Sorry all Jacob lovers – my fanfic shows him in a bad light… yeah he's going to be a bastard…

I stood in front of a small garage with a sign board proving my reason for visit – Jacob's Car Shop. I was a little confused. Weren't they supposed to shift to California? Shrugging, I entered through the metallic doors cautiously. The man sitting behind the table had long hair, olive complexion and extremely strong built to rival Emmett's. 'Jacob Black?' I asked uncertainly.

He looked up. For a moment he seemed to be confused at my appearance. Then he blanched. He probably recognized me. I gave him a small smile.

'Hello, I'm Edward Cullen. You might have heard of me. I too have heard a lot about you… from the same source of course,' I said holding out a hand. He took it. I handed him the gift I had brought for his family. He accepted it graciously, still looking bewildered. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach at the prospect of seeing Bella again.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, I landed into explanation. 'Bella said you guys would go back to Jacksonville after the wedding but I guess that has not been possible. Actually, her family is really worried and upset…' I stopped at seeing the blank expression on his face. I raised my eyebrows enquiringly.

'Who Bella?' he asked uncertainly. I froze. 'How many Bellas do you know, dude?' I asked scathingly. His face resigned. 'I don't know any Bella.'

The world came crashing around me. I sat perplexed. But I had left Bella here knowing that she… and then it struck me. Like a bolt of lightening. This man had dumped her.

*

Bella rushed to meet Jacob. He would be surprised. Surprised but happy, she was sure. They would get married, go to Jacksonville and tell everyone and then settle in San Francisco.

He was standing on the beach, without a shirt. Her breathing hitched. She reached him and wrapped her arms around his waist startling him. He turned around. The initial shock at seeing her wore off but Bella couldn't see the happiness in his eyes that she was looking forward to. He seemed distant. Still shocked, she decided. So she loaded him with the good news of how she had run away from home to be with him. How did she reach here, he asked her. And she launched into an explanation of meeting with Edward… Masen, the pianist.

He looked away. How dare she be with another man… spend a night at a hotel with him… run away with him? He knew what he had to do. He couldn't trust her anymore. He hadn't trusted her to begin with and now he had been proved right.

We can't be together anymore, he said simply. He was burning with rage and right now, he did not want to see her – at all. She backed away, stumped. No, Jacob you can't do this. I love you. She pleaded and cried but he did not listen. He didn't want to listen. He thought he had loved her too; she had been his obsession, his desire, his lust even when they had been friends. But now it was too much. He couldn't go against his family for her and now she had gone and proved to be totally incapable of his affection. He wanted nothing to do with her. He left her crying on the beach that held so many memories of them.

He opened the door. She was standing there, her eyes red and puffy. She had probably cried herself hoarse during the night. He couldn't care less. He rampaged her pleas and in no uncertain terms shunted her off from the reservation. What he didn't notice was that along with her heart, he had completely broken her too.

I was numb. Here was the man whom Bella had loved with all her being and who had claimed to love her back equally. My hands shook. I fought to keep my voice calm.

'Where is Bella?' I asked quietly, afraid that if I let my emotions control me I would commit murder right there. 'Seattle,' he huffed.

'What's your relationship with her? She never mentioned she knew the Edward Cullen. So what is this famous industrialist doing across the country looking for her?' he asked abruptly. I gave him a dirty look. 'My relationship with Bella is beyond the scope of someone as cheap and disgusting like you.'

He flared up. Banging a hand on the table he shouted. 'How dare you call me cheap? It's she who wanted to marry me. I never said anything. She's crazy. You say you know her. Then you must also know how utterly mad she is. I can't spend my entire life with a person who refuses to live outside her dreams. I told her to go back to Jacksonville. Not my fault if she didn't listen to me. Fine, then how do I care? So before I do anything to your rich arse, you better clear off.'

I stood up. I would have liked nothing better than to punch him between the eyes, there and then. But I had more pressing matters in mind. This man was going to pay. I'd make sure of that.

*

I had just entered Seattle, when I got a call from Jessica. Bella was interning with Seattle Times. I reached the towering building of the biggest newspaper in the state. It was one in the afternoon. It had to be lunch time. I walked through the glass doors and asked the receptionist the directions to the cafeteria. She seemed to have recognized me and for the first time I was glad. At least I didn't have to go through the innumerous questions about my reason for visit.

I stood at the door to the light and airy room with the familiar clatter of people taking a break. My eyes swept the room and landed on a brown head ducked low over an unhealthy seeming sandwich. Her eyes did not waver and she ate her meal with indifference. Other people avoided her as much as she seemed to be avoiding them. She didn't see me not because I was not in her field of vision but because she didn't want to see anything. I could hear the breaking of my heart at the sight.

I slunk into the shadows as she ghosted past and entered a cubicle just off the passageway. The door remained unclosed and I again went and stood by the frame. For sometime I continued to watch in grimacing silence before I could take no more and walked out of the building not bothering to notice the noted whispers.

The image kept replaying in my mind. My Bella… brown hair tied in a plaid pony tail, brown eyes with no light and purple bruises underneath for the lack of sleep, broken, helpless. I couldn't help it when another image came up in my mind… my own face staring back at me from within the bathroom mirror the day I had decided to end my life…

I felt sickened to the core. She was like me now…what I had been. And I knew from experience that it wasn't a great place to be. It was terrible. I waited in my car, taut. At five, she walked out the doors. Her head was bent against the fast flowing winds. She hugged her torso tightly, willing to keep herself from the chill.

I followed her. She crossed the road and walked about ten blocks till she came to a relatively run down apartment building. Sensing her direction, I drove ahead and came to a stop outside the building. I got out and sat on the steps.

A few minutes later, she reached the building. It was not until she reached the stairs that she noticed someone was sitting on them. She looked up startled. It took a moment for her to register who it was.

As soon as she recognized me, her face broke into a smile – a smile that reached no where near her eyes. I smiled in return too. Mine was a relieved one. Just seeing her in person was enough.

'Hi,' I offered when she failed to say anything. She blinked. 'Hi,' she replied in a forceful cheery voice. I winced. 'How are you?' I said, standing up. 'Great… really great… so… you here?' she continued hesitantly. Playing along, I said, 'Yeah, I heard you were here so… how's everyone?'

'Everyone's great,' she lied through her teeth. Stop beating around the bush. 'You've hurt me, Bella. Couldn't you tell me – call me?' I asked. Her smile faded. I took a deep breath and continued. 'Pack your bags. You're coming with me.'

She shook her head and looked at a point over my shoulder. 'You should leave, Edward. I can't come with you,' she said simply. I clenched my fist in anger. 'I'm angry enough, Bella. Don't make it worse. Now go up and pack your bags. We're leaving.'

Again she shook her head. 'I've made this mess and I have to live with it,' she said softly, still not meeting my gaze. My heart bled and my mind blazed. 'Listen, Bella, I really don't have the inclination to listen to this weird philosophy of your's. Come on, now,' I said with, getting more agitated by the second.

'You can't force me, Edward,' she said. Too right I could. 'Of course I can,' I said, voicing my anger now. She shook her head and began to walk past me. I caught hold of her wrist and pulled her back in place.

'What the hell are you doing?' she cried, squirming in my iron-grip. 'You've got no right.'

She continued to glare at me and trying to fight against my grasp. I held on and glared back. Finally she stopped and slumped helplessly. I let go.

'I can't do this, Edward. I can't have you do anything else for me. You've already done so much…' she said in a broken voice. I held back my own tears. I was aghast. How could she think I had done something for her when I owed my life to her?

'I have done a lot for you? Me?' I muttered furiously. 'If I'm standing here, it's because of you. I'm alive today because of you, you fool. This is like a second life for me and I owe it to you… do you know how successful I am today. I've launched a new company all by myself. Our company's at a better position than before the crash. And it's all because of you! Every time I'm in a fix, I sit back and think… what would have Bella done in my position? And I do just that…

'So, tell me again… how exactly do you owe me?' I took a deep breath. 'Now if you're done with your melodrama, go pack your bags. We're running late. We need to find a hotel.'

Her eyes were filled with moisture as she stared back at me with guilt and amazement. What was I going to do with this girl? Slowly, she nodded and turned towards the building. I followed her to her apartment.

It was extremely small. An open kitchen beside the living room. A single bedroom. No dining table. No television. No books. No form of life.

She opened her closet. If Alice would have had the misfortune to see its interior, she would surely have had a heart attack.

We were done in fifteen minutes. Bella left the keys and the month's rent with her neighbour and we walked to the car.

We booked into the Hilton. I let her precede me to the room. If she wanted to cry, then I'd give her some privacy.

*

I entered the suite quietly. There was no one in the sitting room. I stood against the door of the bedroom. She was sitting cross-legged on the bed, having her soup. I cleared my throat to let her know I was there. She turned around and gave me a small smile.

'You stay in here, I'll book another room for myself,' I said. She seemed unfazed. 'Where's the need? This is such a huge place as it is,' she said. Still so innocent. I grinned. I was happy about this in spite of myself.

'Ok. Anyway, I can do karate,' I smirked. She laughed softly. 'Don't worry, I won't rape you,' she said. 'You can't,' I challenged, enjoying this relatively relaxed Bella. Maybe if I reminded her of the happier days, she would let her present sadness fade. 'I don't want to,' she reminded me. We both laughed.

'What a night,' she giggled. 'Hmm,' I agreed. 'You remember the hotel? Hotel Decent,' she said, her eyes lighting for the first time. Yes my plan was working. 'Decent, my foot,' she rolled her eyes. I wanted to tease her now that she was getting normal. I went and sat beside her.

'Did you now that those people thought you were a… whore… that night -'

'What shit? Seriously? A whore,' she cut me short incredulously.

I nodded, smirking. 'Remember how I asked you let me talk? But you are… well, you -'

'God, I was so stupid,' again she cut me short. 'I was such a big fool. Such a big fool. That's why all this is happening with me. That's why I'm in such a mess… everyday I keep thinking about the same thing… what should I say? What should I do to make him come back? I don't want to live like this anymore.'

And she broke down in front of my eyes. I flew into a murderous rage. The Bella I knew was not like this. How could she let some crazy son of a bitch do this to her? I got up.

'Bella, it's high time you got over Jacob. He is not worth your tears. That chapter is closed. You need to move on,' I yelled across the room. She turned her head as if to stop the idea of giving up her first love from touching her. I threw up my hands in despair. All for that moron?

'Listen, Bella,' I said more calmly, coming to kneel in front of her. 'Jacob has moved on. He's not even thinking of you. He's happy in his life,' I tried reasoning. She looked up hope gleaming in her eyes. 'Did you meet him? Did he say something? Anything?' she said, her voice laced with anticipation.

I sighed. 'Yes I met him,' I said getting up. 'The sooner you'll accept the truth, the better it will be for you. He's chucked you out of his life,' I said harshly. Anything to get her to forget him. 'You need to get over him. Just chuck him out of your life.'

Then I remembered. 'Photograph,' I said, excited. 'Burn up his photo and flush him out of your life… come on,' I urged. 'I don't have his photo,' she muttered guiltily. I rolled my eyes.

There had to be another way… Got it!

'We're going to call him up and you're going to abuse him… Even better… you're going to use the worst swear words you've ever heard,' I grinned devilishly.

I skid across to the table, where I had kept my phone. Without further ado I found his number and pressed the green button. Getting over her momentary shock, she slid off the bed and ran towards me looking scared. She shook her head violently and tried to pull the phone out of my hand. But I held her at bay.

Finally, he answered. 'Hello, Jacob? Yeah, one sec,' I said handing her the phone. She backed away refusing to take it. I grabbed her hand and forced the phone into it. I could hear Jacob talking confusedly.

After a lot of coaxing, she put it to her hear. 'Hello, Jacob?' she said into the phone. I could hear his voice from the other end. 'Bella, is that you?'

'Yeah,' she said. I was telling her to go for it. I boxed the air in front of me to inspire her. 'Is that Edward Cullen in the background?'

'Yeah,' she said her voice slightly stronger. 'Jacob I wanted to say that… I wanted to say…' I continued to action for her to proceed. Stop beating about the bush, I mouthed to her. She took a deep breath. 'You bastard… you son of a bitch… what do you think of yourself, huh? Did you, for a second, think that I would die if you left me? You thought that I would get depressed for scum like you? It's you who'll die the painful death, you asshole. And you'll burn all the way to hell – you fricking motherfucker - '

Click. The line went dead. Jacob had cut the phone.

Her panting eased. A contented smile began caressing her lips. She looked really pleased with herself. I mentally gave myself a pat on the back. 'Feeling better?' I asked grinning idiotically myself. She nodded, 'Yeah.'

I punched the air in mock celebration. 'Thanks,' she breathed, handing me my phone. 'Anytime,' I winked at her, taking the phone. She stood there for a minute as though debating with herself about what to do next.

I was thoroughly taken aback when I suddenly found a pair of arms around my neck and Bella's warm petite body hugging mine. I stopped my fall backwards by clutching on the table and without thinking returned the embrace.

An electric bolt passed through us and the air around became charged. Her hair smelling of strawberries were intoxicating to say the least. I encircled her waist and buried my face in the crook of her neck, breathing into the smell of freesias. I felt lightheaded. My heart was thumping like mad.

Her hands played with my hair, while mine unconsciously traveled over her sides and back. She pulled her neck a little to the side and again, as though disregarding the command of my rational mind, my lips began sliding along a column on her neck till I reached the hollow of her ear. She was tantalizing me to the core.

Unable to help myself, I cupped her cheeks and broke off to look at her face. Her eyes were closed and a look shadowed her features at the break of contact. My heartbeat accelerated. Could it possible that she liked me enough to feel disappointed? My mind was fuzzy and before I knew it was leaning towards her.

My lips brushed against hers. A felt a pang deep in my abdomen as though all breath had been knocked out of me. Her lips were as soft as I had ever imagined. But the reaction also lit the reasonable part of my brain and I knew at once that this was wrong. I couldn't take advantage of her when she was most vulnerable.

I pulled away, leaving her face free of both my hands and lips. She opened her eyes slowly and unlocked her arms from around my neck. I immediately felt cold at the end of contact. She looked down in embarrassment. I could see guilt written all over her face. But she hadn't done anything! I was the one to blame.

'Umm… yeah so it happens,' I said, my voice hoarse. I was trying to convince myself rather than her. 'It's ok. It happens sometimes. It won't happen again,' I reassured her. 'I'm hungry. What did you order?' I attempted at changing the conversation.

Hmmmm interesting… I love romantic scenes like these… please R&R.