The Bride and the Motorbike
Disclaimer: all characters and copyright belong to Stephanie Meyer.
Part Twenty Five
It took an age for Sam to calm Jake down enough so that he was thinking rationally. The threat to Bella's life had pushed him over the edge and his thoughts where a mixture of intense anger and the urge to hunt the little leech down to destroy her. The chaotic mix of Jake's emotions made Sam's head hurt as he had to share in his Alpha's pain. He eventually managed to penetrate Jake's rage and persuade him to phase back into his human form so that Sam could have some relief.
Jake paced back and forth, clutching at his hair and pulling at it. "It just doesn't stop Sam. Why can't we just get on with our lives? Ever since those damn leeches came to live in Forks it has been one crisis after another. I thought with Edward dead and the rest of the bloodsuckers gone we would have some peace, now this."
Sam put his hand on Jake's shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. "You have to focus Jacob. You cannot let yourself be taken over by your anger. You are Alpha now, you must remain calm so that you can plan and think rationally. Otherwise mistakes will happen. You know that we are all with you, Bella will be protected. This is one leech we are facing here, not a whole army like before. If she comes anywhere near the area we will know about it."
Jake looked at Sam and felt his wise words sink in. He was right he needed to step up and deal with the situation, not fly off the handle. The urge to get back to Bella was running through his veins. Sam seemed to understand as he clapped him on the back and nodded.
"I will go and arrange for the others to patrol near the Swan house. " Sam suggested.
"Yes, I want everyone doubled up Sam. No one is to patrol alone. I want two here and two on patrol around La Push." Jake agreed.
"Okay, sounds like a plan. It's best if you stay with Bella, she will need you anyway after she hears about this."
Jake sighed. "Everything was going so well, her mum is here..."
Sam raised an eyebrow. "Bella's mum is here? This will complicate matters. I know that Charlie is in the know, but she will have no idea what is going on. I think you need to persuade her it is time to go home."
"It's not going to be easy. Bella has been so happy since reconnecting with her mum. I hope that this will not drive a wedge between them again if Bells has to ask her to go." Jake said sadly.
"Everyone's safety comes first. Bella understands that. After this is over maybe you can go up to visit her mum then and smooth things over."
"Maybe...Thanks Sam, I really appreciate what you are doing." Jake was grateful for Sam's advice and swift intervention when he head reacted badly after hearing the news.
"I will send Paul and Jared out to patrol La Push and Leah and Seth over here. We will change shifts every four hours, is that okay with you?"
"That's great." Jacob watched as Sam phased into his large black wolf form and sprinted off into the surrounding forest.
Jacob scanned the immediate area and listened carefully for any unusual signs that might indicate something was amiss. He sniffed the air carefully but could find no trace of leech stink. Satisfied for the moment that everything was fine, he waited for Leah and Seth to appear before he went back inside.
Bella was sitting with Renee in the back yard of the house. She had heated some soup and poured it into two big mugs so that they had something warm to drink. Renee clutched the mug tightly with her fingers. The heat from the soup warmed her hands. She watched as Bella drank hers slowly, savouring the taste.
"Are you happy Bella?" Renee asked. "I can see that you and Jake are close. What are you planning on doing now?"
Bella frowned. "What do you mean?"
"Well I take it you are planning to go to college. With Jake being younger it's going to mean that you are both separated for long periods. Long distance relationships are hard at the best of times." Renee pointed out.
"I'm not going anywhere. I am staying here." Bella replied firmly.
Renee raised her eyebrows, "Really? What will you do exactly? To get a good job and have a career you need to get qualifications. I know that you graduated with good grades but you are hardly likely to find any good job prospects around here. You have to start thinking about the future."
"I am thinking of the future. I don't care what I do for work. I want to stay near Jake." Bella said stubbornly.
"And how does he plan to support you Bella? He is still young and in school even though he looks twenty five. He will be tied to the reservation because of Billy and his tribal duties. If you are planning a future with him it means you will be stuck there too. Is that what you really want?" Renee pressed.
Bella felt her anger rising at her mother's words. On one level she could understand her point but she did not seem to have any faith that either of them could look after themselves. Bella knew what she wanted and so did Jake. Money and seeing the world meant nothing to her. She was quite happy to be wherever Jake was.
"Look mom, I know that you did not like it here and you wanted to see more of the world, but that's not me. I just want to be where Jake is. He is my world and I will be quite happy living on the res with him and Billy when the time comes. Don't forget I have dad here too."Bella kept her tone even.
Renee looked at her daughters determined expression. She could see that Bella was doing a poor job of hiding her anger. "I didn't mean to upset you Bella. I am just trying to make sure that you know what you are doing this time. After the debacle with the wedding to Ed..."
Bella's jaw tightened at hearing Edward's name. "Please mom can we drop it okay. I don't want to talk about him please."
"But Bella you nearly married the boy. He obviously had money, what made you change your mind? We haven't had a chance to discuss what happened that day. Please talk to me, I just want to understand."
Bella felt her body go cold. Images of Edward the last time she had seen him ran through her mind. All the old feelings of fear and panic came to the fore once again. She had managed to suppress them when Jake was by her side and as long as no one talked about him. She pictured again the moment when he had kidnapped her and hurt Billy, the horror of what had happened in the log cabin, when she had no choice but to defend herself, when he had tried to turn her in his madness. Sheer panic flooded her soul and she began to hyperventilate.
Renee watched Bella in alarm as she clutched at her middle with both arms and seemed to have trouble breathing. She was even more shocked when Jake came bursting through the back door and swept Bella up in his arms. Bella clutched at him like a woman drowning and Jake held her tightly. The bond that they both shared had kicked in. Jake had felt her distress and he had immediately run back to the house to comfort Bella. His presence soothed her and she was able to breathe again.
"What the hell is going on Bella?" Renee demanded.
Charlie emerged from the house and he took in the sight before him. He glared at his ex wife. "What have you said to her now? Can't you just stop causing trouble?"
Renee felt bewildered. "I was only asking about what happened with Edward. She suddenly started to have a full on panic attack. What has been going on?"
Jake was whispering soothing words to Bella and she was feeling a lot safer now that she was back in his arms. Her breathing evened out and she felt Jake's supernatural warmth seep through her body. The cold feeling she had experienced when her mother had first mentioned Edward's name dissipated.
Charlie pulled Renee back into the house by her arm. "Bella is still very fragile when it comes to Cullen. She is not ready to talk about it. You know the facts, so stop probing and let Bella just get on with her life."
Renee's stubbornness kicked in. She put her hands on her hips and stared mutinously at Charlie. "Is there something you are all hiding from me? Why does Bella react like that when his name is mentioned? Did he hurt her Charlie?"
Charlie felt his face turn red. Renee could be very perceptive when she wanted to be. "Just leave it okay. All you need to know is that she is happy with Jake. He is good for her. So stop pressuring her alright."
Renee was just about to issue a retort when a loud wolf's howl echoed through the air. It sounded so close that it made them both jump.
"What was that?" Renee said in alarm.
Jake and Bella came back in to the kitchen at this point. He had his arm round her and Bella was staring up at him with a worried expression on her face. Another howl could be heard, followed by others, one after the other.
Jake looked over at Charlie, who had gone pale. "I need to go out for a while. Please stay with Bella and keep inside."
Charlie nodded and went to stand by his daughter's side. Renee looked at them all in confusion. What was going on? Bella seemed petrified as Jake gave her a quick kiss and ran out of the house.
"What is happening here? Why did Jake ask us all to stay in the house? Where did he go?" Renee fired the questions at Charlie.
"Look Renee just shut up for five minutes. Jake has some business to attend to, now go in the other room and check on Mrs Hodges for me. I need to speak to Bella." Charlie could feel his frustration building. He could see that Bella was trembling with fear. He needed to speak to her in private to find out what Jake had told her.
Renee gave them both one last glance of annoyance before she did as Charlie requested.
"Bella what is going on? What did Jake tell you?" Charlie asked her gently. He reached out and hugged her.
"Rosalie contacted Sam. Its Alice dad, apparently she has been driven over the edge by what happened with Edward. She is out for revenge and wants me dead." Bella managed to whisper before she burst into tears.
A/N-More coming soon! Please let me know what you think, thanks.