The Five Year Plan

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!

Part Twelve

Edward led Bella toward the rear of the diner. It was shadier there. He picked a private booth and motioned for her to sit. Bella complied. Her head felt heavy. She was struggling to regain her sense of self. Edward pulled his hood down and sat opposite her. He leaned forward, his cold fingers reaching for hers, but Bella kept her hands clasped firmly in her lap. She felt if he touched her she would come asunder. Edward's disappointment at even this small resistance to his charms was palpable. He sat back and whipped off his sunglasses. "Will you please look at me, Bella?" He pleaded.

Bella was still wearing her sunglasses. She shook her head. They were like a shield between them. Edward didn't seem to shine so bright through the darkened lenses. "You shouldn't be here." She mumbled.

"Of course I should be here." Edward's fists clenched. His voice was dripping with agony. "You're my wife."

Bella felt her breath hitch. She couldn't breathe. Edward's presence was overwhelming. She twisted around in her seat, searching for Seth. Where was he? Then she saw him. The young shifter was arguing with the manager of the diner. He was being refused entry because he wasn't dressed properly. He had no shirt on or shoes. "Seth, I need to…." Bella began to rise but Edward reached out and caught her arm. He clamped her in place. Bella felt the cold seep through her skin. She turned back and glanced at Edward. His golden brown eyes were fixated on her. Despite her reservations she sank back into her seat, cowed. She was weak, unable to fight. She had been dazzled by Edward and his family for too long to be able to resist his charm offensive. She saw his body relax. His familiar crooked smile lit up his Adonis like features. "Seth." Bella whispered again sadly.

"Seth Clearwater will be fine. He empathises with us, did you know that?" Edward was playing with the fingers of her left hand now. He leaned forward again. His sweet scent, so tantalising, so intoxicating, wafted over Bella. She couldn't help but breathe it in. She felt slightly dizzy, almost as if she was going to pass out. It was a familiar feeling. She always felt the same on the rare occasions that Edward kissed her. "He's always been our biggest supporter. He came to the wedding. That shows immense bravery. He went against his pack's wishes to be there."

Bella blinked. She felt slightly removed from the situation. Edward's explanation for Seth's presence at the wedding didn't sit right with her but she remained mute as Edward kept talking.

"We forged a connection when we fought Victoria together." Edward smiled benignly. "It felt good to make a new friend."

They were interrupted by the waitress. Seth had been forced to leave. The manager had been threatening to call the police if he didn't remove himself from the premises. Seth, in his frustration, felt he had no choice. He had created enough of a scene. He had to be careful. But he hovered outside, waiting, watchful. If Edward tried to leave with Bella he would know. He urged Jacob to hurry in his head.

"What can I get you?" The waitress was speaking solely to Edward. This drudged up a memory in Bella's frazzled brain. She was back in the little Italian restaurant that Edward had taken her to after he had stalked her all around Port Angeles.

"Nothing for me." Edward smiled charmingly. "My wife would like an orange juice though."

"No food?" The waitress questioned. It was obvious she didn't want to leave Edward's dazzling presence.

"Not right now." There was an impatient edge in Edward's tone, but he smiled invitingly, trying to soften the blow. "Can you give us ten minutes?" He asked.

"Of course. I'll be just over there." The waitress flirted with him a little more, still ignoring Bella as if she didn't exist, until she finally took the hint and left them alone to talk.

"You were charming her." Bella had found her voice. It was odd witnessing something that Edward had probably done countless times in front of her, but she had never seemed to notice. She pushed her sunglasses further up her nose and stiffened, sliding her hand out from under his, and trying to create a little distance between them.

"She wouldn't go." Edward confided irritably. "Her mind is so vacuous. It was the easiest option."

"I bet." Bella mumbled.

Edward looked at her sharply. "You sound accusing."

"I want to go." Bella tried to rise again, but there was his hand again, clamping hers in place so she couldn't move.

"Come back to the house with me." It sounded like an order rather than a request. His eyes drifted to Bella's right hand which was still curled up in her lap. He focused his gaze on the ring Jacob had given her. "You're still wearing it."

Bella heard the puzzlement in his voice. She took advantage of his distracted state and placed her hand on the table, splaying her fingers so he got a better view of Sarah's ring. She focused her own attention on it, trying to infuse her weak will with some semblance of courage. Edward was talking again, but she interrupted him before he could say anything derogatory about Jacob's gift to her. "You told Jacob once that you would let me go if that is what I wanted."

Edward inhaled sharply. Her words had taken him by surprise. "You were asleep."

"I wasn't. I was pretending to." Bella revealed. She had always wondered whether Edward knew if she had been feigning sleep. Jacob had known. He would have read the signs. The shallow breathing, her innate twitching as she clumsily tried to keep her limbs still. But Edward hadn't known. He was so used to reading people's minds that he had forgotten how to read body language. The signals were alien to him.

"Bella." Edward's voice was dripping with agony.

"Did you mean what you said?" Bella questioned as she forced her head to rise so she could meet his tortured gaze. She was so glad that her glasses were shielding her eyes; they hid the tears which were threatening to fall. Her tears would make her seem weak. She didn't want to be that person. Not again.

"Yes." The word was dragged out of him. His hand covering her left gripped hers so tight that it was stopping the blood flow. Bella grimaced, but didn't cry out. She had to let this sink in. He had to understand. She watched the conflicting emotions on his face as he continued to gaze at her. Her hand jerked in his tight grip. Bella didn't know how much longer she could stand the pain. "Yes…." Edward said again. He inhaled deeply, as if drinking in her scent, the very thing that he'd always told her soothed him. His nostrils flared, his eyes darkened. "But not to him. Never to him." He shook his head fiercely. "He's dangerous…."

Then his eyes snapped forward. His hand loosened on Bella's. She let out a small cry as the blood rushed back into her numb fingers. She turned and cried out again, but this time in relief. It was Jacob. He was dressed in a pair of jeans and a loose fitting shirt, the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He had been allowed inside, because unlike Seth he was wearing his heavy work boots. Jacob was glaring at Edward; his eyes were coal black, smouldering. He held out his hand toward Bella. She placed her injured hand in his. His warm fingers enclosed around hers, soothing the hurt. "Let's go." His gentle tone belied the anger on his face. He ignored Edward's posturing as he put his arm around Bella and guided her out of the diner, ignoring the curious stares of the other patrons as he led her out into the warmth of the blazing sun.


"I'm sorry, Bella." Seth apologised, chastened. He was full of self-blame. He was flagellating himself for letting Edward get near her.

"You did nothing wrong." Bella smiled tiredly. Confronting Edward, even to that small extent, had worn her out. Her small victory seemed hollow, if it could even be called that.

They were in the Swan house. Jacob was pacing back and forth. His control had dissipated once they were behind closed doors. He was fuming. He tried to walk off his anger. He couldn't believe the bloodsucker's audacity. It showed Cullen's desperation that he was willing to risk being seen in the sun. Like Seth he hadn't been too worried about Bella's safety because they assumed that the good weather would keep the vampires inside. He had been so wrong.

"Jake, please calm down." Bella begged him. She hated seeing Jacob like this, all tense and wound up. It had been so heartening to see him regain his peace and experience happiness, but now Edward had ruined everything again. "It's over now."

"Seth, can you leave us alone please." Jacob asked the young shifter. Seth nodded, standing up, his head hanging. As he passed Jacob put his hand on Seth's shoulder. "You did well." He praised him. "You kept your head and watched over Bella in the only way you could. Thank you."

Jacob's words had a miraculous effect on Seth's self-esteem. He raised his head, blossoming under the praise. "I would never have let him take her out of the diner. I was watching the whole time." Seth promised eagerly.

"I know." Jacob patted Seth's shoulder.

Seth smiled shyly before saying goodbye to Bella and finally leaving her alone with his Alpha.


"I wanted to kill him." Jacob confided as he embraced Bella and sank his fingers into her hair.

"He probably wanted you to lose control." Bella hid her face against Jacob's broad chest. She could breathe now. She listened to the sound of his heart beating. The gentle rhythm was soothing. So far she had managed to hide her bruised fingers from Jacob. If he knew she worried that he would forgo his iron control and chase Edward down. She didn't want any more trouble. She just wanted to try and erase the memory of her encounter. Surely Edward had to understand now. Once he put his bitterness and hurt feelings aside. She clung to this hope like a drowning woman.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here." Jacob apologised. His voice was thick with guilt. He cradled the back of her head and held her closer. He needed to feel her thin frame pressed tight to his. He could have lost her again.

"You can't be with me twenty four seven." Bella closed her eyes wearily. "Seth was there."

"It's not Seth's job to protect you. It's mine."

"NO." Bella said more sharply than she intended. She pulled out of his embrace enough so she could look up at Jacob. She could see that her response had surprised him. "I need to look after myself, Jake."

"I know." Jacob agreed. "But these are exceptional circumstances."

"Can we talk about something else?" Bella wanted to change the subject. She didn't want to think about Edward Cullen and his hold over her. The memory was chilling. "Like why you left so abruptly last night." She continued.

Jacob suddenly looked coy. He coughed awkwardly, and then ran his fingers through his hair agitatedly. "Jeez, Bells."

"Jake." Bella said warningly as she felt her weariness abate under the weight of her curiosity. "Did you run off and confront Sam or something. Last night I was worried out of my mind."

Jacob's expression softened. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. I had something to do."

"Like what." Bella whined. "Tell me."

Jacob was glad that her irritation with him was dispelling her panic over her encounter with Cullen. He wished his own anger at the leech could be expelled as easily, but he managed to dampen down his ire as he focused all his attention on the beauty standing in front of him. He wondered just how much sway that Bella knew she had over him. He loved her so much. "I went so see Old Quil."

"Why?"

"I need guidance. This thing with the pack, it's…I gotta tread carefully. I asked Old Quil to help me with a vision quest." Jacob confessed.

"You want spiritual guidance." Bella was intrigued and rather surprised. Jacob had always shown his ambivalence with that part of his heritage. It showed how much things had changed that he felt ready to embrace that side of himself. "So what happened?"

"Nothing."

"Oh." Bella was crestfallen.

"I haven't done it yet, Bells."

"Oh, I see." She brightened again. "So can I come and watch?"

"Um…no. It's meant to be a private thing." Jacob hedged. He scratched the back of his neck.

"But I want to see." Bella persisted. "Perhaps I can have one too."

"What? No." Jacob shook his head adamantly.

"Why not?" Bella demanded.

"Why would you want to?" Jacob countered.

Bella became quiet, sombre. As much as she was trying to put her encounter with Edward out of her mind, it wouldn't go away. She'd hated feeling so helpless, so weak willed. She could argue with Jacob until the sun went down if she disagreed with him, but with Edward she lost all sense of courage. She turned into a weak willed child. She had gone into the diner with him without uttering a protest. She didn't care if it was down to some kind of supernatural influence Edward had over her. Bella wanted to find her sense of self. If this spiritual quest helped Jacob find his, why couldn't it do the same for her? She explained this to him in halting tones. She cried, once again accentuating to herself how helpless she felt. "I'm floundering, Jacob. I need to get my mojo back."

Jacob wiped away her tears. What she said made so much sense but their situations were so different. He was trying something that might not even work. His expectations were low, but he felt he could handle his disappointment. Could she? He was deeply worried that this journey would hold a mirror up to Bella and show her things she wasn't ready to see or accept.

"You can't protect me from myself, Jake." Bella said quietly. "I need to learn to do that."

Her words touched him. How could he argue with that? She was right. "I'll ask him." He promised. "That's all I can do."

"Thank you." Bella smiled falteringly as she sought solace in his embrace once again.

A/N-thanks for reading!