Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight. I am the aunt of a very hyper dachshund who I love very much. His name is Roscoe and he is who I based Angus on, only I added a year to his age for the story.
Jacob looked through the crowd, looking for a familiar face. He saw Mae and Quil Sr., Mae took his picture before he continued looking. Nadine was at the end of the same row.
He saw his sisters first. Rebecca had flown in to see him graduate. They both smiled at him before he found the person he was looking for. Bella sat in between their dads. He gripped his diploma tightly as she mouthed that she loved him. He winked before turning attention to the two people next to him. Quil sat on his right and Embry on his left. With a graduating class of only twenty five students the three friends were bound to be seated close together since their last names were at the beginning of the alphabet. Quil looked at him with a nod and he pounded fist with Embry while their principle gave the closing speech.
Everyone stood before throwing their caps in the air. He let out an excited yell before throwing his in the air. The three friends slung their arms around each other in a group hug quickly before veering off in three different directions.
"Go see him, I've got Billy," Charlie said letting Bella by.
"Thanks Dad."
Everyone gave her room as she waddled down the stairs.
"Come on," Quil said taking her hand.
"Thank you. I thought I was gonna fall."
"It does give you vertigo, doesn't it?"
"Yeah," she said with a shaky laugh.
"How did Billy get up there?"
"Embry and my dad carried the chair up there. There wasn't any room on the floor by the time we got here."
"There you go," he said once she was at the bottom.
He ran back up the stairs to help Charlie and Embry get Billy down. Jacob stood next to Bella a second later.
"So, congratulations."
"I'm just glad it's over."
"Me too; it was like I was in high school again."
"Thank you for helping me."
"You're welcome," she said before wrapping an arm around his waist.
He wrapped both of his around her before pulling her closer.
"See? I can fit my arms around you, so that means that you are not fat."
"That's because you have really long arms."
"You're not fat," he stated again, sternly.
"I look like I swallowed a hot air balloon whole Jake. I'm huge," she said rolling her eyes.
"You're beautiful," he said as he shook his head in disagreement.
Billy pushed his way towards them, watching them interact. He saw so much of himself in Jacob. He hadn't been much older than Jacob when the girls were born. Being a father at eighteen wasn't what he had envisioned for Jacob when he was younger. Jacob was taking it in stride while Billy lay awake at night worrying about him and Bella.
The only thing that made it bearable was that Charlie worried about them too. He was doing what he could to help them. He had paid someone to fix the roof from where the snow had weakened the beams in places and there were roof tiles that were starting to peel off. The garage that Billy had paid for was finally finished. Jacob now had a place to put his bike and a work shop.
"Are you sure you don't want to do anything tonight?" Billy asked Jacob to get his attention.
"I'm sure."
"You don't even want a cake?"
"No. I'll be over in the morning to get the rest of my stuff."
Bella saw the sadness in Billy's eyes when Jacob said that.
"I think that you should stay at your dad's tonight. You'd have to be up before the sun if you came back with me."
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, spend one more night with your dad. Plus, Rebecca is here. Who knows when you'll get to see her again?"
She looked back at Billy once Jacob agreed. He gave her a thankful smile before she winked at him. They walked out of the school and to her car. Billy and the girls gave them some privacy while everyone else left.
"You can't stay at your dads?"
"There's something wrong with Angus. He really shouldn't be left alone."
"What do you mean something's wrong with him?"
"I noticed it yesterday. He's not eating; all he does is lie next to me. He couldn't even walk up the stairs to go to bed last night. I'm taking him to the vet tomorrow if nothing changes. That way we'll both be out of the way."
"If he gets any worse call me, okay?"
Bella nodded as he wrapped his arms around her. She sighed as he held her as tightly as she would let him. He kissed her forehead as Rachel helped Billy into the truck.
"I have to go. I'll see you tomorrow."
"I love you."
"I love you too."
She watched him walk to the truck before getting into the car. She couldn't shake the feeling of foreboding as she drove home.
Angus lay at the bottom of the stairs. He didn't even lift his head; he looked at her sadly before sighing. She sat on the stairs before reaching down to stroke his fur. He licked her hand feebly in greeting.
"You don't feel good, do you little buddy?"
He laid his head on his paws and closed his eyes. She picked him up, holding him to her loosely. She felt his heartbeat underneath her hand. It was barely beating at all.
She carried him out to the car and drove ten minutes to the nearest vet. Angus was seen as soon as she brought him in. The doctor came back in ten minutes later.
"I have some good news and I have some bad news."
"Okay," she said bracing herself for the worst.
"He has a heart murmur. You brought him in just in time. It can be corrected with surgery."
"How much would that cost?"
"Two thousand dollars," The doctor answered honestly.
"I don't have that kind of money," she said sadly.
"Then it would be best to put him down. It will only get worse."
"How much would it cost to put him down?"
"A hundred dollars," he answered.
"Can you keep him here overnight? I need to talk to my fiancée."
"Of course," he said with a nod.
Bella drove home with blurred vision. She thought back to the day that Phil had brought Angus home. He was supposed to be the family dog, but he quickly made it clear that he was attached to Bella. She'd hated leaving him when she'd moved to Forks.
Her friend had sent her updated pictures of him during the time that he had Angus. She thought back to his first night in the cabin. He had spent all night running through the house. His nails clicked rapidly as he made his way down the hall. He would slide into the kitchen door, shake it off, turn around and do it again. It had been the funniest thing that she had ever seen.
How was she going to tell Adam and Seth? They would be heartbroken. Should they have Angus cremated or should they bury him? The doctor said that he would give him medicine to keep him sedated until tomorrow.
She called her dad's hoping that Sue would be there.
"Hello?"
"Hey, Dad," she greeted, her voice small.
"Hey Bells."
"Sue isn't there, is she?"
"She's right here, just a second."
"Whatcha need Hon?" Sue asked a few seconds later.
"I need a favor."
"What?"
"I need Jake to go somewhere with me tomorrow. It's important. Can you hold things down at my house?"
"Sure. Is everything alright?"
"Not really."
"It's not the boys, is it?"
"No, it's Angus actually. I haven't even told Jake yet."
"What's going on?" Charlie asked in the background.
"Something's wrong with Angus. Bella needs Jake to go somewhere with her tomorrow. I'm going up there to help out."
"We both will," Charlie said taking the phone from her.
"Thanks Dad."
She hung up before clicking the phone back on. She dialed Jacob's number without looking at the phone. It rang once before he picked up.
"Bells?" he asked expectantly.
"Hey," she said quietly.
"What's wrong?"
"I just dropped Angus off at the vet. It's bad."
"What did the vet say?"
"He has a heart murmur. It can be fixed, but it would cost two thousand dollars. I don't want to ask our dads for that. They've done so much for us already."
"There's nothing else that can be done?"
"If he doesn't have the surgery he could get worse. We need to go to the vet tomorrow. I don't want him to suffer."
"You want to put him down?"
"We can't afford the surgery," she said with a watery sigh.
"Okay."
"I don't like the idea of it either, but we don't have a choice."
"I know," he said quietly.
They talked for a little while longer before Jacob suggested that she go to bed. It was almost midnight when she got into bed and realized that she couldn't sleep. There was an empty spot at the end of the bed where Angus should have been. Fresh tears pricked her eyes as she let out a heavy sigh.
The front door opened downstairs making her quiet herself. Footsteps could be heard coming up the stairs as she held her breath. She reached for her phone as the person walked down the hall. She dialed 911 but didn't press send as the door opened. The light flickered on and Jacob stood at the door.
She let go of the sob that was building up in her throat.
"I couldn't let you go through this alone," he said as he crossed the room.
"What about moving in tomorrow?"
"Most of my stuff is in my dad's truck outside. I can get the rest later."
"You were on your way here when I called you?"
"Yeah," he said as he lay next to her.
"After I said that you should stay with your dad?"
"I talked to him, he understood."
She shook her head in disappointment. Why couldn't he see that his dad had trouble letting him go? He was only eighteen. Billy had been more than understanding about what was going on. But Bella hadn't realized until it was too late that Jacob had plans of his own, plans that he had yet to discuss with her.
He pulled her to him as he rolled over on his side. She was once again reminded of how naïve he could be sometimes. He tended to think that things would work themselves out without really having to do anything
"Are you mad at me?"
"No. I just wish that you had stayed at your dads like we had planned on."
"You wanted me there. I wanted to come here."
"Your dad wanted to spend one last night with you. Couldn't you see that?"
"I would have come after you had called me anyway."
"You are so stubborn," she said with a sigh.
"I don't want to fight. Not tonight," he said putting a hand on her shoulder.
"Fine, then you can tell me why the Taj Mahal of garages is in our backyard."
"I want to start my own shop."
"From the house?" she asked with trepidation.
"I won't have to worry about leaving you alone."
"Where are we going to get the money for it?"
"My dad took out a loan. I'm paying him back for it, so don't say a word."
"I know that you want to be responsible and do the right thing. But you have got to tell me these kinds of things," she said with a strained sigh.
He draped an arm over her stomach as he moved closer to her. It was his first official night living in the house and neither of them wanted to ruin it by arguing.
XXXX
They were woken up the next morning by the sound of Jacob's phone ringing. He looked at the clock before reaching for his phone. It was after nine.
"Hello?" he asked his voice still thick with sleep.
"You two aren't up yet? What did you do?" Embry asked.
"We almost fought twice. What's it to you?" Jacob grunted.
"Quil and I are outside waiting for you to let us in," he said changing the subject.
"I'll be down in a minute."
He threw on his shorts before walking out of the room. Bella got dressed and was downstairs when Billy, Sue, Seth, and her dad showed up.
"Where's Angus?" Seth asked in confusion.
"He isn't here," Bella said.
Jacob shook his head behind Bella's back, letting Seth know not to ask any more questions. Sue saw the exchange and waited until Bella and Seth were out of earshot to ask what was going on.
"Bella and I have to have Angus put down."
"Why?"
"He has a heart defect that could kill him if it isn't fixed. We don't have the money, and we don't want to ask for it."
"Is she alright?"
"No."
"How much would it cost?"
"We can't ask you to pay for it," he said shaking his head.
"That dog has special meaning to everyone in the pack, my son and daughter in particular. Now, how much is going to cost?"
"Two thousand dollars," he answered with a sigh.
"I'll give you a blank check."
Bella came into the room to hear the end of the conversation. She engulfed Sue in a bone crushing hug.
"Thank you."
"No thanks needed. And don't even think about paying me back."
"The next time you need your car worked on I'll do it for free. I'll even pay for the parts," Jacob said joining the hug.
"You've got a deal."
Everyone walked in and out as Jacob went upstairs to get dressed. Bella showed Sue, Billy, Leah, and Emily where Jacob wanted everything in the house while Charlie showed Sam and Embry where to put things in the shed and garage.
Half an hour later Bella and Jacob were at the vet. They waited in a room for the doctor to bring Angus in. The doctor was glad that Bella had changed her mind. The surgery he had explained would be simple. And Angus would more than likely never have problems with his heart again. He would be on medicine for a week and would need three weeks to recuperate.
The doctor came in with Angus cradled in his arms. Once he laid him down on the table Bella rubbed behind his ears. His tail thumped against the table in appreciation.
"You can stay in here while he's prepped for surgery."
"How long should that take?" Jacob asked as Angus lazily licked his hand.
"No more than an hour. Once he wakes up, and I check him out you can take him home."
Fifteen minutes later they were in the waiting room. Jacob took one of her hands in his, squeezing it gently. She laid her head on his shoulder with a sigh. He flipped through a magazine while she tried to sleep. Neither of them had slept last night. Her phone vibrated and he reached for it.
How is he? It was from Leah.
He was alright. A little out of it, I'll let know when he's out of surgery.
Is he coming home today?
Yeah.
Okay.
Once Angus was out of surgery Bella and Jacob were allowed back into the room. Jacob fell asleep with his head resting against the wall. Bella heard Angus whimper making her look up. He had slept for almost two hours after the surgery was over.
He lifted his head slowly to look around as Bella walked to the table.
"Hey little man," she said kneeling to his level.
He yawned, sticking out his tongue in the process. She smiled at him before standing again. She opened the door, catching the nurse's attention.
"Is he awake?" One of them asked.
"Yeah," Bella answered with a quick nod.
"I'll let the doctor know."
"Thank you."
She put a hand on Jacob's arm, rubbing it slowly. He stirred, blinking slowly.
"He's awake," she said with a smile.
"How long was I asleep?" he asked stretching.
"An hour and a half," she said as she sat back down.
The doctor came into the room a few minutes later. He checked Angus thoroughly, before smiling.
"He's doing great. The surgery went well. It wasn't as bad as I thought. Luckily you caught in time Bella."
Jacob paid the bill while Bella held Angus. She had brought his blanket and favorite stuffed toy. He gnawed on the toy gently as Bella played tug of war with him.
"It's good that he wants to play like that. Just don't overdo it," The doctor warned as he watched them.
"I won't."
"When are you due?" One of the nurses asked.
"In six weeks."
"What are you having?"
"Twin boys," she answered with a sheepish smile.
"You don't look like you're pregnant with twins. You're so tiny!" The other nurse said with a smile.
Bella looked at Jacob who gave her an 'I told you so' look.
"Thank you," Bella said politely.
They were pulling up to the cabin forty five minutes later. Seth, Brady, and Colin came bounding down the stairs to meet them.
"Is he okay?" Brady asked.
"He's better. He's not ready to chase after the three of you yet. Not for a while," Bella said as she walked up the stairs with Angus lying still in her arms.
Seth ruffled his ears and Angus slowly licked his arm. Bella put him in the laundry room and put up the gate to keep him there. The last thing they needed was for him to be under everyone's feet. Charlie watched her as she sat down at the table. She looked exhausted.
"Did you sleep at all last night?" he asked, giving her a worried look.
She shook her head as her eyelids drooped. Jacob came into the room to see her lay her head on the table. He picked her up and carried her out of the room. She didn't even protest, she wrapped an arm around his neck then rested her head on his shoulder.
"You get some rest too. We'll take care of this," Sue said as he passed her.
He laid her gently on the bed once he had pulled down the blanket before going to the door. Quil stopped in front of him.
"Can you bring Angus up here?"
"Sure."
Jacob waited at the door, smiling as Angus greedily licked Quil's face.
"Gross," he said with a cringe.
"You get used to it," Jacob said with a laugh.
Quil handed the dog to him before going back downstairs. Jacob shut the door and set Angus in between him and Bella on the bed. He watched Jacob with curious eyes. Jacob rubbed his back slowly before closing his eyes. He was asleep a few seconds later.
XXXX
Jacob woke up to a dark, empty room. He checked his phone for the time as his stomach rumbled. It was almost ten. He'd be up for the rest of the night.
He saw light filtering underneath the door as he threw his legs over the side of the bed. He walked across the room slowly, still groggy. The light came from the boy's room. Bella was putting sheets on one of the cribs. Her back was to him, and she was having trouble getting the sheet to stay on. It slipped off again and she growled in frustration.
"Let me do it. You're going to hurt yourself."
"My stomach is in the way," she said with a huff.
He had it on in seconds. She leaned against the wall watching him. She had gotten a lot done. The pictures were up, the changing table was stocked, and the dresser and closet were overflowing with clothes.
"Why didn't you wake me up?"
"You were sleeping so peacefully that I didn't have the heart to wake you up."
"Where's Angus?"
"In the glider," she said gesturing to the corner.
Jacob looked over his shoulder to see the dog watching them from the corner.
"How long have you been up?"
"Half an hour maybe, not long."
"He probably needs to go out," he said walking over to the dog.
"I've already done it. He's the one who woke me up."
"Have you eaten yet?" he asked putting the dog on the floor.
"I was waiting for you," she said as they walked out of the room.
Once they were downstairs he smelled something.
"Do you smell that?"
"I'm making you a cake."
He smiled as he walked into the kitchen. The smell of chocolate filled his nose, making his mouth water. He hadn't eaten all day, neither had Bella.
"Where are the boxes?"
"Sue left a note. Everything is unpacked except the stuff that goes in our room. Those boxes are in the living room. They even got the garage sorted out. I called my dad. They left just before I woke up."
He opened the refrigerator seeing two pizza boxes. He pulled them out then grabbed plates from the cabinet. She pulled the cake out of the oven as he put a pan with the pizza on it in the oven. He leaned against the counter as Angus sat at his feet. Angus looked up at him then looked towards his food bowl.
"Where's the medicine that the vet gave us?" he asked as he pulled a can of dog food from the pantry.
"In the fridge," she said over her shoulder.
He shook it up as the dog food heated in the microwave. He put two drops of the medicine in the food before stirring it. He set the bowl on the floor and Angus trotted over.
Ten minutes later they were at the table eating dinner. They ate quietly, not wanting to break the silence.
Bella was icing the cake half an hour later while Jacob put their dishes in the dishwasher. He sat on the counter, swiping his finger through the frosting can.
"Give me some," she said once she was done.
He held his finger to her lips and she sucked it into her mouth. Her tongue swirled around his finger slowly. He growled before pulling it out with a loud pop.
His lips were on hers before she could react. His hands fisted in her hair, pulling her to him. His tongue pleaded for entrance. She gasped as he pulled up her shirt. He pulled away so that she could pull it over her head. His shirt was next as they were thrown onto the floor. He hopped down from the counter putting his hands on her stomach.
"Do you see this?" he asked as the boys kicked at his hands.
"Yes," she said quietly.
"You are beautiful. You could weigh five hundred pounds and I would still say that."
"Can I put my shirt back on?"
"No."
"Why the hell not?" she asked, giving him a confused look.
"Because I like you this way," he said stroking her sides.
"I know the real reason."
"What's that?"
"You like staring at my boobs," she said rolling her eyes.
"That's only part of it, even if they are huge," he said fingering her bra strap.
Her breast had more than doubled in size. Yet they didn't sag, she couldn't explain it. Not all of it could be milk.
"I caught that guy in the vet's office staring at them today."
"Well you said it yourself, they're huge," she said with a shrug.
"And I'm the only guy who gets to see you like this," he said running a hand down her arm.
"You are the only guy who will ever see me like this. Except the boys and any other kids that we decided to have," she said looking into his eyes.
He left a trail of goose bumps wherever he touched. He wrapped her in his arms before leaning down. They stood in the middle of the kitchen half clothed with Angus sitting quietly at their feet. The kiss grew more intense as their hands explored the others body. The house could have crumbled down around them and neither would have noticed.