to let you know?
Know what? I haven't spoken to Billy, and I don't think the Cullens have either. What is going on, Sam?
He was quiet for another second.
The pack. . . He started, but then he changed his train of thought, Seth's gone, Jake.
I took a second to process that.
Gone? What do you mean gone? Do we know where he is?
No, we can't hear him. You can only hear within your own pack, you know that. And you haven't been here.
Okay, fine. You can't hear him, but what about Embry? Or Quil? They can!
He hesitated again, mentally stuttering over something.
No, He whispered, They can't. Not anymore.
Huh? . . What? Why? Well, that didn't make any sense.
Because. . . He's not a part of their pack anymore. He said slowly.
What are you talking about, Sam?!
Your pack. . . They aren't yours anymore, Jacob. Seth still is, because he hasn't been home to make the choice. But the others have joined me again.
What?! No! They wouldn't. . . Why? As soon as I asked, I knew the answer.
Leah We whispered together. I could hear the pain in Sam's voice as he said her name.
Now I understood perfectly. The pleasantries at my wedding had just been for show. Paul was the only one who showed me how he really felt. They all blamed me for Leah's death, so they had left me, abandoned me. And I couldn't blame them. But I could feel my heart breaking. It felt as though little chunks of it were being ripped off as I thought of each of my pack, leaving me. I composed myself. I wouldn't let Sam feel my pain.
Okay, fine. If that's how they feel, then. . .sure. I guess I can't blame them I paused, taking a deep breath.
I am sorry, Jacob Sam whispered
Sure, sure. I mumbled, Listen, Sam, I need to tell you something, too.
I explained the situation to him, feeling his shock and repulsion as I thought about Alice's horrifying vision. He calmed himself in time for me to finish.
Ah. . .I see. Well. . .We'll keep our eyes peeled. Thanks for the warning.
Sure. Thanks for the. . . Info, Sam.
No problem. Be safe, Jacob.
I felt him phase out. I sat on the porch, trying to work out everything Sam had told me. I was so lost in my own thoughts, that I didn't hear the other voice at first,
Jacob. . . It whispered
Seth?. . .Seth! Oh, god it was good to hear his voice!
Yeah, it's me. I'm not staying though.
What do you mean you're not staying?
I mean, I'm not staying in your head for long. I just wanted to tell you something.
'Kay. What's up, Kid? What's on your mind?
I just wanted to say goodbye, Jake. His tone was cold and flat.
Goodbye?. . . Seth?. . .What. . ?
I'm joining Sam, too. I wont be loyal to you now. I don't want to belong to your pack anymore. He paused Your vampire's killed my sister. You know I love the Cullens. . . And You. But I loved my sister. . . And you let Tanya Kill her! He finished in a scream.
I winced. No, Seth. It wasn't like that! Please, just let me. . .
No He interrupted me I won't listen to your excuses, Jacob. You know, I'm not coming home, because I'm afraid of what I might do if I get too close to Tanya. And I don't know if I really want to hurt her.
He was silent for a second, deliberating whether or not he wanted to cause Tanya harm.
No, I don't want to hurt her. Not physically anyway. But I will never forgive her. She took my sister from me. My Mom's heart is in pieces, so you can thank Tanya for that.
Seth. . . I'm so sorry. . . I whispered
No, don't, Jacob. I'm not interested. His tone was flat and cold again, I won't ever forgive you either, you know. You let her destroy what was left of my family. I hate you for that, Jacob Black. Always remember that. I hate you for what you let happen. I will never forgive you. He said again, Goodbye, Jacob.
I'm sorry. I whispered again, just a second too late. He was gone.
I was alone. Completely alone. For the first time since I became a werewolf, there were no voices in my head, and it was surprisingly lonely. I had no pack. All my brother's had gone. I could feel my heart tearing. The searing pain made it difficult to breathe. I could feel the sobs rising in my chest, but I couldn't take a deep breath to calm them. Huge tears ran down my cheeks and my body shook painfully. I knew that Edward would have heard everything, but he didn't come out. He left me alone with my pain.
I was alone. Completely alone.