A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the extended time it took to update this time. I've been ridiculously busy. But, the next chapter is now here. AND I have some exciting news. There's now a blog for this up on blogger. You should all check it out. The link to it is on my profile. It'll be updated more often than the story because it takes less time to put up a post on there than a new chapter. And there's going to be extra goodies up on there, so make sure you check back regularly.
Tomwillisrulz- Thanks much. Sorry that I didn't update as soon as I would have liked, but it's here now. ^_^
Wendy55- Indeed, that is true. And thank you very much.
GeorgaBrea15- Thank you! I'm honored. =)
Cocnuy- Well, you don't have to worry about that. You'll see how it all plays out in this chapter.
Black Lithning- Hahaha, yeah, you know how it goes. Resting is good. Thanks for the review, though. I always love hearing from you. Hope this chapter is up to your standards.
As always, Twilight and it's characters belong to Stephanie Meyer and not myself. But this story and any OC's belong to me.
I didn't get a chance to answer Carlisle. Jasper broke in right as I was about to tell him that I had heard most, if not all, of the Quileute legends before.
"We have company, Carlisle." He was glaring out the back door, watching for something that I couldn't see. I heard that Jasper always did have the best senses.
Everyone's heads turned in the same direction, scowls and looks of concern adorning their faces. I continued to look out the back door, hoping to see what they were glaring at. I soon became frustrated with being left out of what was happening yet again.
"What are you all looking—" I was cut off by a man walking into the clearing behind the Cullen house. "Sam…?" I asked, confusion clear in my tone.
Soon, others began to join him, falling in line parallel to the trees behind them. There were a total of five men, before a final joined them moments later. He stopped just behind Sam and to the right. I stood up abruptly once he was in view, realizing it was Jake. I was flooded by my anger from earlier today and glared at him through the glass. I then felt a wave of calm directed at me from Jasper, but pushed it off stubbornly.
Alice stood along with me, grabbing my hand in hers. The others followed immediately, each standing and glaring out the window. We all waited stiffly to see what would happen. Not wanting to wait any longer, Carlisle took the lead and walked to the door, opening it and walking out calmly. Esme followed suite quickly, leading out Jasper and Edward. Emmet had to pull along a reluctant Rosalie who was complaining about some stink that she could already smell from them. I wasn't paying much attention to them, though.
"Go upstairs," Alice said next to me. I looked over at her, shocked that she would even suggest such a thing. She was staring back at me, a stern look in her eyes as they began to darken in shade. "Bella, please don't argue with me. Just go." I shook my head, refusing to move anywhere except out the door with her and the rest of her family. Alice squeezed my hand, a desperate look in her eye. "Please, Bella. This could get dangerous. Just listen to me this once." Again, I shook my head. Alice began to look more and more desperate as she turned to face me completely and grabbed my other hand in her free one.
I spoke before she could say anything. "No, Alice. I'm coming with you." Alice opened her mouth to argue, but I pulled my hands out of hers and began to walk outside where the others were waiting. I heard Alice huff behind me before I felt her hand in mine once again, accepting defeat gracefully.
"Fine, but please go if I tell you to," she whispered to me right before we walked through the door. I didn't respond, knowing already that I wouldn't leave her side if something were to happen. Alice sighed beside me, understanding what my lack of response meant.
Sam was already speaking when we made it to the others.
"—dangerous for her-," he said, speaking directly to Carlisle. I knew instantly what he was talking about, but chose to ignore him as my gaze fell on Jacob. He was standing slightly behind Sam, his hands clasped behind his back, looking more professional that I have ever seen him, even with his lack of a shirt. I quickly glanced around at all the others and realized that they all looked similar – short hair, muscular, no shirt, and standing at attention. I turned too look back at Jacob to find that he seemed to be struggling to keep from looking at me, almost as if he had some restraint on him that held him in place.
The conversation around me rose in volume, causing my attention to fall from Jacob to the angry people surrounding me. I took in everyone's expressions quickly, trying to figure out what had caused such an uproar.
Carlisle looked calm, but the stiff set of his jaw indicated that he was very upset about whatever was just said. Esme, standing beside him, looked like she was quickly losing her patience with the situation. I didn't know what to think about that, as Esme was normally the last to ever get upset about anything. I then moved my gaze to Jasper to find him concentrating very hard at, what I could only assume to be, keeping everyone calm. Edward, who was standing slightly in front of Jasper, almost as if he were protecting him, looked calm as ever, if not slightly stiff. Emmet, surprisingly enough, was holding a yelling Rosalie back as she began to move angrily at Sam. Every single one of them had black eyes.
But all of this fell away as I turned to look at the petite vampire standing next to me.
Alice stood stock still, gripping my hand tightly in her own. Her eyes were set forward, glaring at Sam intently and getting darker by the second. Her face seemed to be carved into a permanent frown as she took in what was said. When I saw this, I tuned back into what was going on around me, trying to figure out what had gotten everyone so riled up and fearful that this would all turn very bad very soon.
"You had better not even try, dog-breath! Nothing has happened to even warrant something like that!" Rosalie continued to yell a few yards away from me, throwing up her hands in frustrating as Emmet held her in place. I looked over at Sam to see him looking back at her smoothly, seemingly not affected by her words.
"You had better watch your tongue, Cullen," he spoke calmly, even though the boys behind him were shaking. I found myself purposefully avoiding looking at Jacob now, not even wanting to bother with him being there.
"Rosalie," Carlisle said, raising a hand to stop her from speaking again. She whipped her head around to stare at her father figure, outraged at being cut off. Carlisle continued unbothered. "Would everyone please calm down so that we can discuss this like civilized people?" One of the Quileute scoffed, causing Carlisle's frown to deepen slightly. Sam just nodded before stepping forward.
"We've already stated our peace, Cullen. Now hand the girl over and there will be no violence." Alice hissed next to me, pushing me slightly behind her.
Carlisle shook his head slightly before speaking. "And you demand this because you believe she is in danger here?" Sam nodded determinedly. "I'm sorry, but I'd have to disagree. As you can see, no harm has come to Bella while she has been with us. In fact, I'd dare say that she is happier now than she was when she first arrived to Forks. I know that my daughter is much happier now with Bella in her life than she was before." Sam's gaze flickered over to us before settling again on Carlisle.
"Does she know what she's gotten herself into? Have you told her the truth about your family?" he asked, clearly not happy with Carlisle's defense.
"Yes, she knows what we are and she is fine with that. Isn't that right, Bella?" Carlisle asked, turning to face me. I nodded swiftly, not wanting anyone to doubt me. One of the Quileute's scoffed before speaking out.
"You probably threatened to kill her if she said otherwise!" he growled out, inching forward slightly. The Cullen's tensed around me, Alice, Rosalie and Emmet all letting out loud hisses.
"Paul!" Sam called, stopping the boy, Paul, from moving forward more. "Cool it. We can all act civil here." Scowling at Alice, Paul took a step back so that he was again in line. Sam waited for Paul to quiet down before turning to face me. "You know what the Cullen's are, and yet you choose to be with them?" he asked, obviously not understanding why I would want to be with them.
"Yes," I answered. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." Sam considered this while the boys around him gawked at me. Jake stepped around Sam, walking toward me with his fists shaking at his sides.
"You can't be serious, Bella. They're all dangerous!" he yelled, frustrated. Sam watched Jake carefully, but didn't call him back in line. "You could get hurt. There's no guessing what these filthy bloodsuckers will do if they get angry." I rolled my eyes at him, choosing not to answer. Alice, on the other hand, chose now to speak up.
"You sick little hypocritical mutt!" she yelled, eyes darkening further. "Do you not remember what you yourself did just earlier today in a fit of anger? You could have broken her arm, which I'm sure you were actually close to. Just standing here I can smell the bruise you left on her arm." She then turned to me, eyes softening immediately. "May I?" she asked, gesturing to the sleeve of my jacket. In all honesty, I had completely forgotten about the bruise, but I nodded and stepped forward, reaching my arm out to her. Alice smiled softly at me before turning back to Jake and pulling my jacket halfway off. The bruise on my upper arm was much darker than we all must have thought. Everyone flinched at the sight of it and I couldn't help but stare at the atrocity that now lay on my arm. "That. Do you see that Jacob? What you did when you got angry? Never has Bella been hurt in my presence. Not once. But the first time that you get angry around her, you give her this ghastly bruise." Jake lowered his head and chose not to answer. "Point. Proven." Alice said, turning back to me, lightly tracing my bruise with her cool fingers. "Does it hurt much?" she whispered, eye swimming with concern. I smiled at her and shook my head slightly, hoping to dispel any worries that she may have had about it.
A moment of silence fell over the clearing as Alice examined my bruise carefully. Her cool hands felt amazing against the swollen flesh, and I couldn't help but think of how much better her hands felt than any icepack ever would.
The next time I looked up, Sam was again talking to Carlisle and Jake had yet to move from his spot. His saddened look had turned into a scowl though, and his arms were shaking even more than they had been before. Actually, his entire body was shaking.
"Jake…?" I asked, tentatively. Alice tensed at his name and quickly turned around to face Jake.
"Will it be a waste of breath to ask you to go inside, Bella?" she asked quietly, eyes never leaving the shaking boy in front of us.
"Absolutely," I answered immediately, not needing any longer to question it.
Alice chuckled darkly and I could imagine her rolling her eyes even though I couldn't see her face. "I figured," she said. "Just stay behind me, okay?" I grunted in response, neither agreeing nor disagreeing to her request. Alice shook her head, scoffing a little. "Of course."
"Point proven. Point proven. Point proven." I hadn't stopped watching Jacob since I first noticed him shaking, but I didn't realize that he was reciting this over and over again until his voice became a loud growl. "Point. Not. Proven," he yelled out before he let out an earsplitting growl.
The next instant, Jake seemed to explode out of his clothing and skin, a wolf taking over his place. I stood frozen as the giant russet wolf stared Alice and I down, a constant growl emitting from his barrel chest.
Alice crouched down into a fighting stance, but no one else moved. All was silent in the clearing other than the wolf's growl. I thought I saw Sam move forward to intervene, but he must have decided better of it.
I gasped, finally comprehending that this giant creature was my best friend. That slight sound seemed to be the spark that set the fire going. Without further notice, Jake and Alice lunged, meeting each other halfway between where they were standing, becoming blurs before my eyes.
I tried to follow their movements, but all I could make out was Jake's giant form attacking and dodging every now and then. Alice's small frame was nothing but a blur as she dodged and attacked Jake again and again. Finally, they broke apart, Alice flipping across the clearing, landing gracefully on her feet, and Jake grounding himself near the tree line. They stared each other down, both intent on ending the other's existence without hesitation.
I finally realized that I was about to either lose my best friend or my girlfriend, and the world came crashing back down on me. I shook my head in disbelief before I sprinted forward to stand between the two people I cared about most. The others had all moved back, giving Alice and Jake room to fight, but remaining close enough to jump in were they needed.
I held up both of my hands, palm out, to Alice and Jake. They both looked back at me, confusion clear in their expressions. Had it been any other situation, I would have laughed at the expression Jake's wolf form had taken. He took a step forward, moving toward me.
"Both of you need to stop," I said, sounding more sure of myself than I felt. Again, Jake took a step toward me. "I said stop," I glared at him. He took a step back, indicating that he'd listen for now. Alice remained in her defensive position, but her eyes lightened as she watched me.
"Bella, what…?" she asked, trailing off as I shot her a glare. Under normal circumstances, I would never seriously glare at Alice, but this was by no means normal in any way.
"Enough," I said, determinedly. "This needs to stop now. Both of you are being ridiculous. Jacob?" I asked, turning to face my best friend. "If you're in there, then you will stop this now. Because my best friend wouldn't do anything to hurt me, and hurting Alice would hurt me in the worst way possible." He glared back at me, eyes searching for something that I wasn't sure of. Without any notice, he turned and ran off into the woods. A moment later, a human Jacob returned, a new pair of cut-off jeans on.
"Bella, you don't—" I didn't let him finish, cutting him off by raising my hand.
"If you say that I don't understand one more time, I will never talk to you again," I said firmly, staring him straight in the eye. "I understand, Jake. I may not be some supernatural being like apparently all of you are, but I understand. I'm not stupid. And if you touch another hair on Alice's head, I may do something that we both regret. So please stop. I'm begging you."
Jake lowered his head, glaring down at the ground at his feet. When he didn't answer me, I turned to Alice.
"Alice?" I called, reaching my hand out to her. She was with me the next second, entwining her fingers in mine. I smiled softly at her, before I turned to face Sam and the rest of the Quileute's. "I love Alice, and I love this family. And now, I believe we are done here."
Sam stared back at me, gauging my truthfulness, before he nodded and turned around. The others gawked at him, not wanting to leave like this. They all began speaking at once, arguing against Sam's decision. Sam raised his hand and everyone fell silent.
"If there is only one thing that we should all understand here, it is this: the bond of a mate is eternal and should not be tampered with." He turned and looked directly at Alice and I. "Do not prove my decision a foolhardy one." We both nodded at him before he turned back around and walked into the woods. The other Quileute's followed without another word, though some of them glanced back longing a fight. Jake didn't make any move to leave.
"Bella, I—" again, I cut him off, not prepared to deal with anything he wanted to say.
"Later, Jake. We'll talk later. I can't handle it now. Just go," I sighed out, sudden exhaustion overtaking me. I watched as he met my gaze, eyes swimming with sadness, before he turned and walked off after Sam.
Silence fell over the rest of us as everyone took in what just happened. I was sure that someone would say something a couple of times, but each time they decided otherwise, not knowing exactly what to say. Finally, Emmett spoke.
"That was fucking awesome!" he bellowed out, instantly breaking the tension with his childish response. I looked over in his direction to watch as Rosalie rolled her eyes at her husband. "What? Bella just told off a pack of werewolves. You are officially B.A., Bells," he boomed, coming over to scoop me up in a hug and spinning me around in circles. I couldn't help the laugh that escaped me as he put me down, Alice by my side again in an instant.
"B.A., Emmet?" I asked. I looked around me and saw that all the Cullen's were smiling warmly at me, eyes all back to their normal golden honey color. I heard Alice giggle beside me and smiled at her.
"Bad ass!" Emmet yelled out, clearly amused with himself, before he walked up to me and ruffled my hair with his giant hand. He looked around at his family before nodding to himself. "I think it's safe to say that you are officially a Cullen, little sis," he said, his grin nearly splitting his face in two. I gawked at him as a blush rose on my face before I turned to look at all of the Cullen's.
Everyone, including Rosalie and Edward, were smiling fondly at me. I drew my gaze around to look at Alice. She was smiling up at me, eyes shining with love. I couldn't help the smile that came to me as I stared into her eyes.
Alice then leant up to place a soft kiss on my lips before she pulled me into a hug.
"Welcome to the family," she whispered in my ear, even though everyone there could hear her.
I felt tears stinging my eyes and quickly blinked them away before I pulled Alice closer to me.
Bella Cullen. It does have a ring to it, doesn't it?
A/N: And there you have it! Hope you all liked it and that it wasn't too confusing or anything. Reviews are loved, as always. I only got nine on the last chapter, so yeah… It was kinda sad. But thanks to all who did review. =)
The next update will hopefully be up sooner, but this week is going to be hectic. So please be patient with me.
Remember to check out the FA blog! If anyone wants to contribute something to the FA universe, let me know and I will most definitely add it.
'Till next time! ^_^