A/N: Buckle up, folks
If there were one word to describe the Cullen residence at this time, that word would be tense.
The wolves were tense because they had to shift into human form in order to all fit inside the house and only a few of them felt any level of comfort or ease at being human around a large group of vampires.
The Cullens were tense because the only creatures in existence that could kill them—aside from other vampires—were sitting in their living room.
Jasper and Jacob were tense because every time they looked at the large oval ring on Bella's finger, they wanted to rip it off and crush it, as if that would nullify her engagement to Edward altogether.
Bella was tense because being near Alice and Jasper for the first time in weeks did things to her stomach that not even Edward's proposal had done.
And everyone was tense because an army of newborn vampires was heading their way and as of right now, only one of them had any idea how to go about killing them.
Carlisle was the first one to speak. And he got right to the point.
"We all have the same goal in mind. Keep Bella and the rest of the humans safe. Nothing should come between us and that objective. If we are going to be effective in this, we need to put aside any rivalries, at least for now. Jasper—" Carlisle indicated to the blond vampire who was currently sulking in the corner like a child, "—has intimate knowledge and experience when it comes to fighting and killing newborns." Bella looked towards Jasper with hope and fascination in her eyes and he straightened up a bit, preening under her attention, however brief. Edward snorted.
The wolves and Cullens arranged to meet for Jasper to train them all how to fight and kill newborns. Jasper emphasized his wish to save as many of them from destruction as possible, as they had no choice in what they had become. The wolves didn't seem very receptive to his request, but he had already assumed that would be the case. At this point, he would be happy if he could save just one of the newborns.
The training sessions were difficult. The wolves didn't appreciate Jasper's hands-on approach at teaching but he insisted that the only way they could learn was through practical demonstration. However, once Leah tried to go for Alice's throat while they were sparring, Carlisle and Sam agreed that a break was necessary.
Jasper looked over to where Edward was translating between Sam's wolf form and Carlisle. He wouldn't be able to speak to Bella without Edward noticing but he didn't want to be interrupted. She looked a little wary as he approached her but he could sense her faint arousal as well.
"Bella," he smiled gently and resisted the urge to reach out and cup her face.
"J-Jasper," Bella responded shakily. "I really appreciate this," she gestured to where the wolves were huddled together, assumedly going over the techniques Jasper had taught them earlier.
"Anything to protect you," he replied seriously and Bella looked uncomfortable at that. Jasper got straight to the point. "Why are you marrying him, Bella?" She glared.
"That's none of your business," she hissed. Jasper smiled wryly.
"The fact that your answer is 'that's none of your business' instead of 'because I love him' tells me all I need to know, love." Jasper turned on his heel to walk over to Alice, slightly proud at his ability to stay calm around Bella.
Jasper didn't quail under the glower that Edward had shot his way. Instead he glared back. Jasper knew quite well how Edward felt—or rather, didn't feel—towards Bella. This whole engagement was such a sham it was laughable.
"Hey Jasper," he turned to see Jacob jogging towards them in human form. Alice and Jasper had formed a sort of bond with Jacob since they had returned from Seattle. Unrequited love was a bitch, but a little easier to bare if you had someone to share your frustrations with.
"Jacob," Jasper nodded towards him. He felt bad for the boy. While Alice and Jasper's affections for Bella were by no means unsubstantial, what Jacob was going through seemed so much worse. All the pain that Bella's rejection had caused for Alice and Jasper was mostly emotional. But for Jacob, the sting of Edward's dismissal of his love manifested itself physically. Jasper could feel it sometimes during their meetings with the wolves. Jacob would sometimes attempt to approach Edward, who would answer him curtly before brushing him off and returning to Bella's side.
"We can't let Edward fight," Jacob said. "I know I can get Bella on board with the idea."
"Bella wants Edward to change her before the fight," Alice said. Jacob turned to her with wide eyes.
"Is she nuts?" Jacob had learned that Bella would eventually have to be turned soon. He had learned all about the Volturi from Edward. But to turn her now? Amongst everything else that was going on? The idea was ludicrous.
"She thinks that the strength she would get from being a newborn would be useful," Jasper said, eyes not deviating from the girl in question. He growled lowly as Bella placed a hand on Edward's chest.
"Would it be useful?" Jacob asked, now curious. If Bella was used as an asset instead of needing to be protected as a fragile human, it could give them a much greater advantage.
"Edward doesn't want to turn her," Jasper sighed. "I don't know what he's waiting for. The Volturi will respond to this newborn situation at some point. They've drawn too much attention to themselves in the news." Jacob looked at him thoughtfully.
"You want her to turn," he mused out loud. Jasper glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention back to Bella. He only nodded in response.
"She would certainly be safer," Alice said. "But Edward would never allow it. And since Bella is Edward's—" Jasper snarled loudly at that, drawing the attention of wolves and vampires alike in the clearing, "—he has the final say on whether or not she turns. And even if we did ignore that, he would read our minds before we could even put the plan into action. Then our chances of getting near her to do it would be nonexistent." Jacob nodded.
"So she stays human then," he concluded. Alice sighed.
"I wish I could See how this is going to go down. Everything was so clear before Victoria decided to start making newborns. But now that she's coming, so many decisions are up in the air. It could go so many ways. And the wolves' involvement makes everything even more difficult to See." Jacob had learned about the nuances of Alice's gift. He had been amused that the wolves' participation in the fight made it pretty much impossible for her to See. But he also acknowledged that they were at a severe disadvantage without her ability. At this point, she could only See when Victoria and the newborns would arrive in Forks. They had a week to finish preparing, and everyone was on edge.
The three of them snapped to attention at the sight of Bella approaching. Jacob noticed the way that Jasper stood taller and fidgeted with the sleeves of his shirt. If he didn't know that Jasper was a vampire, he would have thought that he was just another teenage boy, nervous and sweaty in the face of his crush. It was kinda cute.
"Jasper, Alice," Bella greeted stiffly, keeping her distance. She then turned towards him. "Jake, can I talk to you?" Jacob nodded and moved to join her. Jasper growled. Jacob laughed.
"Easy there, killer. She's hardly my type." Jacob winked and Jasper looked a little ashamed at his own behavior. Jacob felt for him. He could understand the jealousy and possessiveness all too well.
Once he and Bella were a decent distance away from everyone else—though it was impossible to be completely out of earshot unless they moved several miles away—Bella turned to face him, a serious look on her face.
"I don't want Edward to fight," she said simply, crossing her arms. Jacob was glad they were on the same page about that but…
"What do you expect me to do about it? I agree he shouldn't fight but I hardly have any say over his actions. If anything, I thought you might be able to convince him." Jacob was a little worried. If Bella had already tried to talk Edward out of fighting and failed, then there was little else they could do.
"I…have a theory," Bella started, looking suddenly uncomfortable. Jacob gestured for her to continue. "I think…he might be planning to fight because of you."
Jacob's jaw dropped.
"Me?" he scoffed.
"I think he wants to be there. In case something goes wrong. In case you get hurt." Jacob just stared for a minute before bursting out into bitter laughter.
"Oh Bells," Jacob chortled, wiping a tear from his eye, "thanks for the laugh. I needed that."
"It's not a joke! Edward wants to be there to protect you." Jacob had no idea why she insisted on making this argument.
"Bells, Edward has made it very clear that he doesn't give two shits about me."
"You know that's not true," Bella bristled. "I know you know that's not true. He's been visiting you hasn't he? If he didn't care he would have just stayed away and let you die." Jacob looked at her, curiosity burning more now than ever.
"What did you say to him, Bella? What did you say to make him change? Before you asked me to stay away, he and I were getting along. Things were good. But now…" Jacob trailed off.
"Jake, that's not—"
"Tell me!" he interrupted. "My Imprint acts like he hates me and I know it's because of something you said to him. Just tell me, Bells. I'm miserable. You owe me this much."
Bella bit her lip, thinking. After a few minutes, she let out a sigh.
"You can't tell Alice and Jasper," she said. Jacob nodded. Bella sighed again and dropped her voice to barely a whisper. "I…threatened to tell people at school. About him and his family." Jacob was speechless. Bella continued. "The Volturi…they kill humans who know about vampires in order to protect their secret. It's the reason why I need to be turned soon. I knew it was the only thing I could say that would make him listen to me."
"Bella…how could you?" Jacob was stunned. He knew that whatever Bella had said to Edward was something powerful, but this…
"I knew he wouldn't let it happen. It was all I had." Tears were starting to form in her eyes. Jacob looked at her coldly.
"You don't deserve him, Bella." Before he could do something stupid, like hit her, Jacob stormed off.
It was the day before the newborns were going to start making their way into Forks.
Bella was still human.
Jacob was still not talking to her.
Jasper was still jealous of every interaction between Bella and Edward.
And Alice was still frustrated with her faulty Sight.
The only thing that had changed was Edward's decision to fight. To Bella and Jacob's relief, he had agreed to bow out once Jacob had casually mentioned that he would be refraining from the fight in favor of protecting Bella and keeping her far away from the newborns and Victoria. He really didn't want to, because he was still furious with her. But it worked. Edward wasn't fighting and that was all Jacob cared about.
With Billy and Charlie safely away on a fishing trip, the only thing left to do was hide Bella in the mountains. Much to his chagrin, Jacob was charged with bringing her to the spot they would be making camp. Bella had already laid a false trail with Edward and they needed to mask her scent with Jacob's. He had been planning on ignoring her during the journey, but of course—Bella being Bella—she was not about to let that fly.
"I'm not going anywhere until you talk to me," she said, hands on her hips. Jacob sighed. He could just pick her up and carry her without her consent but then she might tell Edward. It could also affect how well her scent was masked and they really didn't need to screw that up at this point.
"Fine. What do you want?" Bella flinched at his tone.
"Jake…" she started.
"Did you know that Alice and Jasper love you?" he asked. She looked taken aback.
"Wha—"
"They love you Bella and yet you're wasting your time with someone who's only with you because you threatened him."
"Edward loves me!" she argued, getting angry. Jacob snorted. Anyone with eyes could see that wasn't the case.
"Why don't you want to be with Alice and Jasper?"
"They…it…that's not a relationship! They already have each other. I don't know why they decided to fool around with me but something like that can't last forever!" Bella's eyes started to tear up.
"And you think a relationship based off of guilt and threats will last forever?" Jacob shouted back at her.
Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Jacob sighed and walked over to Bella, scooping her up in his arms. She didn't put up a fight this time.
"I love him," Bella said quietly.
"Believe me, I know the feeling," he said bitterly. Bella was quiet for a moment.
"We tried getting…intimate with each other."
"What the hell makes you think I want to hear about this?" Jacob was not about to listen to what Edward and Bella got up to behind closed doors.
"It didn't work." Jacob gave her a confused look.
"What didn't work?"
"Getting intimate."
"Will you just say sex, Bella?" he was getting exasperated.
"He won't have sex with me." Jacob almost stopped in his tracks but managed to keep going. Bella continued. "He's worried he's going to hurt me."
"Well, he makes a fair point. You humans are pretty fragile."
"Jasper and Alice weren't worried about hurting me," she continued. "They were pretty enthusiastic."
"Yeah well, you don't want to be with them. What's the big deal?"
"I think Edward's lying. About why he doesn't want to have sex. Jasper is the newest member of their family and has the lowest level of control when it comes to bloodlust. But I never felt like I was in danger of getting hurt with them. He fed often and they were both so gentle with me…" Bella trailed off, obviously lost in thought about her confusing relationship with Alice and Jasper.
Jacob wasn't sure how to respond. He knew that Edward was burying his feelings for Jacob under a mountain and a half of denial. But he had never considered how that might affect Edward's physical relationship with Bella. They had been dating for a couple of years. Even when Edward had left Bella, they had still belonged to each other. Surely his desire to be with Bella involved some level of physical attraction. Maybe it was because Edward put on such a convincing show of apathy and stoicism when he was around him, but Jacob had never thought that the Imprint was having that much of an effect on Edward and Bella's relationship since Edward started visiting again.
"Jake?" Bella's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.
"I'm not the person you should be having this conversation with, Bella. Talk to Edward if it's bothering you this much."
They were coming up on the campsite now. Edward had already set up a tent and he quickly ushered Bella inside. Jacob didn't follow them in. Instead, he shucked out of his pants and shifted.
'We've arrived at the campsite.'
'Good. Alice says there's supposed to be a snowstorm tonight so sit tight and stay safe.' Sam's voice said through the link.
'Sure sure.'
'We'll be setting out at dawn to wait out their arrival. They should be showing up close to noon. Stay in touch.'
Jacob settled down into the snow, unbothered by the freezing cold of the late afternoon. His ears perked up at the rustling of the tent. It was Edward.
"It's starting to get cold," he commented.
'I hadn't noticed.' Jacob was feeling rather sulky and even being around his Imprint wasn't helping his mood right now.
"You should come inside the tent."
'Maybe later.' Edward sighed quietly before climbing gracefully back into the tent.
Sam hadn't been kidding about the snowstorm. It had started just before sunset and already the snow was coming in sideways.
"Jake. I need your help," Edward called from the tent. Jacob's heart clenched at the nickname. He was never going to get over that. Jacob shifted and slid his pants back on before unzipping the tent and crawling inside. He was met with an odd and slightly worrisome sight.
Edward was crowded into a corner and Bella was on the opposite side of the tent. At first, Jacob thought maybe they had an argument but then he noticed Bella's shivering body, chattering teeth, and blue lips.
Without a word, Jacob went over to her before pulling her close and letting his body heat thaw her out.
"Th-thanks," she managed to say between the clacking of her teeth.
"No problem, Bells," he sighed. "Try to get some rest." Bella nodded, snuggling closer into him. It took another few minutes for her to stop shivering but once the tremors stopped, she managed to fall asleep.
Jacob still wasn't ready to face Edward, so he quickly hunkered down as well.
"I'm going to try to get some sleep too. Just because the fight isn't coming to us, doesn't mean I shouldn't be prepared." Edward only nodded in response, grimacing somewhat at Jacob's arm wrapped securely around Bella. Jacob rolled his eyes before closing them, willing himself to drift off to sleep.
He awoke only hours later to the sound of the wind howling nosily, the tent flapping loudly under the onslaught. Bella was still fast asleep.
Edward was watching the two of them from the other side of the tent as Jacob shifted Bella so she was once again secure in the sleeping bag. It was quiet for several minutes and then Edward broke the silence.
"It's a good thing you're here," he said. "It would have been quite ironic if she ended up freezing to death before Victoria even got to Forks."
"One of the few perks of being a wolf," Jacob replied, not looking at his Imprint. "Body heat, super senses, and virtual immortality. Everything else is just a hassle." Jacob knew he didn't have to explain which part in particular was the hassle. Edward was intelligent. He could figure it out.
They listened to Bella's deep and even breathing for a while, before Jacob spoke up again.
"She told me that you—"
"I know," Edward interrupted, looking unhappy and uncomfortable. "I rather wish she hadn't as it's quite personal information but I suppose I can see where she's coming from."
"Well…what's stopping you?" Jacob asked, genuinely curious. Edward gave him a very pointed look. Oh. "You can't run from it forever," Jacob said quietly. Edward didn't respond. Bella whimpered in her sleep.
"N-no…no…" she mumbled. Jacob shifted her closer and she calmed, breathing evening out again.
"If we weren't naturally enemies..." Edward began. Jacob tilted his head a bit in question. "I might actually like you."
"Then you need to know," Jacob had to say it now. After having told pretty much everyone but Edward, he needed Edward to hear it out loud, "That I'm in love with you."
Edward looked down, a serious look on his face. Jacob kept going. He wanted to get it all out of his system. Everything he had learned over the last few days, and everything he'd been feeling since Bella's brilliant separation request.
"You're with her because of some threat that you know she's not going to follow through on. You're keeping up this charade of a relationship and for what? I can't understand why it's even gone on for this long. You have to know that it won't end well for either of you."
Edward looked down at Bella, who was sleeping peacefully once again. His face was a mixture of apprehension and thoughtfulness. Jacob continued.
"Look, I know she's in love with you."
Edward looked up, brow furrowing. "I don't want that. I never wanted that. Ever since I met her I've been protecting her from danger. So much of which has been because of me. Because of her association with me. I almost killed her that first day in school. And then James came after her. And then Jasper lost control and tried to bite her. And then the Volturi found out that she knows about us. And now Victoria's coming back. I've only made her life so much more dangerous than it ever had to be." Jacob could see the remorse on Edward's face. "I just…I feel like I owe her this much. She wants this relationship, as counterfeit as it may be."
"What about Alice and Jasper?" Jacob asked. They were his friends now and he felt he should speak on their behalf.
"What about them?"
"They do actually love her. And they want to be with her."
"I know. I know they do. And I don't doubt that they would take great care of her. But she doesn't want to be with them." Jacob gave him a look. Surely Edward couldn't be this dense.
"Of course she does. She just doesn't understand how a relationship like that works. She thinks that after they've had their fun, she'll be left on her own again. Her feelings towards Alice and Jasper are confusing for her, but she does want to be with them."
Edward looked at the girl in question, and Jacob could see how desperate Edward was to read her thoughts.
"It's not that complicated," Jacob said. "You are both in a relationship you don't actually want to be in, because you're scared of the relationships you do want to be in."
Edward chuckled. "Since when did you become so perceptive?" Jacob ignored the jibe, still serious. He took a deep breath.
"You have to consider that I might be better for you."
Edward smiled softly. "I have considered that." Jacob's heart swelled.
"Nice," he said, nodding in approval. Edward laughed again. Jacob decided it was now or never. "Choose me." There was a beat of silence and then…
"That's an intriguing idea," Edward said, small smile still in place.
And damn did Jacob want to lunge across the tent to kiss that beautiful smile. He almost did, too. But before he could make a move, a howl sounded from far off.
Jacob was viciously ripped from the warm and cozy feeling that had bloomed in his chest as he remembered with sharp clarity why they were in a tent in the middle of a snowstorm. Jacob slowly extracted himself from Bella.
"I better go see what that is all about," he said before ducking outside.
The moment he had shifted, thoughts started to bombard his mind. He was glad he didn't have to handle the onslaught alone, as Edward would be able to hear everything too.
'They're coming earlier than we thought.' Sam sounded panicked. Jacob looked towards the sky, where the sun had just started to break over the horizon.
'Victoria's not with them.' Jacob's heart stopped before picking back up and beating double time.
'Any idea where she might be?' He asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer. If Victoria hadn't fallen for the false trail then that could only mean…
"She's on her way here," Edward's voice stated calmly. Jacob jumped, having not heard the vampire exit the tent.
'Jake, I'm sending Leah and Seth your way. You guys are sitting ducks out there.'
'Thanks for that vote of confidence, Sam.' Edward chuckled next to him.
"Don't worry, I'll be able to smell her from a good few miles off," he said, reaching out to stroke Jacob's fur. Jacob practically purred under the attention before hastily moving away.
"Jake?" Edward quirked an eyebrow at him. Jacob shook his head, unwilling to have this kind of conversation while in wolf form. Doing away with any sense of modesty—Edward had already seen him naked before anyway—Jacob shifted back into human form, yanking his pants out of the fresh powdery snow and tugging them on.
"You can't keep jerking me around like this," he said angrily. Edward had the good grace to look properly ashamed.
"I know, it's just…it's hard…you—"
"You feel something else for me. You just won't admit it."
Edward smiled sadly. "I know."
Jacob was a little surprised at that. But it was progress and he was willing to take it. He moved towards Edward and then several things happened all at once. Edward's eyes darted towards the forest, a low growl building in his throat. He crouched down and Jacob knew right away that Victoria was close. A confused expression flitted across Edward's face before his eyes widened.
"No!" he whipped around towards the tent but it was too late.
The tent was torn to shreds. An unfamiliar leech had a terrified Bella held securely in his grasp. Jacob got ready to shift but the leech held up a finger.
"Now now, none of that," he grinned. "If you even make a move towards phasing you can say goodbye to your little friend here." He yanked on Bella's hair harshly and she let out a small whimper. Jacob immediately backed down.
How could they have been so stupidly unprepared?
"Well isn't this just a lovely sight?" a feminine voice trilled from behind them. Keeping the male leech in his periphery, Jacob slowly turned around to see another vampire with fiery red hair and a feral grin on her face.
Victoria had arrived.