Chapter 21: Lessons from history
A/N: I own nothing. Characters are all Stephenie Meyers' creations. This is unbeta'd so apologies for any & all mistakes. Please take the time to leave some words if you really loved it or really hated it!
-BPOV-
Billy's word ran deep into my bones, they seemed to hold an ominous promise, "Deals off, Edward."
"What deal?" I asked Billy.
He looked at Edward and so did I.
"What deal?" I asked Edward, speaking more harshly to him than I ever had.
He turned on Billy, "It doesn't matter if it's off."
I drew his attention back to me, "Yes it does. What deal?"
Billy spoke to me now, "His life in exchange for the rest of his family. To avoid a war."
"What?" My head flickered between the two of them. I felt Edward release my voice and he lowered his head in shame.
"His life?" Charlie chocked out, bringing everyone's attention back to him. He looked as even paler than Edward and I. He stared at Billy, "You were going to...kill him?"
"Dad, sit down," he looked in danger of passing out or worse. "There is a lot you don't understand here."
He laughed hysterically, "You think? Kids I've known all their life exploding into wolves in front of my face, my daughter becoming some crazed monster growling and throwing around giant animals like they are pillows, my best friend of I don't know how many years talking about killing someone. Yeah, I'd say there is just a bit that I don't get at the moment." He was shouting and blue in the face by the end of his tirade.
"Dad, you and I have been caught up in the middle of an ancient war. Me most of all, because I've physically become part of it. You see I'm a - "
Edward cut me off, "No, Bella. I haven't explained this to you yet but your life, and your father's life, will be in danger if you finish that sentence."
"I can't keep lying to him, Edward."
"I'll tell him," Billy said, "Then he'll fall under my tribe's protection. It's not like the treaty is stopping me anymore."
Edward seemed to consider it for a moment but then nodded.
"Charlie, you've heard a number of our old legends at various times over our lifetime. What I know need you to realise is they are all true. My ancestors learned how to separate their spirit from their body and for many years they lived as spirit warriors, unable to be hurt but able to communicate with animals and drive off enemies. Then one of our tribe members betrayed his chief, stealing his body while he was in spirit form. The chief formed a friendship with a wolf and the wolf allowed him to share his body.
"The chief, having witnessed a heinous crime in the village, found the strength to form back into a man. Since then certain members of our tribe, those descended from that chief, have been able to turn into wolves at will."
"We do you fit into all of this?" Charlie was staring at me.
Billy answered him, "Over time we formed alliances with the other tribes around us and had no need for protectors any more until the cold ones started to come. Our protectors were effective against them and soon the cold ones were the reason our brothers began to phase."
"Cold ones?" Charlie asked, turing back to Billy.
Billy nodded solemnly, "Blood-drinkers. Your people would call them Vampires."
I expected Charlie to run screaming from the house but instead he burst out laughing, "Vampires! Good one."
Billy turned to me, "Bella, can you come over here please."
I walked over to the pair of them, holding my breath so that I wasn't caught up in their scent.
Billy turned back to Charlie, "Feel her skin. Lay your hand on her face and feel her skin."
I closed my eyes, I couldn't stand to see the look of repulsion on Charlie's face when he realised that Billy was telling the truth. I felt his warm hand caress my cheek, the way he used to when I was a child. He rubbed his thumb in a small circle across my cheekbone. I felt him push harder and harder, until he was applying a pressure that was probably bruising his fingers, and yet it still didn't shift my rock hard skin.
I heard Billy's voice from beside me, "Cold ones are pale white, ice cold and are incredibly fast and strong."
I heard Charlie's gasp. His heart was hammering in his chest, I could tell he was starting to believe this now.
"But how?" He breathed. I opened my eyes. His face was ashen and sorrowful, his eyes contained hurt and anger but not the rejection I had feared. I thought about his question, how best to answer that? I turned towards Edward for help and I saw Billy's eyes follow mine.
*****
-EPOV-
"Buy how?" Charlie asked, almost silently.
Three pairs of eyes suddenly turned towards me. I heard all of Charlie's anger and confusion become directed at me. But I couldn't deal with this right now, all that was running through my head were Billy's words. Deal's off. Why? What did that mean? Was he upset that I had attacked his son. Surely he realised I couldn't just let Jacob attack Bella or hurt Charlie. Billy's thoughts were anything but enlightening on the subject, he was too full of worry about explaining this for Charlie without giving him a heart-attack. Which settled it. If I was going to find out what Billy had meant I would have to deal with this first. But my mind was panicking about the fact that Alice was still alone with two wolves and apparently the deal was now off. And three pairs of eyes were still staring at me, almost expectantly.
"Chief Swan, sir, I'm the reason Bella is what she is." I dropped my eyes to the floor, "I...I couldn't resist the call of her blood."
I heard a sharp intake of breath and then Charlie was on top of me, trying to swing a punch at me, like he'd wanted to do all evening. I ducked and weaved easily out of the way of all of them. But he was relentless and I didn't want him to get hurt. He could easily break his hand.
"Dad, stop!" Bella screamed, "You'll hurt yourself."
Charlie turned to her, "I'll hurt myself, you're worried I can't handle myself around this little punk?"
"Think about what you just felt on my skin, Edward is the same. You could hit him with all your strength, all it would do is break your hand."
Charlie stopped his attack and walked back over to Bella, "Is this what you've become though? A monster who takes other people's lives? Will you be making more and more of your type?" I saw in his thoughts he had interpreted my statement to mean that anyone who is attacked by a vampire is changed. He saw armies of our kind roaming the streets like a scene from a horror movie.
"Bella is a rarity, sir." I told him, "Usually our victims don't survive."
He wheeled back around on me, his eyes wild and his thoughts wilder.
"Dad, sit and I'll explain. You're going to hurt yourself." Bella commanded and he did as she said.
"Edward and his family don't hunt the usual way. That is to say, they don't hunt humans - they've learned to survive on the blood of animals. Edward resisted the call for... for most of his existence." I could tell she was wary of telling Charlie my exact age and I could understand why 'Hey dad, meet my fiancé - he drank my blood and wanted to kill me, oh and guess what he's 104,' didn't make a good lasting impression.
Bella continued, "But my blood was too much for him. It was almost as if it was made to exactly match his thirst. But there's so much more than that. So much that you might not believe. See I was made for Edward, and he was made for me. Like soul mates. I have... a gift, if you like, I can see what people want, their heart truest desire. But with Edward it's a two-way street, he can know what I want. We think that's a big part of the reason he couldn't resist, but also why he stopped when it should have been impossible. See, Dad, I wanted him. From the first moment I saw him, he was all I wanted." She smiled beautifully at me, my soul sang for her. "I wasn't lying to you before when I told you he makes me happy."
Charlie was processing this information but in his mind one thing stuck out amongst everything else she said, "You're happy you are like this?"
"Inextricably," she smiled at me again. It was all I could do to stop myself from taking her across the table and showing her how happy she made me.
Charlie's thoughts spun for another few seconds but began to settle as he processed her words, she was happy – isn't that the most a parent can ask for.
I left Bella and Charlie alone for the moment and looked to Billy, "Now – what did you mean by deal's off?"
*****
-BPOV-
I turned to Edward and Billy. I needed to know this information. I still couldn't believe that Edward had tried to make a deal behind my back to hand himself over to the wolves. I couldn't be angry with him though, after all that's what my plan had been. I was getting a better handle on Billy's desire now - he wanted to avoid bloodshed. Not for us as such but for his people. He knew it was three, now four, wolves against eight vampires.
I could hear Charlie beside me, his breathing was starting to calm. I snuck a peek at him through the side of my eyes. His eyes focused on Edward with a look of intense hatred. I was suddenly glad Edward wasn't human. At least Charlie couldn't shoot him.
Billy seemed to consider his answer to Edward's words carefully. I wondered why, but then he was a frail human currently in a house with two 'cold-ones' who could easily finish him off before any of the wolves got here, especially considering that wolf was currently dealing with Jacob. And they'd gone a fair distance away by the sound of their footfalls running away a little while ago.
Finally Billy spoke, "Charlie is my best friend. We've known each other almost our entire life. And although I haven't seen Bella as much as I would have liked over the years, I consider her to be part of the family. When I saw you two trying to pull each other out of the way after Jacob attacked I realised how two two feel about each other."
I nodded, he wasn't telling me anything I didn't already know, except maybe the part where he considers me family. Or did, I doubt he still does.
Billy was focused on Edward now, "You said you would convince your family not to avenge you, and maybe you would have been able to. But I don't think any words would convince Bella."
He was right, if Edward was gone, the thought was like a dagger to the stomach, I would hunt down every last person responsible. Nothing would stop my revenge - except death. And I would welcome death in the end. It would be better than an eternity without Edward.
"But the treaty?" Edward whispered, a look of absolute shock on his face.
"The treaty is dead." Billy's words sounded like a nail in a coffin to me.
*****
-EPOV-
I couldn't believe what I was hearing in Billy's thoughts. I thought I had anticipated every possible outcome when we'd started negotiating tonight. But I never anticipated this.
I smiled widely at Bella. She looked at me in confusion.
Billy's next words cleared her confusion up, "We're not going to trade lives here today. We will renegotiate a new treaty with your family and it will include Bella. As Bella was the one and only slip, and you said that Bella herself has never hunted humans, we will grant an amnesty for the breach and release the girl. But your family is to move away from Forks within the month."
I felt Bella's eyes boring into me, she'd knew that I'd lied to Billy to save her. But how could I not? Besides one or two slips for a newborn is practically never, and she was committed to the vegetarian lifestyle now so there wasn't any harm done really.
I knew my family wouldn't mind moving on, I knew they'd planned to anyway if Bella had stayed with them. This was more than I could hope for in my wildest dreams. We'd have Alice back and I still had an eternity with Bella.
Billy was anxious to check on Sam and Jacob. He knew his son would be confused by what was happening. Charlie was still trying to process the information he'd received and was now beyond tired. I looked at the clock – it was just past one in the morning.
Bella was still upset with me. I shifted my focus onto her 'voice', yes she was upset. But she would be alright. She just needed to fume at me for a few minutes. I walked over to her and wrapped my arms around her, much to Charlie's disgust.
"I think we should go and let your dad rest," I whispered in her ear.
She glanced quickly at Charlie and nodded.
"Bella and I are going to go home. It's been a long night, I think you need to sleep on the information you've received Charlie. I promise I will bring Bella back down tomorrow."
Charlie debated arguing for a second but a look from Bella silenced him. He nodded.
I wrote my cell number on a piece paper and handed it to Billy, "If you want to renegotiate any of the terms call me on that number. Speak to myself or Carlisle, we'll be spokespeople for the family."
He nodded.
"Now, when can we get Alice back?"
"I'll talk to Sam, technically he's the chief. I'm just an elder who advises him. The end decision is his."
"We really miss her." I thought of Jasper in his room, sending waves of melancholy around the house.
He nodded, "I'll talk to Sam soon."
I nodded and pulled Bella out the door. We had to tell everyone else the happy news.
*****
-JPOV-
I understood what was happening now. All the legends were true. And now I was a fucking great big wolf. Great. And it was all that bloodsuckers fault. I silently asked Sam what Billy had meant by deals off. Sam was as confused as me, but didn't seem fazed with it. He didn't order Paul or Jared to take out the leech they were holding prisoner so he obviously didn't think it meant war just yet. Which is a shame, the anger coursing through my body right now needed to find some release.
How could he do that to her.
How could Edward the fuck Cullen kill Bella?
Sam ordered me to run with him and we ran for a few miles through the forest, away from the house. Further and further away from my revenge against Edward. I didn't care that I didn't know Bella well. I knew her father. He was a fucking uncle to me. How dare that leech take her away from Charlie!
After we had run for miles, Sam turned us around and we ran back towards Charlie's house. I knew he was trying to calm me by running these laps, and to a certain degree it worked allowing the tension coiled in my muscles to release into the ground. But I still wanted a chance to go that arrogant ass Cullen.
Stop thinking about attacking them Sam's thoughts were infused by that strange impulse. I had to control them, I had no choice in the matter.
We paced back to the house. And then away again.
We did another few laps before Sam noticed a change in the air. A fresh scent trail leading away from the house. Bella and Edward's scent. He wanted to talk to Billy but wanted me to phase back to human. I wondered how that would even be possible – the size I was now would not fit into a human body. Sam showed me his thoughts of how he shifted the heat, the anger, from his limbs back into his centre. I tried to do it but couldn't. He phased back to human and then into a wolf to show me. It helped. I phased back to human on my second try. But just before I lost contact with Sam's mind I heard something very interesting in his thoughts.
Billy was waiting for us on the porch. It looked like Charlie had already turned the lights out and gone to bed.
"What's happening?" Sam asked.
"I've agreed to renegotiate a new treaty." Billy said, "They will leave town within the month."
Sam narrowed his eyes, "And what about the penalty for breaching the treaty?"
"I don't think we can issue a punishment without a fight. Edward will have his family protect Bella, you heard his threat. But what Edward didn't consider is that Bella will not allow his death without a fight."
"So we just back down?" I shouted, "Just let him get away with it?"
"Jacob, it doesn't concern you," Billy said, "Sam is the alpha of this pack. It's his choice, but I hope he will listen to my advice."
Sam nodded, "I'd like to know what you've based your assessment on, but if you think this is the best course than I agree to it."
"And the girl will be free to go?"
Sam nodded, then darted off the porch and phased. He was back in human form a few seconds later. "It's done."
"You've got to be fucking kidding me!" I couldn't believe this.
"Jacob," Billy said, his voice thick with authority, "I have told you. Sam is the alpha."
"Maybe but you know what I find really interesting. Jacob Black wasn't born to serve Sam Uley, was he?"
Both Sam and Billy's heads whipped in my direction.
"Yeah, you didn't want me to catch that bit of information, did you Sam?"
"So what?" He snarled at me, "Are you challenging me for alpha?"
"Damn right I am." I felt the anger shooting out into my limbs.
A/N – Sorry, I know I know another Cliffy :( sorry but it was end it here or not get it up today. I'll update as soon as I can.