A/N: I HATE Psychology Coursework almost as much as Jacob Black :P. I think from that you can tell just why it has taken me so long to update, for which I apologise immensely. At the moment it's just a whirlwind of coursework deadlines, revision and exams :S. Gotta love A Levels :P. But I have even written into my revision timetable allocated slots in which to update so this story will be updated despite my workload, although it may not be very often :S. Apologies, but please bear with me, it will be worth it!!!

This one's Esme's POV, set at the same point of the story as the other few chapters, it will move on shortly!! Anything in italics is a flashback, let me know what you think as always in terms of reviews!! And thanks for bearing with me !!!

Time and experience had taught me that sometimes it was not always possible to separate our hearts from our heads, even though we should make wise, logical decisions, the power and intensity of our love overrules all our sensibility until our logic boarders upon madness. As we grow older we realise life is not the fairytale we were spoonfed as children, there are no Prince Charmings, or knights in shining armour, and happily ever afters rarely exist. True love existed, I had tittle doubt about that, but the Disney fanfare and storybook ending I had more reservations about. There was not enough justice in the world, mortal or immortal to deliver happiness to those who truly deserved it. One look at my daughter in law was enough to reassure me of that, her condition was deteriorating faster than Carlisle had predicted, she was vanishing infront of our eyes, the only sign of her condition was her protruding abdomen. There was none of that pregnant woman glow, or radiance. Just pure illness. Unlike most pregnant women she was unable to enjoy the happiness that being pregnant should have brought her, instead every day was a miracle, but it was only a miracle because she was still here. Still fighting on behalf of the life that beat inside of her. Her and Edward were hurting so badly it was painful to watch, her pain was more physical. Every movement, however slight, caused her great pain. Bella's pain was written all over her face, clear to see in every inch of her weary body. But it was Edward's pain that concerned me the most, his emotional pain.

From the moment Edward had fallen for Bella I had been so full of pride it was untrue, all my fears and dreams for him were finally coming true. It didn't matter what the two of them were, together they and found and created something so strong it was sure to overcome any obstacle either of our lifestyles threw at them. I never truly understood why Edward felt the need to leave Bella after the events of her 18th birthday, he tried to justify it by saying it was what was best for her, that by us not being around her it would give her a better chance in life. But seeing Edward without her was enough to make me realise that he could never be truly himself without her. She had so irrevocable altered his make-up, it was impossible now for him to return to what he once was, the memories of her were so deeply inbuilt in him that it was impossible for him to forget her. He thought that by leaving her it would give her a shot at true happiness, human happiness. I don't think he ever thought about anyone trying to take his place, because I'm sure if he had, he would never have left her.

The feud with the wolves and ourselves is years long and centred on old myths and legends from their side, they believed us to be a threat to not only them but to humans. It had taken all of Carlisle's charisma and centuries of negotiation skills to work out a treaty that would satisfy both parties to the most part. It was ironic in a way that the person who would attempt to fill Edward's hole in Bella's life would be Jacob. Not only was he an enemy by a genetic quirk but an enemy in love. It was Alice who first warned us of the possible battle that lay ahead after we returned to Forks following our self imposed exile.

"Jacob Black's been spending a lot of time with Bella" said Alice as all of us minus Edward set about returning our abandoned house to normal.

"Jacob Black?" repeated Emmett. "Isn't he a Quileute?"

"A descendant of Ephraim Black" corrected Carlisle.

"Would he have it?" asked Rosalie. "The ability?"

"He does" replied Alice.

We all turned to look at her, a look of horror and shock on all of our faces.

"Bella told me, before Italy" said Alice.

"How many?" asked Emmett, his eyes gleaming with excitement at the prospect of a fight, I shot him a disapproving look.

Alice shrugged her shoulders.

"Trust Bells, we left town to protect and she gets herself in with a load of wolves" laughed Emmett.

"That's what I said to her" replied Alice also laughing.

"Does Edward know?" asked Carlisle.

"He will if he doesn't already" Rose pointed out."No way she could keep that from him".

"It certainly puts a new spin on it all" said Alice in a voice so low it almost went unheard.

"Al?" questioned Jasper.

We all turned to look at her, confused by what she meant.

"Charlie said to me that after we, well Edward left, Bella was in a catatonic state, she was like a zombie, going through the motions enough to please people but not really functioning. It seems Jacob was the one who pulled her out of that, and I think, well at least for him, it runs deeper than just friendship".

"Bella wouldn't do that to Edward" said Emmett defiantly.

"Bella didn't know Edward be coming back, the whole point of him leaving was to give her the chance to move on, and it seems that she was starting to do that when I came back. If things hadn't got so confused then who knows what would have happened. I'm not saying Bella definitely has feelings for Jacob, but it certainly seems to me that he does for her, and the fact that there is already a long standing rivalry between us is just going to intensify the situation" Alice pointed out.

"Well Edward's back now, and everything can go back to how it was" said Emmett defiantly.

"It's not as simple as that Emmett" said Carlisle. "By all accounts Edward and us leaving hurt Bella pretty bad, scars like that run deeper than you can imagine, and if Jacob was the one to help her heal, then chances are so do her feelings, even if she doesn't yet realise it."

Emmett still looked confused whilst the rest of us had long grasped the meaning behind the subtleties Alice and Carlisle were trying to convey.

"Come with me" said Rose, grabbing Emmett by the wrists. "I'll explain it to you why we fix the car".

She rolled her eyes as she pulled an ever confused Emmett out of the room whilst the rest of us sat there in deep thought.

That was the first time that I truly realised that Edward and Bella may not have the happy ending they deserved. Up until that point they'd experienced their share of trials and tribulations, but nothing that I believed could separate them permanently, that was until Bella found herself torn between Edward and Jacob. It was painful infact, to watch it unfold before my eyes, a clueless Bella unaware of the pain she was causing to both parties and to herself. Everytime Bella mentioned Jacobs name in Edward's presence, his eyes would glaze over momentarily with pain, too fast for her human vision to take in, but enough for us to notice. He could see the truth, and it was eating him up inside, knowing Bella's heart no longer belonged to him as fully as it once had, that there was a very real chance he could lose her, and to watch her be happy with another man I believe would have been enough to send Edward running yet again.

"Edward" I said, knocking on his door before entering.

He was sat cross legged on his floor, his back against one of his bookshelves, his eyes drifting off into space. He was thinking.

"How's Bella?" I asked barely stepping into his room, my own back against the now shut door.

He looked up at me, the pain in his eyes was no longer hidden, it was almost to painful to look into them.

"She's OK".

An unconvincing smile crept over his lips, he was trying to convince me that everything was fine.

"Not doing a very good job of convincing you am I?" he asked.

I shook my head.

"She wants to still see Jacob" he said in a low voice.

"And how do you feel about that?"I asked, unaware what I sounded more like, a shrink or his mother.

"It's too dangerous for her Esme, too be around a young wolf. His self control will be minimal, and I can't cross over the line, it's too dangerous to even consider" he replied fiercely.

"Is this to do with him being a wolf? Or because he's Jacob?" I asked.

Edward looked at me, confusion was all over his face.

"The answer you just gave me was about what Jacob is, and it was a pretty lousy answer given what you are. Because you could use the exact same reasons to justify you staying away from Bella, infact if my memory serves me, you did!"

He sighed.

"What do you think it has to do with?"

"It's about what he is to her, just like with you she doesn't see him as a werewolf, she just sees him as a person, that's why she can't see the danger, and because of that she wants to stay friends with him."

"She needs him in her life Esme, those two have a bond that I can't even understand. He helped her through what was apparently the worst period of her life, she doesn't care that he could harm or do worse to her at any moment, she still thinks of him as a teenage boy who's her friend".

"That's also how she thinks of you".

He stood up so that he was facing me.

"That's the problem". He paused for a moment. "I don't know where the boundary is in their friendship. "I've seen his mind Esme, he wants more than his, he resents the day I walked back into her life, he wants her, almost as much as I do."

"Does she want him?"

Edward looked away from me, as if hoping to find the answer written on one of his walls.

"I don't know" he replied honestly."I just keep thinking if she needs him this much then she must have deeper feelings than just friendship, no-one else means that much to her, none of her other friends matter this much to her, whys he so special to her if not for that reason?"

"Do you think she knows the answer to that question?" I asked.

He shook his head.

"Her conscious self says he's just a friend, but I just know it runs deeper, but she has to realise that herself, I can't make her see that. I don't want to lose her again, I can't lose her again".

"What about when she does realise this?"

"Then I'll fight for her" he said, his jaw square. "I know now that I could never lose her again,and especially not to him".

One look into his eyes and I knew he was telling the truth, and I nodded in order to acknowledge what he had just said. I walked over to him, his face was so full of pain as he bared his soul, I wanted to take that pain away, no mother wanted to see her child break. I ran my finger around the outline of his face.

"It'll be ok, I promise you. You and Bella, you were meant to be together"

From that day on it almost became impossible for me to tolerate the idea of Jacob Blacks in either of their lives, for as long as he was around then they would be caught in a state of limbo and pain. Even when the wolves helped us fight against the newborns, if ever there was a moment where I found myself liking Jacob, even for a moment, all I had to do was picture Edward's eyes on that day and the resentment would return. I was more subtle about it than some members of my family, but it was always there bubbling under the surface. Now more than ever that resentment rose inside me, the last thing either of them needed was the added complication of Jacob in their lives. They had enough to contend with. I hoped Bella would not want to see him, that she would send him away, but to see her smile at just his voice was enough to make me want to sacrifice myself in place of the pain it would cause Edward. The smile she gave Jacob as he entered the room was unlike any I had seen from her recently, it lit up the entire room. Ordinarily I would have loved to have seen Bella return to her normal self, but one quick sideward glance at a pain ridden Edward was enough to make me never want to see it again. I felt sick to the pit of my stomach as he left the room alone with Jacob, Emmett and Jasper had offered to go with him, ordinarily I tried not to influence Edward with my thoughts, knowing the strain his gift placed upon him, but this time I bore him no such mercy as I urged him to let his brothers go with him. But he was stubborn, this had always been Edward's fight, he knew all along that he would have to fight Jacob for Bella, and so far he had won, but now he was in such a weakened position, I feared the battle would be too much for his already weakened emotional state. My heart was in my mouth as the two left the room together, I wanted to run after Edward and stop him, not allow himself to be so vulnerable, Jacob was the only person after Bella who could truly hurt Bella. The memories and taunts he had in his mind were enough to send Edward to the brink of insanity, on top of everything else he did not need that self torture. As the two of them walked out of the door it was as if everything else had momentarily stopped, time was now irrelevant, everything, Bella, Edward, Jacob, us, rested on what happened outside these four walls, I only hoped that my promise to Edward that everything would be OK would come true, wishing I was there with him now, comforting him as only a mother can.