A/N: I just have to say "Thank-You" to those of you who have taken the time to leave reviews or hit that wonderful "Like" button. It definitely inspires my Muse when I know people are anticipating the next chpt. Wanted to give a big shout out to Jessipooks, Mist, LuvinJ, WolfgirlJB for all of you wonderful support and help with this story. xoxo

Chapter 11: Relinquish Your Heart To Me

"Edward I have to say I thought you would be happier than this? All you have spoken of since I met you was how much you wanted your wife to return to you. She is awake and healthy and yet you still seem sad." Alex says sitting down next to him.

Alex had noted from the second he entered her temporary home that he didn't seem as overjoyed as she assumed he would be. She knew that this was his dream come true, having Bella awake again. What was bothering him exactly? Sure, it wasn't exactly heavenly that Bella had to smell so damn delicious but she knew that eventually she would be able to resist the scent and hopefully move back into the Cullen's home with the rest of her new found family. She should be the one sad at the moment not him.

"I am very happy that Bella is back." Edward chuckles.

"Then what? Is there something wrong with her? Are there side effects from the serum?" Alex studied him closely.

"I'm not sure. She …she…well, when she learned about Jake and Nessie's imprint she got a bit hysterical with me. She doesn't like for people to hold things back from her even if it's for her safety. I didn't tell her before we left the hospital. She got to see with her own two eyes the connection that Jake and Nessie share now." Edward answered.

"I thought Jake was like her best friend. You guys told me the imprint they shared was the ONLY reason you allowed him to leave with you guys. Wouldn't that be like a blessing for her? She has at least one old friend in her life." Alex replies.

"I think she is happy about seeing him and having him in our lives but before Bella and I got married, Jake was madly in love with Bella. It was hard on me at times to step between them. I felt selfish because I knew that Jake could give her a life that I couldn't, a human life. However, she chose me and I knew better than to leave her again. I promised her that I would stay for as long as she wanted me to." Edward explained giving Alex a little more details about Bella and his past together.

"Are you afraid that Bella is somehow suddenly in love with Jake?" Alex asks curiously reading between the lines.

"I think he is a part of her past that comforts her and reminds her of what she has given up in order to be here today." Edward shrugs his shoulders casually.

Alex knew it was much more than that. She had a feeling that Edward was picking up on something between Bella and Jake but wasn't about to confront either of them about it. He was walking on egg shells as it was with Bella and he didn't want to rock the boat unnecessarily.

"You make it sound like she made so many sacrifices for this life. But to me it sounds like everything she did, she knew what she was doing and she also went behind your back to put herself in that coma Edward. How can that be your fault? Bella might not like the results of her choices but they were hers. I can't see you or anyone else in that house pressuring her to give up her mortal life. I think perhaps Bella is growing up and starting to reflect on what she wants from life and whether or not this is going to be enough for her. Eternity is a very long time Edward." Alex laughed bitterly.

"Yes, it is." Edward agreed with a sad smile.

"Let's stop talking about all of this gloom and go grab a bite. I hate hunting alone and since we are away from out usual hunting ground, I thought you could come with me to help cover my back." Alex pleaded.

"Sure." Edward understood her fear of hunting alone. After smelling Bella's blood and struggling with the desire to sink her teeth into her flesh, Alex had doubts if she could resist any human again.

"Thanks Edward. You're a really good friend." Alex smiled proudly at him.

"I try." Edward grins as they walk out of the house together in pursuit of a meal to help them keep their strength up.


Bella was scared of Nessie with a credit card. She used to think that Alice was the overzealous one when it came to shopping but today she saw Nessie go berserk with the master card. If Nessie thought it was needed she purchased it, not once did she look at the price tag. It bothered Bella a little. She didn't mind spending money but when she watched Nessie have no regards for the cost of things, it definitely irked her. Nessie might act well behaved and treated everyone with polite kindness but her greediness reminded Bella of a spoiled child. She could see Nessie throwing temper tantrums in the past. Who had spoiled her exactly? Who had given her the view of life that money was nothing to be considered?

Bella knew she honestly had no right to judge anyone's parenting skills when she herself was passed out all these years but she hated seeing Nessie act so much like a vampire and nothing like a human teenager. Was it possible that since she was raised by vampires she would automatically act like one? Nessie had everything. She got beauty, brains, and obviously an unlimited credit card.

Bella couldn't stop herself from wondering if Jake liked Nessie's spoiled side? Did he find it endearing that she got what she wanted no matter what? Did he encourage that behavior over the years? No, Jake had refused Nessie when she wanted to upgrade their relationship because Jake wasn't ready to do it, so he didn't. So apparently he was one of the few people in her life that stood firm with her. Bella was relieved and thrilled that he had. If she had learned that he and Nessie had been lovers she wasn't sure how she would manage to be around them. It just seems so wrong to her that Jake and Nessie had imprinted at all. It was like fate was laughing at her, reminding her that Jake had offered her his heart and she shoved it back in his face so now her daughter was getting the opportunity to enjoy all he once tried to give her.

They were taking a break sipping on a soda when Bella spied Nessie looking at her cell phone for like the umpteenth time.

"What's wrong?" Bella asks.

"Nothing. I texted Jake but he hasn't text back all day." Nessie answered. Bella saw the annoyed sparks in her daughter's beautiful eyes.

"He will when he can."

"It's not like he is patrolling or anything so why isn't he answering me?" Nessie sent another message to Jake.

"Nessie, don't push so hard. Jake cares about you. He will answer you when he can." Bella reach over patting Nessie's hand. Nessie yanks her hand away glaring angrily at Bella.

"I'm sorry." Nessie saw the fear in her mother's eyes and felt horrible for it. She knew it wasn't her mother's fault that she knew Jake better than she did. It also wasn't her fault that Jake seemed to still be in love with her mother either. Her mother hadn't once mentioned Jake's name all day. For Nessie, this was a clear sign that her mother's heart only belonged to her father and that Jake wasn't about to break up her parents happy marriage like she had feared this morning. In her nightmare last night she had seen Bella leaving the family then Jake followed her. Nessie had woken up crying her heart out. She didn't want to lose her mother and she definitely didn't want to lose Jake but what hurt the most was the idea of Jake and her mother being in love and choosing that love over her own happiness.

Alice approached the table with a new bag in her hand.

"I found something perfect for you." Alice's eyes sparkled mischievously at Bella.

"Oh did you find my breasts?" Bella looked down at her fragile body. She had lost a lot of weight and her breasts. She hadn't ever been big but she was a decent B size cup before but now she seemed to be back to a small A. What was worse was the few times she had accidentally allowed herself to stare at the scar across her stomach that reminded her of the ugliness that was left on her body from Nessie's birth.

"Very funny. They will come back. You just need to eat more. Speaking of which, Nessie go get your mom a garden burger." Alice ordered. Nessie bounced up and practically skipped to the end of the long line of customers.

"What's wrong?" Bella wasn't stupid, she knew that Alice had purposely sent Nessie away from the table to share something private with her.

"Bella I've been seeing your future changing. I fear you're not happy with us anymore." Alice spoke softly while she looked straight into Bella's eyes.

"What?" Bella exclaimed.

"I don't think you want to be like us anymore, do you?" Alice states.

"I…well...I…don't know honestly." Bella's eyes drop to her lap as she spoke the truth out loud. She knew it wasn't worth trying to deny Alice the truth. Alice saw everything eventually.

"It's okay. You can still be a part of our family even if you don't want the advantages of being exactly like us." Alice winks at her.

"I don't know if that would be so easy on me. I mean, I will grow old while you guys remain the same." Bella chewed on the corner of her lip, lifting her head up and looking directly at Alice.

"Whenever you're ready Bella you can ask Edward to change you and he will happily do it. He's eager for you to become one of us now."

"That's just it Alice. If I'm going to do it, I need to do it while I still fit in with you guys. I don't want to appear to be Edward's mother someday instead of his wife." Bella snorted.

"Why are you afraid now? What changed?" Alice asks curiously.

"I don't know. I mean it was always a little scary to think about. Rose did an excellent job of terrifying me about the uncontrollable blood lust. But now I just….I guess I wonder if this is where I belong after all." Bella scratched her head trying to find the right words to explain something that even she couldn't explain to herself.

"Do you love Edward Bella?" Alice decided to just ask the very question that was burning inside of her.

"Of course I do." Bella look startled by the question. How could anyone question her feelings for Edward? Hadn't she given up everything to prove just how much she loved him?

"I know you love him Bella but are you IN love with him? Do you still feel like he is your yang to your yin?" Alice's face remained very serious as she locked eyes with Bella's.

"Of course." Bella didn't blink an eye but inside she felt her heart hammering against her chest and a voice screaming in her head that she had just told the biggest lie ever and that Alice knew it.


Jake returned home a few minutes after Edward had. He went to take a quick shower knowing the others would smell the scent of the tribe on him. He didn't want them to know where he had been because then they would question why he went to see them. He still had so much going on in his mind and he wasn't strong enough to block it from Edward's noisy mind reading skills.

When he walked out of the bathroom, he was surprised to find Bella sitting on the edge of his bed.

"Bella." Jake smiled warmly at her.

"We need to talk." Bella's voice quivered. She had managed to slip around everyone to sneak into Jake's room. She knew it wasn't wise to talk to Jake in the house but she couldn't stop herself. She had to see him. She had to be close to him. Today had been fun and a little scary at the same time. She had learned a lot about her daughter and about herself also. She had seen Nessie for the teenager she truly was. She might seem older and wiser than her young years in this world but deep down, Nessie was still a child at heart. She couldn't hurt her intentionally and as long as she kept these feelings buried for Jake, she wouldn't ever hurt Nessie.

"Yes we do. " Jake agreed pulling the towel tighter around his waist.

Bella's mouth opened wide as she slipped into a trance watching the water droplets sliding off of his body. His chest was as magnificent as she remembered. It had been so long since she saw him without a shirt. Her hands itched to touch him, her tongue ached to taste the water on his body. Her head was blurry with images of things she could do with Jake if she only asked it of him. She could see the desire he felt for her when she managed to look up at his face and into his eyes. The soft brown coloring had turned into a dark smoldering brown that warned her that like herself, he was struggling against his instincts to take her in his arms.

Jake broke off the sexual frenzy between them. Strolling to the door he closed it fully and locked it before he walked back to her.

Standing directly in front of her he looked down into her eyes. He saw the nervousness he was creating in her. Looking deeper in her eyes he saw there was also desire, a desire that she had always held for him but resisted until now. Taking her hands he pulled her up so that she was standing directly in front of him. Taking her chin in his hand he tilts it up, licking his lips he leans in closer and kisses her until they are both breathless.

Her hands roam up and down his chest and around to his backside as she clings to him for support. Her body grows weak in his arms. The taste of him sending sparks in her head.
Jake reluctantly pulled his mouth free from hers. He leaned his head down to press his forehead to hers.

"Do you really want to talk?" He asks in a husky tone.

Bella couldn't think straight. Her body was reacting in such a way that she honestly couldn't remember what her original purpose was for coming to his room.

Her fingers slid over his shoulders and down his back.

"I honestly can't remember."

Licking her lips she continued.

"Each time you kiss me I forget everything but you," she confesses "I wish we could stay in this room forever when you kiss me like that."

He groans, his lips skimming down her slender nose and brushing briefly over her mouth.
"Does that bother you?" he asks.

"Not like it should." Bella answers.

Jake didn't want to give her time to remember her allegiance to Edward, not now, not while they were finally connecting.

Slipping his tongue between her soft unresisting lips he claimed her mouth again with a kiss that nearly drove them both over the edge.

In this moment he didn't give a damn that she was married to someone else and that once he told her the truth about their imprint that he would totally destroy her life with Edward and the others.

He just wanted to enjoy this perfect moment. This moment when Jake and Bella was all that mattered in this crazy world they lived in.

He would tell her later. Much later.

Cradling Bella in his arms he propelled her backward, laying her on the soft mattress before covering her body with his. Her nails dug into his back as he kissed his way down the curve of her neck and lingered on the line of her collarbone.

"You taste of summer." he murmured as he trailed his tongue down to the button of her blouse. Using his teeth he pop opens the first two buttons. Bella reached between them pulling her shirt open and allowing him to see her white bra beneath it. Pushing her hands back to her side, he pulled the soft fabric aside and admired the small pink harden nipple before his tongue lavish it. He flicked it back and forth before sucking it deep into his mouth.

Bella bucked upward beneath him, her breathing was heavy with excitement.

"What does…summer…taste like?" She asks curiously as she sank deeper into the lust filled atmosphere between them.

"Honey," he whispered, his tongue continuing to tease the hard nub, "sunshine, and sugar."

Her eyes squeezed shut at his insistent caresses.

"Oh Jake."

"This is just the beginning." he promises, his hands following the slender lines of her waist.

Bella wanted to let him do whatever he desired to her willing body but something was holding her back. A small nagging sensation at the back of her head was warning her that this was not the place to share this perfect moment with him. There were too many people in the house who had supernatural hearing and foresight. If they went any further she was sure she wouldn't be able to stop him.

"Jake, wait." Bella hands knotted into Jake's hair.

"Why?" Jake moaned, reaching down to unbutton her pants.

"This…isn't the place." Bella trembled while her hands yanked on his head, trying to pull him away from her breast. Her body screaming to let it happen but her mind was taking back control.

"Your right." Jake's hands fell to the sides of her, his head lifting up to look down into her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Bella felt tears stinging in her eyes as she longed to have him inside of her. She knew it was terribly wrong to be so attracted to Jake while she was married to
Edward. Neither of them belonged to the other anymore. This might feel incredibly right but it was awfully wrong and downright selfish of them. She knew she was guilty of that sin in the past but she was trying to start over. She was trying to be a better person, a better friend and a decent mother.

"Sorry for what exactly?" Jake asks as his eyes remained locked with hers.

"Sorry that we didn't go down this path before." Bella admits honestly.

"We still can Bella." Jake insists.

"No, we can't. It's too late. I don't have any rights to you anymore. I made my choice." Bella gulps as her chest tightens and her eyes spilled out the tears that she had held onto.

"Bella, you never had a choice to make." Jake sighed sadly as he lifted himself off of her.

"What?" Bella set up buttoning her shirt back.

"You and I aren't over Bella. Your body knows this and your heart does. The only thing that is keeping you away from me is him and Nessie but I promise that even they can't stop this. It's far stronger than anything either of us has ever felt for another." Jake ran his hands through his hair fighting back the urgency to take her in his bed right that second. He knew she would cave into her body if he wanted it badly enough. He couldn't do that to her. Not now.

If he was going to be with Bella he knew he had to share everything with her and hold back nothing.

"How can you say that?" Bella got off the bed taking a few steps away from him.

"I'm only telling you the truth Bella." Jake knew she still wasn't aware of the imprinting they had shared the moment their eyes had fallen on one another when they were reunited.

"The truth? What is your version of the truth Jake? I'm still married and you're still very imprinted with MY daughter." Bella gulped hard as a wave of guilt swirled in her heart. She had betrayed not only Edward but her daughter. She was truly a horribly selfish person.

"No I'm not." Jake whispered softy.

"What?" Bella looked at him with mistrust in her eyes. She wasn't sure what he said exactly but she feared he just told her that his imprint was no longer a problem for them.

"The imprint between Nessie and I no longer exists Bella. " Jake answered firmly and louder as he stood up staring at her with a sincere and serious face.

"How can that be?" Bella gasped.

"I…" Jake started to reveal everything to her but the next of words out of her mouth threw him off of his game plan.

"You're lying to me! That's impossible Jake. God! You would lie to me just to sleep with me?" Bella took a couple clumsy steps backwards toward the door as she looked furiously at him.

"Bella I'm not lying."

"Yes, you are. Sam, Leah, and Emily? Do those names ring a bell? I recall Sam couldn't break his imprint with Emily to be with Leah. How could you! Why?" Bella shook her head from side to side as tears spilled down her face.

"I'm not lying to you Bella. You're lying to yourself. Think about it. Why did you come here Bella? Why is it when I touch you, your body longs for me? It doesn't want him anymore, does it?" His voice grew cold as ice.

"That's not true." Bella laughed bitterly grabbing the door knob turning to prepare herself to flee from his room and from him.

"Oh really? Now who's lying Bella! You have never allowed yourself to accept what we have together. I'm sorry but you can't fight it anymore. It is what it is Bella. You and I belong together and you know it."

"NO! It is what YOU want it to be. I'm so sick of everyone telling me what I should or shouldn't want. I'm a freaking grown woman now. I …want…oh God! I've got to get out of here." Bella threw the door open wide as she started to leave the room.

"Bella you can run from it but it's always going to be there in your heart. Your love for me and my love for you is so much stronger than either of us ever knew." Jake's voice broke her heart as she heard the sincerity of his words. She wanted so badly to run into his arms and feel the peace that they offered her troubled mind but she knew that if she did, neither of them would be able to stop themselves from wanting much more.

There was the factor that he was possibly lying to her about breaking the imprint between himself and Nessie. She wanted to believe it had happened. She was such a horrible person that the very thought that he was now all hers made her heart fill with joy and pride even at the cost of breaking her daughter's little heart. She feared that she didn't belong here anymore. She had woken up from a deep slumber and discovered she could be just as sadistic as the monsters who once hunted her.

Bella took one last look at Jake before leaving his room and him with an uneasy silence between them.


Bella returned to her room feeling lost and scared when she ran smack into Edward's cold strong frame. Looking up she saw his tender smile transform into a heart wrenching frown.

"Where have you been?" Edward asks.

"I…got lost for a second. I …" Bella caught the way his nostrils flared up and she knew in that moment he smelled Jake all over her.

"I ran into Jake. We talked about my day with Nessie." Bella lied and was so thankful he couldn't read her thoughts.

"Oh. How was it?" Edward continued to look at her with a blank expression.

"It was good. I was surprised to see how little she thought about money. It's very obvious to me that Nessie has always gotten what she's wanted." Bella wanted to laugh at that last thought. There was one thing that Nessie wanted but it seemed only her mother was available to get it. It was sick of her to find such happiness in the fact that Jake couldn't be pressured into Nessie's bed and that his heart belonged only to her. She would never have to share Jake with Nessie in the way that really mattered to her.

"That's not true. I've put my foot down and set a limit many times." Edward scoffed.

"Oh. Well, she definitely enjoys the benefits of belonging in a family that wants for nothing." Bella remarked rudely.

Edward cocked an eyebrow staring harder at her.

"So you think it's wrong that she enjoys what we offer her? We can provide her with much happiness, security, and of course material things so that makes her what? A brat?"

"NO! I didn't mean it like that Edward. I just think that you guys give her too much. She will have a hard time accepting rejection from others if you don't teach her how to handle it from those who are supposed to guide her and love her." Bella replied.

"Sorry Bella but Nessie's existence was such a miraculous thing that we were beside ourselves with happiness. She is our angel. We love her and will protect her with our very lives. I guess as her mother I can see why you fear that she has been given perhaps too much without having to earn it."

Bella felt her body relaxing.

"Exactly." Bella swallowed hard.

"So what did you have to say to Jake about all of this?" Edward asks curiously.

"Just that I think he is a good influence on her." Bella said simply, stepping around him so she could enter the room.

"I see. So you feel that I'm not a good influence on our daughter?" Edward asks.

"I never said that Edward."

"I can hear it in your tone. Shouldn't Jake be the one you feel is the biggest influence on our daughter's behavior? After all, they share more time together. She listens whole heartedly to him. He has been her moon and sun since she was born." Edward wasn't sure why but he felt like he had to point out that Jake held a big part of the responsibility of raising Nessie along with them.

"I know that." Bella rubbed her head trying to find a way to end this conversation. She didn't feel good. She was tired, hungry and frustrated. If they continued to talk at this point it would just end badly for the both of them.

"Then explain how he IS the good influence?" Edward demanded.

Bella wanted to scream at him. This whole conversation made no damn sense to her. It had been one she had simply created to cover up the fact that Jake's scent was all over her body. She wasn't ready to tell Edward that when she was alone with Jake all she could think about was his hands touching her, the feel of his lips against her skin and the way she wanted to lose herself in his arms. No, she wasn't ready to tell him or anyone else for that matter about the strangely drawn connection she felt with Jake. It was entirely new to her and entirely bizarre, yet it also made perfect sense. Being with Jake was always such a natural thing. He knew how to bring out the best in her.

"I don't know Edward!" Bella exclaims throwing her hands up in the air, slapping them down against her thighs.

"Can I just take a bath and grab a bite to eat before we speak another word to one another?" Bella pleaded.

"Fine." Edward pursed his lips together and glared at her.

"Fine." Bella reach into the closet, grabbing a housecoat then went inside the bathroom.

Locking the door behind her she leaned against it for a few minutes wondering how in the world she was going to be able to hide these intense feelings for Jake from Nessie or Edward? It wasn't possible. Eventually everyone would see it. She felt her legs buckle underneath her as it occurred to her that these foreign feelings that she was experiencing and arguing with were the very ones she had originally fought against when Edward had left her. They were the same feelings she had felt on the mountain when Jake kissed her and she foresaw a vision of her and Jake together in a possible future.

She knew what this was now. It wasn't just lust that she was experiencing, it was much deeper and complex. It was love. She was in love with Jake again. Hell, who was she kidding, she had never fallen out of love with Jake. No, instead she had chosen to love someone else instead, someone she agreed to marry. Edward. She was bound to Edward until death do them part.

Tears trickled down her face as she considered the fact that Edward would outlive her because she had no plans of becoming one of them. She knew this would upset some of them and perhaps give one of them a bit of satisfaction.

Whatever happened from this point on the only thing she knew she wanted the most in this world was Jake.