Chapter 21

It wasn't until the game was over and Jacob and Billy had the house to themselves again that the realization hit him. The Cullen's were back. He was back. What would this mean for his relationship with Bella?

He was bound to Bella for life; there was no reversing it, and he wouldn't want to. But the imprint had been hindered by Cullen once already. Was it possible that it could happen again? Jacob trusted Bella, and he knew she loved him, but he couldn't stop the nagging feeling of unease that settled into the back of his mind. He would have to make things clear to Edward if he so much as spoke to Bella. Bella was his now; the stupid bloodsucker lost his chance when he left, and if he decided to pursue Bella again, then Jacob would pursue Cullen with the aim to kill. He would lay out the lines in plain terms, and if Cullen chose not to respect them, he would rip his icy throat out before he could beg for mercy. The nagging voice spoke the unwanted words despite his resolve: but what if she wants him?

He was so deep in thought that he didn't hear Billy enter the tiny room.

"Is everything okay, son?" he asked.

"Fine," Jacob replied shortly.

"So then why are you laying in your bed fully dressed in the dark?"

"Didn't realize it got dark, I guess," he mumbled. There had been a hint of daylight left when he first lay down.

Billy flipped the light switch.

"Geez, Dad!" Jacob shouted, squinting. "A little warning would be nice."

For one painfully long second, Jacob saw what was going to happen before it did, and there was no way to stop it. Bella's panties hung from one of the blades of his ceiling fan, and they were about to go flying as the old fan picked up speed. He would have laughed at the idea of the ducks flying if he had any room left for laughter in his panic-stricken daze.

As if operated by karma in response to their earlier escape, the old fan deposited the briefs just inches ahead of Billy's feet. Billy squinted, then smirked when he identified the flying object.

Jacob had no idea what to say. No fabricated story would explain how Bella's panties ended up in his ceiling fan. Hell, even the real story sounded kind of fishy. Seriously, what were the odds?

"Dad, I, uh…I can explain…" he let the sentence trail off.

"Jake, all I need to know is that you're being safe," Billy interrupted.

"Safe enough to not need to be 'safe' yet," he muttered. God, this had to be the most awkward conversation ever. Worse than the time Billy assumed that they had sex in the hotel. It was one thing to talk about it in theory; it was another to have the proof raining down on you.

"Does this have something to do with what's bothering you?" he asked patiently.

"No. It's not Bella, not exactly, anyway." Was Billy really going to drop the whole flying underwear thing already? He must look really pitiful.

"Spit it out. You'll feel better when you do."

He took a deep breath. "It's the Cullen's. Edward. I'm worried that now that he's back…maybe he'll still want Bella. I could deal with that but what if..." he paused for a moment. "What if she still wants him?" he whispered.

"Son, Bella has already made her choice. She chose you."

"But what if she changes her mind?"

"Before the imprint, I would have said that if she changes her mind, then maybe you aren't meant to be together after all. But you're imprinted; nature is telling you that you two belong together. She won't change her mind."

He made it sound so simple, like logic. But love wasn't logical, and his dad had used that word again: "nature." Jacob truly believed that he was Bella's natural path, but nature had already screwed up by letting Cullen exist in the first place. The delayed imprint was proof that nature could be thrown off course.

"I hope you're right, Dad," was all he said.

At 11:15, Bella was fully dressed beneath her quilt, busy racking up all the insane possibilities of how the meeting could go wrong. The image of a wolf body arcing over her head to attack Edward kept playing over and over in mind. Most of the wolves had notoriously bad tempers, but so did Emmett, and Jasper could be pretty fierce too. She got the feeling Rosalie could hold her own as well. It was hard to think of the other Cullens as anything other than friendly, but she knew that they were more than capable of defending themselves if provoked, and she definitely couldn't count on the wolves to behave themselves and not provoke their natural enemies. Paul and Jacob were likely to cause the most trouble, but hopefully Sam could remain rational enough to stop them from being too much of a liability.

She clutched her chest and almost screamed when she heard a scraping sound at her window. Jacob gave up trying to pry it open and tapped on the glass, crooking a finger and summoning Bella for help.

"I thought you were going to howl and I was going to come meet you!" she whispered as she opened the window. She stepped back and watched as he squeezed his muscular frame through the small window.

"That was the plan, but I thought this would be safer. I realized you would either fall and get hurt trying to climb out of your window, or you would chance going through the front door and wake Charlie."

"You're probably right, but you almost gave me a heart attack!" she scolded.

Jacob moved closer and picked her up, cradling her in his arms.

"You're going to jump? We're going to jump?" Her eyes went wide.

"You'll be fine, I promise." He bent and quickly kissed her on the lips before moving to the window.

It was a tight fit, and a lot of maneuvering was involved. Jacob had to put Bella down and sit on the window sill with his legs hanging out, then squeeze her through the tiny space left and pull her into his lap. It was like trying to force the wrong piece into a puzzle, but they finally managed.

When his feet hit the ground, he sprinted into the woods before setting her down.

"Okay, I'm going to phase, and I want you to climb onto my back and hold onto my fur tightly. It won't hurt me. Don't let go for anything. When we get there, you stay with me." He meant physically, but his mind involuntarily wandered to Edward again.

He pulled her into a tight embrace and kissed her cheek. He would not lose her.

As she innocently stroked the skin of his bare abdomen, he took a step back.

"Sorry, I, uh…need to stay focused." He had never shifted with an erection before, but now wasn't the time to find out what would happen.

Bella was a little affronted at his reaction, but of course he was right. It was selfish to be thinking about how much she wanted him when the lives of everyone that was important to her were at stake.

She fought back a surge of desire when he dropped his shorts to phase. He gave her a sheepish smile, then turned and began the process. His muscles rippled, and his body seemed to swell and grow while still in the human form. With a sudden burst like a small explosion, he was wolf instead of man. There had been no gradual sprouting of fur or claws like in the movies, no half man in a clear transition to being a wolf. One moment he was Jacob the boy, and the next he was Jacob the wolf. He turned back to face her and crouched so she could reach to climb on.

Bella was hesitant to climb up, afraid that she would hurt him somehow. She knew the idea was absurd, but the thought of pressing her sneakers into his hips worried her. She did it as gently and quickly as she could, positioning herself in the center of his broad back and holding the fur at the base of his shoulders. Once he was sure she was secure, he ran.

She pressed her body close to his to keep from falling off. His fur was thick and bristly against her face, and she was surprised to find that he still smelled like Jacob, only more feral, more animal somehow. With the cool night air brushing over her back, she couldn't help but recall the last time she had ridden through the forest on the back of another. Edward would be there tonight, wouldn't he? Alice had said her family had returned, and she could only assume that Edward was included. A small part of her hoped that he had not returned. It would decrease their chances of survival, but it would save her the humiliation of having to face the one who had not wanted her. Even if he would have her, she had no interest in returning to him, but it was still humiliating to think about facing someone who had rejected her so vehemently.

Instead of heading to Sam and Emily's house like she had expected, Jacob turned towards the nearby woods. Bella realized that the rest of the pack was already phased and ready to go just inside the tree line. Jacob silently fell into place in the center of the formation, and they ran together as a single unit.

At first, the quiet had been peaceful. Now that they were nearing the clearing with the pack, the silence felt like a wall separating Bella from everyone else. She didn't dare speak, and they couldn't respond even if she did. Butterflies built up in the pit of her stomach as the trees started to thin, and she made herself take a few deep breaths.

Finally, she could make out the clearing, and the pack came to a stop just a few yards inside. She knew the Cullens must be there, but she couldn't see them in the dark. Sam had taken communicating from a safe distance very seriously.

"You need not do that, if you prefer not to. I can hear you just fine," his icy voice rang out against the silence as he stepped into view. He was every bit as beautiful and godlike as he had been so many months ago, and he still had the voice of an angel. It was like nothing and everything had changed. It was strange looking at Edward Cullen, appreciating his beauty, and feeling nothing more. Bella let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding.

"She was telling the truth; I can." Edward's eyes sought Bella, then quickly returned to the wolf.

It was strange hearing only half of the conversation. She realized for the first time just how hard it must be for Edward to avoid answering people's thoughts instead of their words.

"Yes, we are offering to form a temporary alliance to defend against the impending invasion," he responded formally.

Bella noticed that the other Cullens had slowly crept into view. Alice and Esme both shot her brief warm smiles and waved before returning their attention to the situation. She felt a pang of guilt and realized that she missed Esme. Suddenly, she wanted them to miss her too. She knew the fierce look on Emmett's face was one of defense and intimidation at the wolves—not Bella herself—but the thought of these beautiful creatures hating her hurt too much to think about.

"She is our concern." It was clear from his intonation that one of the wolves must have suggested otherwise.

"I am the reason that Victoria seeks revenge. I will not set such a thing in motion and leave it unresolved," Edward explained coolly.

So, Edward was here out of some sick obligation to do the right thing, riding out that chivalrous complex of being the perfect gentleman of the early 1900s. That sounded like him. He said it as though he had signed a contract, and he was simply seeing it through.

"We want to help," Carlisle spoke for the first time. "We want to ensure Bella's safety just as much as you do."

The silence this time was tense and lengthy before Edward answered another unspoken question.

"We fight. Jasper has experience with newborns. He can teach you what to expect and what to do." He paused, listening.

"It would be more efficient if we practiced together in a physical match." He said the words as if they burned his already venomous tongue. It was clear he didn't like the idea any more than the wolves did.

There were several snarling sounds at the suggestion.

"Likewise," he said darkly. "Be that as it may, think of what is important here. Imagine the larger picture. If we do not, we all die. If we all die, there will still be a newborn army running rampant in the area with no one to stop them." Edward was just too darn reasonable and removed from the situation. It was like he was solving math equations rather than deciding Bella's fate.

Jasper stepped forward and spoke with Alice still clutching at his hand.

"There are certain advantages and weaknesses specific to newborns that can mean the difference in victory and defeat. You'll stand a much greater chance at defeating them if you will allow me to teach you the basics and a few moves that will help you gain the upper hand despite their strength. Quantity alone will not defeat them."

Bella could only roughly guess at what the wolves were saying, but all in all, they were much calmer than she had anticipated. She thought she saw Alice squeeze Jasper's hand, then realized why. He was keeping everyone calm, or at least calmer than they would have been naturally.

She noted the way several of the wolves turned their heads slightly towards Sam as they communicated, but none of their bodies moved. They were being careful not to turn their backs to the Cullens.

"Right. It's settled then. Tomorrow," said Edward. With a curt nod, he took a few steps backward towards the rest of his family. Jasper and Alice followed suit.

The wolves began slowly backing away, still never taking their eyes off of the Cullens. It was as if the two families were looking into some warped mirror. Bella wanted to laugh as she thought of middle school dances where boys and girls watched each other warily from opposite sides of the room, afraid to make the first move.

When they had backed far enough away that they Cullens were out of sight, they turned and ran in sync into the night.

When Jacob broke from the pack, Bella knew he was taking her home. She would demand a detailed explanation of what had happened as soon as his lips could form the words.

Once again, he lowered her to the ground under cover of the trees in the woods behind her house, then quickly shifted and pulled on his shorts.

"So what just happened?" she whispered.

"We agreed to meet them tomorrow to learn how to kill these things. Or I guess I should say Sam agreed for us. Paul and Leah were being difficult as usual. It wasn't an easy decision to make. A few of us will be going as humans so communication will be easier."

"I'm coming with you again," Bella stated rather than asked.

"I knew you would say that," said Jacob.

"You're not saying no this time."

"You were right about it being dangerous for you to stay home alone." And Sam already ordered me to bring you.

"So what time will I see you tomorrow?" she asked.

"Bright and early as always, of course." He smiled that huge smile of his, and everything felt okay again. She stood on her toes and pulled his head down so she could reach his lips.

"Love you, Jake."

"I love you too, Bells."

Jacob reached to pick her up, but she stopped him.

"I'm taking the door this time. There's no way we'll both make it back in through the window."

"I'll see you in the morning," he said as he waved goodbye. After he was sure she made it back to her room undetected, he quickly shifted and curled up under a tree to keep watch.