Chapter 12
Max
"Edward? Can you take Nessie for a second?" Rosalie handed the little girl over to Edward, freeing up her hands.
"Not too tight," I warned her. Rose rolled her eyes at me. "Seriously Rose, you could pull the hair right out of my head." She just laughed and parted my hair.
"Oh, don't worry Max, I've done human hair before. I did Bellas' for her wedding and she still had a full head of hair when she walked down the aisle." Edward chuckled behind us, Nessie's tinkling and completely unique laugh adding to her fathers'. Rosalie beamed at the child before turning back to the job at hand.
It didn't take long at all. Rosalie's deft hands parted and pulled my hair in many directions, plaiting a French-braid down the back of my head. They were the best way to keep my hair out of the way while I was flying, but I couldn't do them very well. I never learned how to do them at the many girly sleepovers I've gone to. Yeah, ok.
"All done," Rosalie said a few minutes later. She put her hands in her lap, smiling at the chance to show her amazing-ness once more.
"Thanks Rose," I said, standing. My knees hated me right now. I had only been kneeling on them for ten minutes, but they groaned when I stood up straight. I felt the taught braid that trailed down the back of my head and grinned, anticipating the upcoming flight.
"Go," she sighed with a smile. I grinned and ran out the doors after quickly pecking Nessie on one of her rosy cheeks.
The air felt so good as it whipped around me. I wasn't flying anywhere in particular; I was just flying to fly. I hadn't done that in a while and Alice thought it would do me some good to get out of the house and just have some fun.
I circled above Forks for a while, just watching the people that drove by, going on with their lives. I wish I could go on with my life.
You can Maximum.
Hello Voice... So nice to hear from you. Are you happy now? I went to Denali... How can I possibly go on with my life?
Simple. Move on. You don't have to forget. Just don't hold on to the past. It prevents you from moving into the future.
Very fortune cookie like Voice. Have you been getting Chinese takeout without me?
Be serious Max. You want to move on? I nodded automatically. Duh, the Voice can't see that... Then let go of them. Lay them to rest and let the dead rest in peace.
"But I can't let go," I wailed. Damn, I hate when I lose my cool.
Yes, you can.
"How?"
Accept the past. Live in the present. Greet the future.
"Seriously, you got that off a fortune cookie, didn't you?" I wasn't deigned an answer. I sighed, left alone with my thoughts again.
Accept the past? How in the hell was I ever going to accept the past? How could I accept that my baby was dead, that I would never again tell Nudge to shut up, that Gazzy would never make it impossible to breathe through your nose again, or that Iggy wouldn't make snide remarks about Fang and me...? Fang. How was I ever going to let go of my best friend?
"You have to let go Max." I fell a few feet, caught off guard by the voice that was suddenly in my head. But it wasn't the Voice, it was something else...
"Fang?" I whispered. This could not be happening. I have gone insane...
"Yes love, I'm here. Max, you need to let go of us. We can't come back, and you can't live the rest of your life thinking that we can."
"But how can I? You guys are my family. How can I move on from that?"
"Max, we'll always be your family, but now you need to accept the fact that we're gone."
"Have you been talking to the Voice in my head?" I asked with a laugh. It was the only way I could stop myself from thinking that this wasn't real. Fang chuckled, a sound that broke my heart.
"Max, you'll never change," he said. I could still hear the love in his voice.
"Nope. It's me till the end," I said without thinking. I stopped flying, hovering above the Newtons' sporting goods store.
"Max, you have to let us go. You'll never be able to live your life if you don't."
"Who says I want to live my life," I muttered. It was as if I could feel Fang frowning.
"You will stay alive," he said harshly. I snorted.
"And what are you going to do if I choose not to?" I held my breath. Even when I'm going mental, Fang and I are still fighting...
"Max, I can't do anything and you know it. But would you really want to hurt us like that?" My stomach started flipping out again, making me drop another few feet. That was a low blow. "You promised Angel. I know that you promised her you would stay alive for us."
"But I didn't promise," I said, dragging this out.
"Max," Fang said, sounding annoyed. Even when he was annoyed, it was still better than the nothingness I had felt the past couple months since they died.
"Fang."
"Don't do anything stupid." I snorted.
"Yeah, you should know me enough that I simply cannot promise that." I caught an image of Fang smiling warmly at me and my stomach started doing something to the rest of my body. I felt all tingly and cold, like my entire body had fallen asleep.
My wings were the only thing that kept my in the air. I glided on a breeze, away from Forks. The breeze suddenly died down, and then I was falling.
"For us Max. Let go for us."
Those were the last words I heard before my body crashed through the tops of the trees. It hurt like hell going through every branch, but there was nothing I could do. My wings refused to move, and even if they had, they would have been ripped from my back by the strong branches that whipped past me.
I fell faster when I slammed into a tree trunk and it pushed my right wing in, folding it back beneath my shoulder blade. I was spinning out of control because with only one wing out, I wasn't even stabilized.
I landed hard. It didn't feel like the forest floor, but I'd definitely hit something. My head slammed backwards, banging into something hard. I felt dizzy and the edges of my vision were starting to go black.
"Max?" I shifted my eyes. Sam Uley was holding me in his arms, his face not surprised, more recognition than anything else. My eyes fluttered closed and I felt like a rag doll.
Jacob
"When is she gonna wake up?" I asked, nervous. Max had been out for a few hours now and it was starting to worry me. When Sam had shown up with her unconscious body in his arms, I had flipped out.
"Jake, chill dude," Embry said. "She'll wake up at some point, don't worry about it." Embry and the guys hadn't believed that I'd really Imprinted on this girl. They didn't believe it until she was brought into my house by Sam. Embry told me that the way I looked at her reminded them of the way Sam looked at Emily.
"So... you've Imprinted..." Paul said slowly. I nodded, not sure what he was Ig at. "Does that mean you can finally stop obsessing over Bella now?"
I thought about it. I hadn't felt the need to go see Bella today. The guys hated that I had ties to vampires. I don't think I have those ties anymore...
"I think so," I replied, but I was unsure if it was really true.
"Wanna test it out?" Quil said giddily. I smiled and nodded, eager to find out the truth.
"Alright, let's go," Sam said. "We're going with you Jacob. I don't care if we have an agreement with them. You are not going to the Cullens' alone." I nodded, knowing that there was no way to argue. Sam hadn't tried using the Alpha voice on me since I got back those months ago. He was afraid that I would try to split up the pack again. There was no way that was going to happen though.
We took the Rabbit and Sam's Laurel over to the Cullens' place. Sam thought it would be best if we tried to be as human as possible lately. Don't ask why, Ie I have no idea what gave him the idea that we could be normal.
"Jacob?" Edward came out of the large white house, his face a mask of confusion and anger. He still didn't like me for having a thing with Bells. Even though it had been his idea to rent out my stud services...
"That was a temporary offer," Edward growled, his face more angry than anything now. I shrugged.
"Whatever. I need to see Bella." Edward didn't look too surprised. I was careful to keep my mind off Max though. "And stay out of my head bloodsucker."
"Whatever you say dog." The 'dog' statement must have tipped off vampire Barbie, Ie she joined us on the front steps.
"What do you want mutt? Need a new leash?" she hissed. I shrugged.
"Nah, I just want to see Bella," I answered, not really fazed by her insults today. I was wound a little too tight to care what blondie had to say.
She glared at me for a second more before disappearing back into the house. Moments later, Bella appeared.
It was still really weird and uncomfortable to see her like this. She looked too different, and she smelled terrible.
"Hey Jake," she said, her voice all wrong. She was all smiles nowadays.
"Hey Bella." I searched her face, trying to pick out something that might tell me if she still meant the world to me.
"Uhh are you ok?" Bella was looking at me, her expression confused as I openly stared at her.
Nothing. I felt nothing. A sigh of relief escaped my lips. This was good. Now I didn't have to fight with Edward every time I saw him.
"Yeah. I'm great! Bye." I turned and walked away, leaving two very confused vampires behind me. "Stay out of my head Cullen!" I called over my shoulder. I heard his ghostly laugh as I got back into the Rabbit and started the engine.
"So?" Jared looked at me, expectant. I grinned and shook my head. He leaned back and let out a huge sigh of relief. "Thank God. Finally you can stop talking about her!" I laughed.
"Yeah, I guess I can." I sounded... relieved. It was weird. I still loved Bella, I guess, but not like that anymore. It felt good not to be tied down by my feelings for her. Feelings that were impossible to show or act on now. She was a married vampire. Completely off-limits.
"Good. Let's get out of here. I'm starving."
"Course you are. When are you not hungry?" Jared shrugged, laughing.
We met back with Sam, Paul, Embry, and Quil at my house. I told them what was up and Sam smiled, just as relieved as I felt.
"So now can we kill the bloodsuckers?" Paul asked. I smacked the back of his head.
"No idiot. We're on good terms with them," I said, laughing. I didn't like the idea of killing Carlisle. He was ok, for a vampire…
"Whatever," Paul grumbled. He got up and helped himself to the food in my fridge. I frowned. Ever since he and my sister had been Imprinted, I could not get rid of him… and he ate all my food…
"Ugh," a voice moaned from the next room. I got up quickly, tipping over my chair as I rushed into my bedroom. "What the hell?"
Max
I woke up, my body aching. I moaned, my head swimming as I tried to sit up.
"What the hell?" Where am I? There was a noise in another room. It sounded like a chair being knocked over or something.
The door opened and who rushed in, but Jacob Black. He looked relieved to see me awake. I shifted my body, trying to get comfortable.
"Hey," he said softly, coming to sit on the edge of the bed. "You're awake." I rolled my eyes.
"Really. I hadn't noticed," I said snippily. He didn't make a rude remark like I thought he would. Instead, Jacob just smiled at me. Ok…
"How do you feel?" I rolled my shoulders, trying to feel for any damage on my back or on my wings.
"Shoot," I muttered when my right wing sent sharp pain up the right side of my body. I moved my arms, but they were both fine. I twisted my torso, checking for any pain in my stomach. There was none. The only other pain I could find was in my right leg. It hurt like a mo-fo when I curled my toes and tried to bend it at the knee.
"What hurts?" Jacob sounded concerned. I looked at him. I still did not like him…
"My wing and my leg," I mumbled. His brow furrowed and he pulled the covers back to look at my leg.
I winced at the sight of it. It was at an odd angle, my leg below the knee was curved outwards more than possible without a break. Damnit. My thigh was set right, but my calf looked as if I was twisting my entire leg to the right. The problem was, I wasn't…
"That looks bad," Jacob commented. I looked at him again. What is he doing here?
"Thanks Doctor. Anything else to say?" I asked with a signature eye-roll. He ignored my comment and gently put one hand on my leg. It killed when he moved his fingers gingerly down over my knee. I clenched my fists and sucked in a breath. Jacob looked up at me when he heard the noise. He looked, oh I don't know, worried?
"We should get you to a doctor," he muttered to himself. I shook my head, swiping away his hand.
"No doctors," I said firmly.
I swung my legs over the side of the bed, ignoring Jacobs' protests. I stood up and the pain from my leg shot up through my entire body. When my right foot touched the floor, it collapsed beneath me and I pitched forward. I put my hands out to catch myself. Jacob stepped over so that I fell right into him, my hands pressed against his bare chest, his hands on my waist.
I pushed myself away from him, keeping my right foot in the air. Jacob let his hands linger on my hips before ducking down and reaching under me. Ignoring my angry cries of 'don't touch me', he picked me up and swung me around. He placed me gently back on the bed, stepping quickly out of my reach as I took a swipe at his lowered face.
"You need to get that leg set." I glared at him. It didn't even faze him that I was giving him an absolute death stare.
"Fine. Whatever. But no doctors!"
"Well none of us can do it," he said, a small smile playing on his lips. I frowned.
"Then get Carlisle down here," I snapped. Jacob frowned.
"He isn't allowed," he muttered. "But I can probably arrange that…"
"Good! Make it happen so I can get the hell out of here!" Jacob looked at me, surprised.
"You really want to leave that badly?"
"Yes. I really do."
"Why?" My stomach churned as I thought about my answer. I hate you because of what you are.
"Because of you," I said, softer this time. His brows shot up and he looked hurt.
"What did I do?" I shook my head slightly.
"Not just you. All of you." His frown deepened, the lines across his forehead becoming more prominent.
"What did the pack ever do to you?" I flinched when he said 'pack'. That implied wolves… God I'm pathetic…
"You exist," I whispered. Jacob cringed away from me as if I had slapped him. He closed his eyes for a second, pinching the bridge of his nose. I watched his face go from upset to seriously pained. I closed my own eyes, unable to watch the pain I inflicted on people any longer.
"I'm sorry that's what you think," he said softly. I didn't respond. I didn't even open my eyes to look at him. I stayed silent when the bed shifted and Jacob walked out, closing the door behind him.
"I am too," I whispered to the air. God I'm such a bitch.
