Back to the Beginning

Disclaimer; all characters and copyright belong to SM.

A/N-thank you for the kind reviews!

Part Eleven

Leah was livid. She paced back and forth like an angry cat, scowling. Bella reached the end of her garbled explanation, hoping desperately that it made some sort of sense. Trying to describe imprinting was difficult. Bella only knew what her Jacob had told her about it; he had never really gone into specifics. She guessed that Leah had only listened because she couldn't deny the fact that Bella was the one who knew what Sam was, if not for her prompting him, Sam would never have revealed his wolf side to Leah at all.

"If even what you say is true, Emily would never betray me like that." Leah said defensively as she continued to glare at Bella. "She is not just my cousin, but my best friend too. We're like sisters."

"Emily never wanted to hurt you." Bella felt drained. Too much emotional overload was killing her energy reserves. She sat down on the sofa and clasped her shaking hands in her lap. "Neither of them did. From what I understand once a shape shifter imprints on you, it's hard to resist them." She didn't even realise she was talking as if it had already happened.

"You're contradicting yourself." Leah snapped. She had stopped pacing. Her hands were down at her sides, fists clenched. She was having a hard time stopping herself slapping Bella, she was so angry. "According to you the imprintee, or whatever the fuck they're called, has a choice. They can choose for the guy to be their friend, brother or tell them to piss off. Now you're saying that it's impossible. You're talking bullshit."

"I'm only telling you what I know." Bella continued tiredly. She brushed her hair out of her eyes. She was holding herself together by a thread. Any second she could unravel. She was regretting starting this conversation with Leah. She wished she'd held her tongue. It was clear no good was coming from it. Some things you just couldn't change. It was hard enough trying to explain how she knew this. Jacob had understood, Leah not so much.

"I'm going to have this out with Sam." Leah declared suddenly.

"You can't." Bella sighed. "Sam doesn't know. None of them do. Not yet."

"What?" Leah stared at Bella, uncomprehending. "That's crap. How could something this huge that affects their lives be kept secret? You're lying." Her eyes narrowed. "You're sick and twisted. Well I'm not playing your game. I won't be manipulated."

"Yes, I'm lying." The thread snapped. Bella couldn't cope anymore. She slumped in her seat. She couldn't even cry. She had no tears left. "I've made this all up. Carry on living your life and when the shit storm descends I promise I won't say I told you so."

Her defeated tone more than anything pierced Leah's anger. She paused, scrutinising Bella carefully. The other girl didn't look well. It was clear she wasn't sleeping. The dark circles under her eyes were like purple and blue bruises. Her complexion, normally pale, had turned white. She appeared exhausted and way too thin. "What is wrong with you?" Leah asked.

"I'm a freak, remember." Bella mumbled. She was having trouble keeping her eyes open, but was scared to close them. She knew Victoria would be waiting to bait her when she did. It was getting so bad she was afraid to sleep.

"You believe all this stuff you're saying." Leah sounded uncertain now. Her defensiveness was gone. Bella forced her bleary eyes to focus. Leah was sitting back in Charlie's recliner, her beautiful face thoughtful. It was clear that the consequences of ignoring Bella's warning were finally sinking in now that her anger had dissipated.

"I don't believe it. I've lived it." Bella repeated the same words she had told Jacob. There was no hiding it now. She tried to explain it to Leah in the same terms, how she thought she had shifted back in time somehow. "I can't explain it better than that. I don't understand it myself."

"If Sam wasn't a werewolf, then I'd be out that door believing that you're fucking insane. But he is, which means you're not." Leah swallowed thickly. She pulled her legs up to her chest and hugged them to her body. She was quiet for a long time. Bella was glad of the respite from questions. She curled up on the sofa, doing her best not to doze. Eventually Leah spoke again. Her normally confident demeanour was missing, she sounded younger than her years. "This means my dad knows, doesn't it." It wasn't a question, but she still looked to Bella for verbal confirmation.

"Yes." Bella whispered. She wasn't prepared for the hurt crossing Leah's face. Leah gasped, turning away to hide her expression. It was killing her knowing that her beloved father knew all about this imprinting thing as well as the wolf pack. He had prior knowledge how this could affect his only daughter, but chose to remain silent. "I'm sorry, Leah." Bella said sadly.

"You said you've lived it." Leah took a deep shuddering breath. "You've seen my future."

"A possible future." Bella pointed out wearily. "Things are already different in this time line."

"Because you're trying to change them." Leah continued.

"Yes, trying." Bella sat forward, her hair swung around her face and she batted at it irritably. "But I'm making a mess of it. I made some really poor decisions. I hurt a lot of people, especially Jacob. I just wanted to make things better."

"Did you hurt me?" Leah asked quietly.

"No, for once I wasn't to blame. At least I don't think so. A lot of what happened started way before. I only witnessed the aftermath." Bella hung her head again. Past memories were fighting for room in her head and she tried to push them aside. Reliving old guilt would not help her here.

"So I lost Sam to Emily." Leah said slowly. "She betrayed me and he…he didn't fight for me?" She questioned bitterly. "He just gave in to it. Did I mean nothing to him at all? Maybe there is something going on already." Her anger was rising again. "Maybe they're playing me for a fool."

"It's not like that." Bella noticed Leah's fists clench in her lap and she became alarmed. "Please calm down."

"I won't." Leah snapped. "I want answers."

"This reality is different, remember. None of this has happened. Emily and Sam aren't…"

"You said it yourself." Leah retorted miserably. "You only witnessed the aftermath."

"No…no…no…." Bella struggled to rise. She was so physically exhausted it was like she was moving through quicksand. "You have to calm down and think this through rationally."

"THERE IS NOTHING RATIONAL ABOUT IT." Leah was getting hot. Beads of perspiration broke out on her skin.

"Please…." Bella begged. She didn't know what to do. How was she supposed to calm Leah down? She approached the other girl, arms wide in supplication. It was clear she had made a huge error in judgement by speaking so rashly to Leah. It had been an emotional event which had triggered the she-wolf's phase, and this situation was no different. "Please calm down." Bella continued to plead. She finally noticed that Leah's black eye had faded during their tense conversation. It was starting; the ability to heal quickly was a sure sign. Who was going to rescue her if Leah transformed in the house. Emily's ruined face appeared in her mind's eye. Was this how it was going to play out here? Was she going to be the one to take Emily's place?

Bella knew her words were having no effect. She gazed at Leah hopelessly. The other girl was practically vibrating with anger. "Forgive me." She whispered as she closed her eyes and began to pray.


Bella's back was frozen; her clothes were sticking to her skin, wet from the snow lying on the ground. But even they weren't as cold as the grip from the icy fingers encasing her throat. The air was being squeezed from her lungs. Bella's eyes flared open. She choked. Victoria was hovering above her, a wicked smile playing about her full lips. Before, Bella couldn't hear a thing. It was always just Victoria in her line of sight; nothing else came through, as if the sounds around them were muted. But they weren't now. In the distance she could hear the sound of fighting. Edward's voice called her name desperately. It echoed off the mountainous cliffs. There was a loud howl, followed by a pain filled whine, Seth.

Victoria's head darted forward. She placed her cold lips next to Bella's ear and emitted a sibilant hiss. "The clock is ticking…."

Bella's eyes rolled in the back of her head. She was suffocating. Victoria squeezed harder. The pain was so acute. She began to drift into blessed unconsciousness. It was only in her last moments of sentience that she felt something hard encased in the palm of her hand. All this time she hadn't realised she had been holding onto something. She rubbed her thumb over the small object. Its smooth lines were familiar. It was the wolf charm Jacob had given her.

Before she could even comprehend what this meant darkness consumed her….


"Bells, Bella….wake up." It was Jacob. He sounded desperate, panicked. Bella woke up violently. She was gasping, choking. The remembered feel of Victoria's fingers squeezing her throat was still raw. She lashed out, trying to escape. "Hey, it's me. It's just Jacob." Jacob was forced to push her back down. He hovered above her, dark eyes full of fear.

"Jacob?" Bella rasped. She finally became still. She stared up into his handsome face. She watched the dawning relief shine in his eyes. He eased his grip on her and sat back on his haunches, pulling her upright with him. "What happened?" Bella asked, dazed. She could hear sobbing in the background. She twisted her head around. In the other corner of the room she saw Sam embracing Leah. The other girl was curled up against her lover, head buried in his chest. She was mumbling something but Bella couldn't hear. Sam was doing his best to soothe his girlfriend. He shot a desperate glance at Jacob. "What happened?" Bella asked again, stronger this time.

Jacob exchanged a long look with Sam before he replied. "We came here to find you fitting on the floor. Leah was going hysterical." His swallowed a few times as if trying to erase the chaotic scene he had just witnessed. "You scared the crap out of me, Bells. I didn't know what to do." He closed his eyes for a second. "If we'd just been a moment too late…." He couldn't continue. It was too much.

Bella tried to get her frazzled mind to work. This back and forth, the shifting realities were killing her. She put her hand on Jacob's chest, trying to find his heart. She needed to feel him, to feel something solid, dependable. She felt his strongly beating heart jumping under his hot skin. It was racing. Bella counted the beats, trying to regain a sense of self. Eventually her breathing slowed, as did Jacob's heart. All the while he continued to look at her anxiously. Bella gazed back at him, feeling overwhelmed and hopeless. "Leah…." She said eventually.

They both looked toward Leah. Sam had lifted her up into his arms now. She was still curled up against him, her face hidden. Sam was whispering to her, trying to get her to talk, but Leah had clammed up, seemingly beyond speech. Jacob placed a hand on Bella's face and returned her attention back to him. "Bells, has this happened to you before?" Jacob asked. He touched her cheek in the gentlest caress.

"No. I…" Bella paused. She was clutching something in her hand. Bella tore her gaze from Jacob and dropped it to her palm as she uncurled her fist. "Oh, my god." She breathed in awe.

Jacob looked to see what had captured her attention. His eyes widened in surprise. "Where did you get that?" He fumbled in the pocket of his shorts and came up empty.

"You gave it to me." Bella couldn't stop staring at the tiny wolf charm. The russet wood gleamed in the weak light shining through the windows.

"I didn't. I haven't finished carving it yet." Jacob took it from her and held it up so he could examine it. It was complete, finished. "How did you get it? I don't understand." He asked, puzzled.

"I think I brought it back from the future." Bella whispered in wonderment. "This has to mean something, a connection." With eyes shining, Bella grabbed Jacob's hand. "All this time I thought it was Victoria, but maybe it was you, or…or something to do with the spirits giving me another chance."

"I don't get it." Jacob was totally confused. "You're not making any sense. And who's Victoria?"

Bella ignored his question. She was feeling a renewed sense of mission. The wolf charm was like a talisman, giving her what she needed, hope. She struggled to rise, but felt dizzy. Jacob caught her before she fell. "Jake, we need to go and speak to your dad. Sam and Leah need to hear this too. The time for secrets has passed. It's time that I told the whole truth and it's time for Billy to do the same."

A/N-thanks for reading! Is Bella wrong in her assumptions? Let me know what you think, thanks.