Disclaimer: All characters and things associated with The Twilight Saga belong to Stephanie Meyers. This writing is for pure entertainment only.
Summary: Set during New Moon. After Edward leaves, Bella is miserable and Jacob is there for her until things go too far between them, leaving Bella in an unexpected condition. When Edward returns how will Bella explain her situation to him? B/E B/J pairings
Chapter 13
Edward helped Bella into the house, seeing as she was overwhelmed with the events of the night, she did not mind the extra hand he offered her. She balanced her pregnant weight on his arm and before she knew it they were in the Cullen's kitchen. Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper were all relieved to see Alice walk in followed by Edward supporting a pregnant Bella.
"So we are safe." Carlisle smiled in relief at the sight of Bella.
"Well…we are all here." Edward spoke up.
"How was your end of it?" Alice asked, gracefully making her way into Jasper's arms.
"We managed." Jasper kissed the top of Alice's head.
"Managed? It was sick!" Emmett answered, wired from the fight and chase with the wolves. He was excited to tell Edward. "Some of the wolves were on us, they are pretty fast…but I took two of them out in a swing!"
Edward laughed at Emmett's enthusiasm. "One swing?"
"Please!" Rosalie rolled her eyes. "More like one swing, and then me jumping on the other one to fend him off of you." She poked Emmett's chest.
Emmett shrugged. "Well…I still got one."
"Wait…the pack was chasing you?" Bella asked.
Carlisle nodded. "It was part of the plan."
"We needed a way to get Edward to you." Esme added.
"We figured distracting the wolves would give me enough time to get to you." Edward told her, allowing her to lean into him. He could tell Bella was exhausted.
"And it worked, brilliantly I would assume." Rosalie glowed.
Edward rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh, but he could not hide his smile. It felt right to him, despite it all, to be holding Bella in his arms and be joking with his family. "Yes, Rosalie…you're plan was good."
Rosalie smiled, seeming pleased.
"How did it go…getting to Bella?" Carlisle asked.
Edward shook his head, glancing at Alice before looking back at Carlisle. His hand never moved from supporting Bella's back as he spoke; he loved holding her, even if she was pregnant with another man's child. "One of the wolves stayed back…Paul I think."
"It was Paul." Bella looked at Edward encouragingly, wanting him to finish the story so she did not have to. She was still slightly in shock that it had even occurred.
"Well…he was actually…from what I could see…going after Bella…?" Edward glanced down at Bella to confirm the information.
Bella nodded, glancing at Carlisle and then down at her pregnant stomach. "He said that…my baby was a threat to them…that I…I caused all of their problems with you guys." She fumbled over her words, realizing for the first time since it had occurred, just how hurtful Paul's words had been.
"Well, that's not true at all, Bella." Esme spoke up instantly, realizing Bella's feelings had been hurt.
"She is right." Carlisle nodded. "Wolves are just like that. They take care of their own first."
"That is one of their own, though." Rosalie pointed to Bella's stomach.
Bella shook her head, wrapping a hand around her belly. "No. Because Jacob didn't imprint, Paul said this baby…it's just a problem for them." A single tear escaped her eye. She was angry someone could say such mean things about the unborn child she loved so much.
"Well…they are stupid then." Edward pulled her a little closer. "Because that baby will be amazing." He kissed the top of her head, meaning every word he said. Even if she could never love him again, Edward would always love her, and he knew that any child that was part of Bella had to be equally as amazing as she was.
"Plus…why would you want your kid around crazy-ass wolves?" Emmett smiled.
Bella couldn't help but smile back at Emmett, his smile was infectious. "Thanks."
"Sure thing." Emmett nodded to her.
"Well…not to break this awesome moment, but…what are we going to do? I mean the wolves are going to come for Bella, especially now." Alice spoke up.
Carlisle nodded, knowing Alice's words were true. 'We will protect her and her child." He looked at Bella. "You are truly safe here, Bella. There is nothing to worry about."
Bella nodded, finding great comfort in Carlisle's words, and realizing, as she took them all in around her, just how much she had missed the Cullen's, and particularly, just how much she had actually missed Edward. It felt good, being close to him.
"Edward, why don't you get Bella upstairs to rest? I am sure she is tired." Carlisle spoke up.
"I am…actually." Bella looked up at Edward, her eyes asking if he would mind bringing her to bed.
"Sure." Edward nodded, gracefully picking Bella up so she would not have to waddle her way up the stairs that he climbed with her. He smiled down at her, pregnant or not, she was beautiful to him.
Jacob, Sam, and Jared made their way out of the woods and onto the reservation. They had chased the Cullen's away from the boundary, but the vampires had been too fast for the three wolves, and they had soon lost sight of the Cullen's.
"At least we got them away from here." Jared commented, trying to talk to ease his own nerves. He was anxious to know if Paul had handled Bella.
"For now." Jacob sighed, unaware of what had gone on with Bella and Paul. "They will be back. Edward won't leave her alone." He glanced up in the direction of his house and suddenly panicked filled his muscular form as he realized the door to the house was torn off the hinges.
"Jacob? What's wrong?" Sam read Jacob's expression and wondered if Jacob had figured out their plan of handling Bella and their unborn child. He hoped now, knowing Jacob was much stronger then he realized.
"The door!" Jacob began running as fast as he could toward his house, his thoughts racing a million miles a second as he prayed Bella was okay inside. He knew now how stupid it had been for him to leave her alone, even if it was only for twenty minutes.
Jacob reached the door frame and bolted through, panicking as he saw Paul sitting on the couch, a small cut o his head. "Paul? What happened? Where is Bella?"
"She is gone." Paul looked up at Jacob to see Sam and Jared filing in behind the alarmed werewolf.
"Gone?" Jacob ran a hand through his hair before moving to his bedroom and swinging open the door to find the bed he had left Bella in now empty. "What do you mean she is gone?" He turned back to Paul.
"I mean she left." Paul stood. He had been working on a good lie to tell Jacob since Bella had run off, and he was now confident Jacob would believe his story. "With him."
The color drained from Jacob's face immediately. He knew exactly who Paul was talking about, yet he did not want to believe it. "With…with who?"
Paul rolled his eyes. "With Edward Cullen. Who else?"
"How…why would she…" Jacob stumbled over his words, unable to wrap his mind around the idea of Bella leaving with Edward. She had told Jacob so many times she did not want to hurt anymore, that she did not want to be with Edward anymore, that she only loved him, so then why would she leave him for the vampire?
"Because…she never cared about you. She was just using you." Paul told Jacob.
"This was her plan all along." Sam played along, realizing Paul was making the story up as he went. "They must have planned to lead us away from the reservation and away from her, so that Edward could sneak here and get her without us knowing."
Jacob's eyebrow furrowed at the idea of Sam's words. They made sense, especially now with Bella missing; still there had to be other explanations. "Maybe he forced her to leave."
"That's what I thought." Paul lied. "That's why I rushed up here when I smelled him, but…she was going with him. I tried to spot her, she told me to…get out of her way, and then Edward…well…" Paul finished his lie by pointing to the scratch over his eyelid.
Jacob let Paul's word sink in for a moment as his eyes fell to the floor. Bella, his Bella, had walked out on him while she was carrying his child to be with a vampire, and not just any vampire, but one that had driven her into one of the deepest depressions Jacob had ever seen. Jacob felt numb, unable to believe he had just lost everything that he had considered important.
Edward carried Bella up the stairs and into his room, gently placing her pregnant form back on its feet as he turned the lights on to unveil his bedroom, although, instead of the couch that had originally been in it, a bed sat against the far wall of windows.
"When did you get a bed?" Bella asked, noticing it immediately. "You don't even sleep."
"I got it when we moved back here." Edward shrugged, digging his hands into his pockets. "I…I spent a lot of time in here…" Edward recalled the days he had spent hauled up in his room, sulking over Bella after he realized she no longer wanted him. "I wanted to be comfortable and a bed just seemed right."
"Why?" Bella found herself asking.
"Because…" Edward shrugged again, deciding to be honest with Bella. "It reminded me of you…when I would be in your room with you. I was most comfortable then." He nodded to himself as if he were agreeing with his own statement.
"Oh." Bella nodded, biting her bottom lip and cradling her pregnant stomach. To her surprise the child inside was unusual calm.
"Anyway." Edward motioned to the bed. "You should get some sleep."
"Yeah." Bella nodded in agreement.
"I…I will have Alice head over to your house tomorrow to get you some clothes." Edward realized now that Bella was in a green tank top and sweatpants. He knew she couldn't walk around like that for the next few days or weeks, however long it took to keep her safe.
"Thanks." Bella waddled over to the bed, struggling to climb in with her extra belly weight.
Before she had time to let out a grunt of frustration, Edward was at her side lifting her onto the bed and pulling the covers up around her. "There you go." He nodded at her.
"Thanks…again." Bella smiled at him.
"I missed that." Edward smiled back.
"What?" Bella was confused.
"Your smile." Edward spoke truthfully. "I missed seeing it."
"Oh." Bella nodded, understanding. Her smile immediately became tighter-lipped, which in turn caused Edward's to fade.
As Edward's smile faded his brow furrowed and his eyes dropped to the floor. He wanted to be honest with Bella, to tell her exactly how he was feeling, but he was struggling over if that was a good idea, especially now. "Bella…" He started.
"Yeah?" Bella asked sinking into the pillow behind her head.
"I…I want you to know…I miss you." Edward continued to look at the floor, unable to make eye contact with Bella. "But I understand that those words probably don't mean anything to you and that things are complicated right now…you just need to know, I never stopped loving you."
"I do know that." Bella told him. She wanted to tell him she felt the same, that she had never stopped loving him, but the words seemed to be caught in her throat.
"Well." Edward nodded. "I should let you sleep…I'll be downstairs with everyone…" He moved to the door.
"Edward?" Bella managed right before the vampire opened his bedroom door.
"Yes?" Edward answered, all too eagerly.
"Do…do you need to go downstairs?" Bella asked.
Edward shrugged, glancing back at her form in his bed, realizing her stomach was huge, his navy blue sheets falling gracefully over her hump. "Why?"
"Because…I've…I've always slept better with you around." Bella admitted as she now avoided eye contact with the vampire. She could not handle him rejecting her plea.
A smile instantly flew across Edward's face. He was at her side in a split second. "Sure."
Bella smiled back as she tried to move over for Edward to get into the bed.
"No. Stay." Edward smiled at her, gently climbing over her pregnant form, careful not to touch her stomach.
Bella giggled as Edward seemed to straddle her. Despite everything that had happened that night, she couldn't help the happy sensation that filled her every single time she looked into Edward's golden eyes. "Well, I bet this is a position you never expected to be in."
"What? Straddling you, or straddling you and a pregnant stomach?" Edward smile down at Bella and then flopped himself onto the other side of the bed.
"Both." Bella rolled over to face Edward.
Edward nodded, turning his head to look her in the eye. "Truthfully? I never thought either would happen."
Bella nodded. "I know. I didn't either."
"But…" Edward took Bella's hand in his. "Sometimes life doesn't work out exactly how we think it will."
"Don't I know it?" Bella looked down at her four-month pregnant stomach, knowing she looked much larger.
"But you love it." Edward told her.
"What?" Bella looked up.
"You love that baby. I can see it in your eyes." Edward told her. "And every time you look at it, or touch your stomach…I know you love it."
Bella nodded. "More than anything I've ever loved before."
Edward nodded, understanding. "Then…it's not a bad thing that it worked out this way for you."
"I'm sorry to have dragged you into all of this." Bella felt a tear escape her eye immediately. Edward's words had touched her.
"Shh…" Edward silenced her. "I would have done it for no other girl."
Bella nodded, fighting back a few more tears but unable to suppress her yawn.
"You should sleep." Edward told her.
"I don't want to." Bella gently closed her eyes.
"Why not?" Edward asked.
"Because…" Bella was trying to fight her sleep but failing miserably. "I'm scared…"
"I won't let anyone touch you, Bella." Edward told her, running a hand through her beautiful brown hair. "You're safe here."
"I'm not scared of that…" Bella mumbled, her voice full of sleep.
"Then what?" Edward asked.
"I'm scared…you won't be here when I wake up…" Bella's voice grew softer.
"I have nowhere else to be." Edward whispered to her as he leaned in and kissed her forehead. "So sleep."
Bella just smiled at the touch of Edward's lips on her forehead as sleep overcame her pregnant body.
As Bella slept, Edward stared, taking in each feature of her beautiful face and wondering how he had ever left her, how he had the strength to walk away from her. He knew now, he could never find the strength to do that again, he loved her too much.
It seemed like hours before Jacob moved from his spot in his living room. Sam, Jared, and Paul had stayed there with him, wondering if he would figure out they were lying or accept Paul's story as the truth.
Finally, Jacob moved; his fist clenching slightly as he looked up at Paul. The expression on his face now was one of anger. "You are sure she left willingly with Edward?"
Paul suppressed a grin, knowing Jacob believed him. "Yes."
"Then that's it." Jacob growled. "She left here, she stole my baby…" He turned to Sam. "I am not going to let my baby be raised by some vampire."
Sam nodded after a moment, realizing that was acceptable. Maybe the child had not been the problem after all, maybe it was just Bella. If Bella was out of the picture he saw no reason to kill the baby, especially if it could be raised with the pack. "Then don't let it."
"I will kill them all." Jacob nodded. "Every single one of those blood suckers. My child will not be exposed to that." He turned toward the door.
"Where are you going?" Jared asked.
"To the Cullen's." Jacob said, rage in his heart. He bounded out of his house before anyone could stop him, not that he would have listened. He was too angry, too hurt. Bella had broken him.
Sam watched Jacob run off and then turned back to Paul and Jared. "Assuming he is that angry when he gets to the Cullen's, I don't see this problem persisting much longer."
"Why did you say that about his kid? About not letting the vampires have it. Let them have it! Let them kill it!" Paul suggested.
Sam shook his head. "If Bella and the Cullen's are out of our way, that child is still part wolf. It is still part of this pack."
"So now…Bella is the problem?" Jared asked.
Sam nodded. "Unfortunately. Though I believe Jacob will see that now."
"Assuming Bella doesn't tell him the truth." Paul sighed. "You know…that I tried to kill her."
"She can tell Jacob that." Sam said. "As long as Jacob doesn't believe her, it won't matter."
"Then he better not believe her." Paul said, placing his icepack back on his eyebrow and praying that Jacob did not believe Bella. Paul was in no condition to fight with Jacob right now, especially not if Jacob was mad; if Jacob was angry, Paul was sure he would be killed in a fight against the other werewolf.
Bella slept soundly, rarely moving at all. Edward found this odd from his position on the opposite wall, carefully keeping an eye on her and remembering how much she used to toss and turn in her sleep. He assumed it had something to do with her rapidly growing baby bump, limiting her mobility.
Edward sighed, running a hand through his hair and leaning more on the wall then before. He could not believe he had left her behind, he could not believe he had thought he was protecting her. All he had done was brought her pain and misery, and had made her so numb that she chose to sleep with Jacob, which led to her now pregnant state.
Edward blamed himself for everything that had happened to Bella since he had left. He knew that it was unfair to himself, but he could not hold anyone else accountable, not even Bella. He knew he had driven her into a corner of terrible options.
Suddenly a loud crash came from downstairs, causing Edward to turn his head toward his door and Bella to jump out of her sleep, completely started.
"What??" Bella panicked, looking around, her heartbeat increasing greatly.
"Bella, you're okay." Edward was kneeling at her side in a split second.
"What was that?" Bella asked, her eyes still frantic, though her heart calming.
Edward listened downstairs, and immediately heard the angry thoughts of Jacob Black fill his head. He sighed. "It's Jacob."
"What?" Bella's heartbeat picked up again.
"Relax." Edward laid a hand over hers. "I won't let anything happen to you." He stood, offering Bella his hand. "Come on."
Bella nodded, and slowly got out of bed, struggling against her pregnant weight. She then let Edward guide her toward the slightly opened door of his bedroom. "Is he angry?" She whispered.
Edward listened to his thoughts and realized Jacob was beyond angry, he was livid. "Uh…yeah, a little."
Bella looked down at her pregnant stomach, feeling her child kicking. She realized her stress was probably causing the baby to kick and tried to calm down, only making it kick harder. "Ouch." She grabbed her stomach.
"Are you okay?" Edward was immediately concerned.
"The baby kicked." Bella explained. "It's just really strong sometimes."
Edward frowned. Bella shouldn't have a monster, like a werewolf, growing inside of her delicate body.
"Are we going to stay up here or?" Bella asked, after a moment of silence.
Edward snapped out of his train of thought and could now here Jacob shouting for Bella downstairs. He knew Carlisle, Emmett, and Jasper were there to hold the werewolf back, but Edward wanted to get Bella to safety. He could tell, by Jacob's thoughts, the wolf was no longer thinking rationally, and Bella was in real danger. "Uh…no. That probably wouldn't be a good idea."
"Edward!" Esme whispered.
Edward looked out his cracked door to see Esme, Alice, and Rosalie sticking their heads out of Rosalie and Emmett's room, across the landing. He realized, by reading their thoughts, if he could get Bella in there with them, they could get her safely out the back door and into the garage and away from Jacob. "We are going to get over to Esme, Rose, and Alice." He pointed ahead.
Bella nodded, seeing the three female vampires. "Okay."
Edward pulled Bella up into his arms, close to his chest. "Hold on." Edward then took off across the landing in a flash of vampire speed.
Before Bella could blink, Edward was placing her feet down on the floor infront of Alice, Rosalie, and Esme.
"Did he see you?" Rosalie asked.
"I don't think so." Edward shook his head.
"Wrong!" Jacob's voice bellowed from downstairs, causing Bella to flinch. "Werewolf sight and hearing! I know you're up there…Bella!"
Edward shook his head, realizing he had forgotten Jacob too had strong powers.
"What do we do?" Alice asked.
"I should go downstairs…talk to him." Bella suggested.
"No!" Edward said, quickly. "He is dangerous. Trust me, I read his mind."
"He won't hurt me." Bella told Edward, truly believing it. No matter how angry Jacob was he would never hurt his own child. "I need to explain everything to him, get him to understand."
Before Edward could object Bella was pushing her way passed him and onto the landing. She looked down the stairs to see Jacob standing by the door, his fist clenched, and Carlisle, Jasper, and Emmett standing in front of him, blocking the wolf from the steps.
"Bella! Stay there!" Carlisle put a hand up, as if to stop the pregnant girl from coming down the stairs.
"Listen to him." Edward was at Bella's side now, with Alice, Rosalie, and Esme behind him. "Talk from up here." He placed a cold hand on her arm.
Bella nodded, realizing Edward meant what he said, and was really afraid for her to go by Jacob. "Okay." She spoke to Edward and then turned to Jacob. "Jake…"
"No!" Jacob cut her off immediately. "You don't get to use that innocent little voice on me anymore! You used me!"
"What?" Bella was shocked. "Jake…I didn't use you…"
"Yes you did! You used me until that blood sucker came back!" Jacob pointed at Edward. "And then…the second you got to run off with him you did!"
"Jacob Black!" Bella stood her ground. "I didn't run off anywhere! Paul tried to kill me tonight! Me and your baby!"
"My baby! Exactly! That baby is mine!" Jacob growled, pointing to Bella's stomach. "And don't lie to me anymore, Bella! You can't do it! Paul would never hurt you!"
"Jacob!" Bella could not believe he would not believe her. "Why would I lie? Why would I make up a story like that?"
"To be with your precious Cullen!" Jacob growled. "It's always been about him!" He pointed to Edward. "You used me, Bella! You used me too ease whatever sick psycho pain you had from that vampire, and unfortunately you got something you didn't expect out of it!" He pointed to Bella's stomach. "You are nothing but a lying, using...slut!"
"I didn't use you, Jacob!" Bella was starting to cry now, unable to believe what Jacob was saying to her and about her.
"Enough, Jacob!" Edward growled, furious that Jacob had called Bella a slut. She was the farthest thing from that.
"Why?" Jacob growled. "You don't like to hear the truth? Don't like that your little Bella would be so eager to jump into someone else's bed? Don't like that I got there before you, Cullen!" Jacob sneered.
Bella sobbed at Jacob's words, feeling unable to defend herself.
Esme quickly wrapped an arm around Bella, looking down at Carlisle.
Carlisle nodded, reading Esme's facial expression and turning back to Jacob. "That's enough out of you, Jacob. You are not welcome here. Get out."
"Like hell." Jacob snorted.
"You heard him." Emmett cracked his knuckles in Jacob's face. "Get out."
"I'm not afraid of you." Jacob stepped at Emmett.
"You should be." Jasper grabbed Jacob by the throat, tossing him back slightly.
"You can't push me around." Jacob told them before looking back up at Bella and Edward. "And you can't keep me from my kid either! The second it's born, I will be coming for it! Like hell I am going to leave it with such a mess of a mother!"
Bella's eyes dropped to her stomach as her mind raced with images of Jacob ripping a baby from her arms.
Edward could tell by the increase in Bella's heart rate that she was even more upset now. "Don't threaten her!"
"It's not a threat." Jacob said calmly. "It's a fact. That baby is half werewolf, it belongs with my tribe. I will not leave it with such an unfit mother! I will be back for it!"
Bella sobbed harder.
"Get out, Jacob." Carlisle said sternly.
Jacob grinned, but then was suddenly thrown out the door by Emmett. A moment later, Emmett walked back into the house, shaking dirt from his shirt. "He's gone for now. Took off into the woods."
Once Bella realized Jacob had left, she immediately fell to the ground, tears in her eyes.
"Bella!" Edward knelt down next to her, pulling her up closer to his ice cold body and allowing her tears to fall onto his shirt. "Bella, don't cry. What Jacob said about you…it's not true."
Bella shook her head. "Yes it is…"
"No, it's not, sweetie." Esme ran a hand over Bella's head. "He was just angry."
"And stupid." Rosalie added, feeling the odd need to comfort Bella.
Edward nodded up at Rosalie, silently thanking her. He knew those were the kindest words she could offer.
"He can't have my baby." Bella pulled away from Edward's chest after a moment, wiping tears from her eyes. "He can't have it." She ran her hands over her pregnant stomach. "I don't care if he is the father…I won't let him have it."
"And neither we will." Carlisle was now standing on the landing with Jasper and Emmett behind him.
"Right." Edward nodded, helping Bella wipe her tears. "Jacob will not touch you and this baby. We will keep you safe."
Bella threw her arms around Edward in that instant, crying harder. "I am so sorry for hurting you."
"No." Edward shook his head, basking in the scent of her shampoo. He had missed being this close to her. "I'm sorry. For everything I did." He held Bella close for a long time, not wanting to let her go, not wanting to let the warmth of her body leave his. His mind raced with thoughts of her, and how he would keep her and her child safe, at all costs. Jacob would not get to them,