Chapter 21

I Approve

The five teens piled out of the Explorer as Aniela parked near the same place Andrew did last time. Popping the back open Aniela took a deep breath and leaned against the side of her truck.

The Percocet she had taken earlier wasn't strong enough to completely numb her pain. Little shocks of dulled agony had been keeping her on the edge, making her grit her teeth and try to keep steady while behind the wheel. Now that they had finally stopped she could bask in her chance to close her eyes and take a moment to try and calm her aches.

Jacob watched her intently as Aniela took several deep breaths, her shoulders trembling every few seconds. He knew he shouldn't have let her drive, but it was hard to say no to her. Plus the little 'attack' from Embry had left him little choice in the matter.

"Ok guys; let's grab the stuff from the back. The camp site is only about five minutes that way." Aniela instructed, after collecting herself, pointing in the direction of the clearing.

As she reached for her back a hand shot out and grabbed it first. "I've got it honey. You just grab the blankets and pillows. Let us men handle everything else." Jacob said throwing her a smirk.

Rolling her eyes she and Bella collected the pillows and blankets as the three 'men' took care of the rest.

"Pft, boys and their testosterone induced egos." Aniela grumbled as they made their way to the clearing.

The remains of the last fire Andrew had built was still there. Surrounding the pit were three big logs Aniela, Jacob, Quil and Embry had sat and ate their donuts. And when one looked really close they could see several small stains of blood on some of the logs and sticks that laid near the fire pit.

As the boys began to set the tent up Aniela turned to Bella. "You can set those over there." She smiled pointing to a dry patch of ground.

Bella nodded and did as she was told. Aniela quickly set about the task of putting several of the blankets on the ground, one on top of another. Each one of them had a pattered of copper brown blood. The rest of the bedding was layered in the five man tent Jacob, Quil and Embry had set up. The boys went to lock the truck up while Aniela set up everyone's bed.

As Aniela rummaged through her duffle she heard a small thud followed by a feminine grunt from outside the tent. Poking her head out, Aniela's crystal eyes scanned the clearing, quickly locating the source of the thud. Bella lat on the ground on her back, her legs tossed over one of the sitting logs.

Holding back her laughter Aniela scrambled out of the tent and to the fallen girl.

"In the name of the royal family, what on earth did you do? Are you ok?" Aniela asked kneeling down next to her.

Bella was looking up at the sky in a slight daze. She blinked a couple of times before it seemed she finally joined the planet Earth again. "Huh?" The older girl asked looking at Aniela.

"Are you ok?" Aniela asked again, a hint of laughter in her voice as Bella's cheeks turned an impressive shade of scarlet.

"Oh, yeah I'm fine. Just clumsy is all." Bella stuttered as she sat up.

With a small wince she looked down at her elbows, finding a cluster of sharp barb like plants drawing spots of blood from her skin. Helping Bella up Aniela made sure the girl was sitting stably on the log before opening her brother's medical case. Quickly she located and alcohol pad, anti bacterial spray and gauze and medical tape.

"Here let me see." Aniela murmured sitting next to Bella.

Bella quickly lifted her arms so Aniela could clean and cover the small wounds.

"This might sting a little bit." Aniela cautioned as she plucked the sharp barbs from her pale skin.

Bella winced a little, but that was it. "Don't worry I've had worse. Not too long ago I broke my hand."

"How'd you manage that one?" Aniela asked with a light tone.

Once again Bella's face flushed. "Well I was trying to punch Jake, but I forgot he wasn't as soft as he used to be."

At this Aniela couldn't hold her laughter. "What on earth did he do that made you want to strike him?" Aniela asked between her fit of giggles.

Bella's stomach knotted slightly. It was obvious Jake hadn't told Aniela much of their relationship. She couldn't see Aniela taking it this well if he had. But she also didn't want to be the one to tell her. What if Aniela became angry and tried to vent her anger on Bella? No, Bella decided, she would let Jake tell her, but he had better tell her soon. It wasn't right to keep such a big part of him from the one he loved.

Aniela sensed Bella's internal struggle about answering the question and quickly brushed past it. "I'm sure whatever he did he deserved it."

The girls laughed together, Bella's being a little forced.

"Who deserved what?" Embry's voiced called from a few feet away.

"What every man deserves every once and a while; a good slug to the face." Aniela replied with a saucy little grin.

Embry and Quil chuckled walking towards where the girls were sitting, their arms cradling kindling and wood. Jacob was a little more hesitant with his laugh. His eyes quickly flicked to Bella for a second before returning to the fire pit, but Aniela noticed it all the same. As Quil and Embry began to build a fire Aniela went back to the tent to change into a pair of plumb lounge pants and a scoop back tank top.

Jacob quickly took a seat on the log across from Bella. His gaze on her was stern and questioning. "What'd you tell Aniela?" He demanded in a hushed voice.

Taken aback slightly by his tone the older girl sat straighter, her defenses kicking in. "She wanted to know how I had broken my hand. I told her I punched you, but not the reason behind it." Bella snapped.

Jacob seemed to visually relax, releasing a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding. "Ok, good."

"Why haven't you told her?" Bella questioned after a moment.

Sighing heavily the Quileute teen shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know; it's complicated." He said in an almost defeated tone.

Bella stared intently at the boy across from her. He looked tired, yet more alive then she'd ever seen him. It seemed as though he'd changed in almost every way, but she could still see her Jacob. That Jacob was still there he just wasn't hers any more. She could see that perfectly as Aniela came out and she saw how Jake's eyes locked onto the younger teen, his eyes lighting up gleefully.

Yes, Aniela definitely held a place a thousand times deeper then Bella had ever held. Part of that thought hurt, but a greater part of her was happy. Bella had been feeling so crummy after what had happen between her and Jake. She had started to self loath when ever she was by herself and thought about the sorrow filled howl that filled the air. That feeling only increased when she first felt the pang of jealousy. She had been jealous of Aniela. She knew she had absolutely no right to fee like that, but it was just how it was.

But now was she watched Jacob and Aniela together Bella had to smile. The spark she could see between them was the same one she'd seen between Sam and Emily, Alice and Jasper, Emmet and Rosalie and Carlisle and Esme. It was strong; it was love in its prime. And knowing that made the jealousy and loathing dissipate. Bella was happy to see Jacob happy. She approved.

Jacob was currently held Aniela to his side, her legs draped over his knees. She was smiling as she watched Quil and Embry fight about the right way to light a fire.

"No, you're supposed to light a piece of paper first and let it catch the kindling." Embry said wit ha frown.

Quil shook his head. "No, you light one of the logs first and that will light the kindling and everything else." He argued.

They continued to their bickering unaware that Aniela had rolled her eyes, gotten up and was pouring a fair amount of lighter fluid on the fire wood. Stepping up to Quil she grabbed the box of matches from his hand. Both boys watched as she struck the match and tossed it into the pit. Seconds later a fire was burning bright.

"Now that boys, is how you light a fire."

Bella and Jacob laughed at the sulking teens.

It was around 11:30 when Aniela's pains began to come back with resound vigor. She was stretched out on her pile of blankets, her body quivering every few minutes as a new tremor of electricity raced through her. The moon was at its highest point when Aniela's first out cry of pain sounded. Instantly Jacob was at her side questioning her if there was anything he could get her. Aniela smiled at him shakily and shook her head. Feeling a little useless Jacob nodded and, after giving her a quick kiss, sat back next to Embry.

Bella watched Aniela shove her face in the blankets muffling another sharp cry. Looking to Jacob she worried her lip. "What's going on?" She asked barely above a whisper.

"Her transformations are painful. We've only seen it once, but it was horrific." Jacob replied his eyes locked on Aniela's prone figure.

"Yeah it was the sickest thing I've ever seen." Quil added, a shiver running through his body as he thought about it.

"I can hear you Quil." Aniela said through clenched teeth, laughing softly.

Her laugh stopped abruptly as she cried out in anguish.

Bella jumped, tempted to cover her ears against the nerve wracking scream. She started as she watched Aniela clutch the blankest with white knuckles. Again she forced her face into the blankets and, Bella noticed, bite down on the soft cloth. Even with her face hidden it did nothing to stifle the misery laced sound that continued to flow from the quaking girl.

A sudden urge to turn her head came over Bella as the bones in Aniela's back started to crack and move under her tan skin. The quakes turned even more violent, screams turning into jaw clenching shrieks and Aniela's back arched off the ground moments before two long white bones shot out of her back. The sickening sound so skin splitting made Bella's whole body shake with revulsion. Red rivers flowed from the new wounds. The smell of the coppery blood instantly sent a wave of nausea through Bella and she would have looked away if she wasn't staring at Aniela in shock and horror.

Slowly the two bones coming from Aniela's back shook ever so slightly as small black feathers over took them. After Aniela's wings were fully covered and completely formed Bella chanced a quick look in the boy's direction.

Quil and Embry were looking at Aniela, their jaws and fists clenched. Jacob on the other hand had is head turned from the scene. His eyes were slammed shut, the muscles in his jaw tighten and Bella could see his fisted hands trembling.

When she turned back to Aniela the teen was shaking with pain and the sobs that left her lips. Her eyes were scrunched closed and her breathing was extremely rapid, laden with heaves. Blood now ran down her back, over her shoulders and neck to pool on the blankets beneath.

It was obvious that Aniela was in tremendous pain and Bella stood from her spot on the log to catch Jacob's attention. "Hey, I think you should give her the shot now." Bella whispered quietly to Jacob who nodded and stood as well.

"You're right."

He opened the maroon medical case that belonged to Andrew and quickly filled the syringe like Carlisle had instructed him to. He triple checked to make sure he had the right amount of the right medicine before he approached Aniela. Pulling her left arm away from her hurting body Jacob lightly tapped the junction of her elbow and poked the pain killer filled needle into her arm.

It only took a few minutes for the drugs to take affect and Aniela smiled in relief as she teetered between consciousness and oblivion. Jacob quickly tossed the used syringe in an orange hazard bag from the case before picking Aniela up. He cradled her lip form as though she was a china doll, able to break at any moment.

After he laid her on a blanket outside the tent the long haired boy gently washed the drying blood from Aniela's skin with a damp cloth. When he finally finished taking care of his other half Jacob returned to fire where Quil, Embry and an awfully pale Bella were sitting. Stillness engulfed the four as everyone reflected on their own thoughts. No one spoke as minutes pass and they stared into the fire. Even the crickets seemed to silence their songs.

It was Bella who spoke first. Her voice cracked a little and sounded somewhat horse for her quiet tone. "That must be really hard for you." She hadn't taken her eyes from the dancing flames, but her statement was directed at Jacob.

He looked at her for a moment before looking back to the fire. "What?"

"Watching the person you love go through such a painful thing and being able to anything 'til after its over." Bella shook her head.

She couldn't help but picture Edward hunched over, grunting with pain in front of Jane. That alone was scary, but watching Aniela's transformation was ten times more painful. She couldn't even imagine what Jacob was feeling.

He grunted his reply and nodded. "It's the worst feeling in the world." His voice was strained as he tried to keep all the emotions that were crashing over him in check.

Bella nodded and after a deep breath stood up and warped her arms around him. Jacob froze for a moment, but gradually relaxed into Bella's affection.

"I'm so sorry." She whispered quietly, her words being two sided.

"What? Why are you sorry?" Jacob asked pulling away from her and drawing her onto the log next to him.

Bella wiped her watering eyes. "For everything, for hurting you, for being a jealous baby…for what you have to go through. I'm just sorry." She sniffled a little and looked away from Jacob to wipe her scratchy eyes once again.

Smiling softly at the girl in front of him Jacob pulled her to him, wrapping her in a light hug. "It's ok Bella, its ok. The whole Edward thing is nothing to me anymore. I'm not mad at you." He tried to soothe her, but his soft words just made tears fun down Bella's cheeks.

"And the whole jealousy thing, you really shouldn't feel too bad about it. I'm irresistible; girls can't get enough of me." Jacob smiled when Bella gave him a watery laugh, hitting his shoulder as she pulled away from the hug.

"You're so full of yourself Jake." She scolded jokingly with a sniff.

Jacob only rolled his eyes with a chuckle. "Sure, sure."

Bella smiled over at him. "She's good enough."

"What?" Jacob asked, furrowing his brow at her sudden seriousness.

"Remember when I told you no one would ever be good enough for you? I was wrong. Aniela is perfect for you." Bella said nodding to Aniela's resting body, her smile still on her face.

Jacob's only lips turned up in a smile and a soft look came to his eyes. "Thanks Bells."

See I told you I'd post two, hehe. I hope you liked it! Please review.