A/N: Here we go, the emotional rollercoaster starts here! Enjoy!
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25
A few hours later, Jacob returned to the suite, very bleary-eyed and unsteady on his feet. He was still reeling from what he'd seen in the pool room. He kept picturing Bella's naked body writhing against his, the way she'd done with Edward. He was so aroused, he thought of letting a groupie quench his thirst, but somehow he knew only Bella could do that.
He looked around the suite, puzzled. It was quiet as if everyone was asleep, but all the lights were on. Then he noticed a note on the coffee table.
Jacob, it read, Gone clubbing. Sorry to go without you, but didn't know where you were. See you both in the morning, Jasper.
Jacob frowned. Both? His heart thudded in his chest as he stumbled over to Bella and Edward's room. Was she here? Alone?
The door was slightly ajar and he poked his head around it. There she was. Fast asleep. Waiting for him to come to her. He entered the room and undressed as quickly and quietly as he could. When he was in his underwear, he pulled back the quilt and slid underneath. She was on her front, facing away from him. He touched her shoulder gently.
`Bella?' he whispered.
Bella smiled in her sleep and turned toward him, reaching for him with her eyes closed. The light flicked on. For a moment there was a stunned silence as Edward looked at his best friend and his girlfriend in bed together, the picture emblazoned on his brain.
Bella's eyes flew open, and she pulled away from Jacob in shock.
`Jacob! What are you doing?' she cried, panicked, visions of a dingy warehouse and her almost rape, at the front of her mind. At the same time, Edward let out a roar of pure fury and leapt at Jacob. He pulled him off the bed and onto his feet, where he swayed unsteadily for a second before Edward punched him, then punched him again, and again. Edward barely registered Bella's screams as he buried his fists into Jacob's face and stomach, even after Jacob fell to the floor. Jacob was certainly in no fit state to defend himself and curled into a ball to protect himself, but Edward didn't notice or care, he was that blinded by rage and jealousy.
The others, including Quil and Embry heard the commotion and burst into the room.
`What the...?' exclaimed Jasper. Bella was standing on one side of the bed in her night-dress screaming with horror, and Edward was beating the living daylights out of Jacob, who was obviously so drunk, he couldn't even stand up.
Emmett and Quil had already got to Edward, and pulled him off Jacob who had by now passed out, so Jasper went over to Bella to try and calm her down.
Edward was yelling `I'll kill him! I'll kill him!' while the others struggled to hold him back. Bella was hysterical. Jasper put his hands on her shoulders and shook her firmly.
`Bella? Bella! Calm down! What's going on?'
Bella could barely talk `Don't know' she said haltingly through her tears `I was asleep and the next thing I know, Jacob's in my bed, then Edward's beating him up'.
Edward heard this and turned to her, fury and contempt in his eyes. `You lying bitch!' he cried `How could you do this to me? All this time I thought you loved me, and you've been sleeping with my best friend!'
Bella stared at him in horror, her mouth moving, but no sound coming out. She was in complete shock; he actually thought she would betray him like that?
`Edward, no way bro' said Jasper, walking toward him, his palms held up `You know Bella wouldn't do this. It has to be a misunderstanding'.
`They were in bed together. In our bed! How can that be a misunderstanding?' he spat, disgustedly `That slut has been cheating on me all this time'.
Bella finally found her voice `Edward, no!' she cried, tears pouring down her face `You can't be saying this!'
Jacob chose that opportune moment to re-gain consciousness. `Tell him the truth, Bella' he slurred `Tell him how we've done it in the broom closet, and on the balcony and in the pool. Tell him how, as soon as his backs turned, we're screwing like dogs'.
Edward roared and leapt for Jacob, the others struggling to hold him back.
`No!' Bella cried `Edward, I don't know what he's talking about!'
`Oh, tell the truth Bella. I know you love me. We can be together now'.
Bella turned on Jacob `What the hell are you saying?' she yelled, tears streaking her cheeks `There's never been anything between us except friendship'.
Oh, cut the crap, Bella' snarled Edward, nastily, `You've been caught in our bed! I should have known there was something else behind all that innocence, well you had me fooled. Did you think I was an idiot? Talk about playing close to home. You're just a whore, aren't you? Well you can go whore yourself somewhere else. I want you gone before I get back. I don't ever want to see you again'. He took her by the hair and pulled her roughly to him, her head yanked back to look at his face. `You make me sick' he snarled through clenched teeth, then pushed her away from him, where she stumbled and fell to the floor. When she looked up, he'd gone.
`Edward!' she screamed, scrambling to her feet, and following him out to the living area of the suite. `Edward!'
He turned to look at her, and she flinched from the hate and disgust in his eyes.
`You've got an hour. If you're not out when I get back, I'll call security and have you removed'. Then he was gone, slamming the door behind him.
`Edward!' she screamed, one last time, then sank to the floor crying as though her very heart were crushed to pieces.
The others were in shock. Jacob crawled to the bathroom and threw up in the toilet, while the others looked at each other, stunned into silence.
`Jesus!' exclaimed Emmett.
Jasper went out into the living room to see Bella curled into a ball, rocking herself and crying almost hysterically. His heart broke for her. He went to her and crouching beside her, put his arms around her trying to soothe some of her pain.
`Shh, Bella. Shh. Give him time. He'll realise any minute how wrong he is, and he'll be back begging for forgiveness. You'll see. Trust me. He'll calm down and come back to talk it through, I promise'.
`No!' said Bella. All of a sudden she was absolutely furious. `No way'. She shook off Jasper's touch and got jerkily to her feet. `How dare he!' she yelled, wiping the tears angrily from her face. `How could he think I would ever do that to him? Asshole!' she exclaimed `Fucking bastard! How dare he treat me like this? He doesn't trust me, he's completely humiliated me! He called me a whore!'
Her voice rose with every sentence, and she stormed back into the bedroom, and pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt over her night-dress. `Oh, I'm going. I'm not staying here with that asshole! I'm leaving!' She grabbed her suitcase and began throwing her belongings into it erratically; fuming and calling Edward every foul name she'd ever heard. The others tried to reason with her, but she wouldn't listen, and her temper grew higher and higher.
Jacob, having sobered slightly now some of the alcohol had left his stomach, re-entered the bedroom. `Bella?' he said, panicked `What are you doing? Where are you going?'
She turned on him, molten fury in her eyes. `You! You lying piece of shit! Why? Why did you do it?'
`You know why!' he said.
`If I knew why I wouldn't be asking, you stupid fucking asshole!' she screamed at him.
`I love you, Bella' he said `and you love me!'
Bella was shocked `You're sick!' she exclaimed `You really believe that, don't you?'
`Come on, Bella. We can be together now' he pleaded `Please Bella, I love you'.
`Stop saying that!' she screamed, crying again `If you love me so much, why are you ruining my life?'
`So we can be together' he said. The sad truth being that he really believed it would happen.
Bella let out a cry of fury mixed with pain and flew at him, hitting and kicking him viciously. She finally kneed him in the groin, and as he curled up in agony, she turned away shaken and sickened at the sight of him.
`I don't hate you Jacob' she said `I fucking despise you. Get some help for that sick, twisted mind before you completely lose it'.
She did up her suitcase, a strange calm enveloping her. She noticed the framed picture of her and Edward on the dresser and picked it up. She stared at the two happy faces smiling at each other. She swallowed hard, and stroked his face with her index finger, feeling numb with pain.
`Bye' she whispered tightly, then with a cry of pure anguish, she flung the picture at the wall, smashing the glass.
She pushed past Jasper and Emmett, who were still trying to pacify her.
`Don't go, Bella' said Jasper `Please? He loves you'.
She turned, halfway out the door, and looked at Jasper, soberly. Her tear-streaked face would have crushed the hardest heart.
`He might love me, Jasper. But he doesn't trust me'. Jasper tried in vain to deny it, but Bella shook her head. `He's hurt me too much' she whispered. Then with a final look, she was gone.
Edward returned to the suite a couple of hours later. He didn't say a word and disappeared into his room. He stood near the doorway, pain spearing his heart as he looked at the half empty drawers and cupboards. The spot where Bella's suitcase had been. He didn't want to think, he wanted to forget. But as he looked at the bed, the vision of Bella and Jacob laying there, Bella smiling up at him, forced its way into his mind and wouldn't leave.
He let out a choked sob and began to strip the bed furiously. He noticed the picture of him and Bella laying on the floor, and let out a bellow of rage and pain. He punched the wardrobe door with all his might, and it splintered with a loud crack. Tears streamed down his face as his mind screamed `Why?'
He left the room, unable to stay there a minute longer. He stalked angrily to the kitchen, grabbed a beer and went out onto the balcony. He sat on the sun lounger staring out at the city's lights through the darkness, not really seeing them. Memories swarmed through his mind of every time he'd seen Bella and Jacob laughing and talking. He scanned them for any sign he could have had that there was something more than just friendship there.
He knew he was torturing himself, but couldn't seem to stop. Then other memories started re-playing themselves as if he had a video player in his head, of Bella and himself, right from when they had first met, when she was sleeping rough, to when he'd realised he was in love with her, to the first time they'd made love, to the Christmas they'd just spent together, to earlier that day in the swimming pool. It seemed like a lifetime ago. She couldn't possibly have faked that response to him, and no matter what she'd done since, she had been a virgin their first time.
Silent tears streamed down his cheeks, sliding into his collar. So many wonderful memories, and now these bad ones. He had trouble reconciling these painful images with the one's he'd previously had. He obviously hadn't known her at all.
Jasper came out onto the balcony just then, and settled onto the chair next to him. Edward tensed. `I don't want to talk', he said.
`I know' Jasper replied. They sat in silence for a while, then Jasper said, `You know it's not true, don't you?'
`I don't know anything of the sort' Edward said stiffly.
`Edward...'
`No! I saw them with my own eyes, and Jacob admitted it'.
`You know Jacob's always had a thing for Bella'.
`Well, she obviously felt the same'.
Jasper sighed. `I thought you loved her'.
`I did' said Edward, he swallowed painfully, `I still do, but I can't forgive this, you can't expect me to. She used me and hurt me'.
`Edward, for Christ's sake!' said Jasper annoyed now. `We all know her well enough to know she wouldn't abuse anyone's trust like that, let alone yours! She could never hurt you, it's just not in her nature to hurt anyone, and she loves you too much'.
`Well she's got a fine way of showing it'. Edward sighed, `Please, just leave me alone Jasper'.
`Fine' Jasper said angrily, `I hope your pride and stupidity keep you warm at night, Edward, because you've just thrown away the best thing in your life'.
Edward sat there until dawn broke over the city. He was tired, so tired, but he knew he'd never be able to sleep. Deep, deep down in his subconscious, he knew Bella hadn't betrayed him, but his pain and his pride wouldn't let his consciousness admit it.
Early in the morning, Edward heard, rather than saw, someone come out onto the balcony. He knew without looking round that it was Jacob, and refused to acknowledge him.
`Edward' said Jacob softly. He waited for an answer. When it became obvious he wasn't going to get one, he continued. `Okay, Edward' he sighed `Don't look, don't talk. But you'd better listen. I think I've got a problem Edward, a drinking problem, I mean. I've loved Bella for such a long time. It hurt so much seeing you together, that I've been drinking more and more. When I drink, I can forget she's with you, and fantasise that she's with me. I lied, Edward. Yes I love her, and when I'm drunk, I can believe she loves me. But now, when I'm sober, I know it's not true. There has never been anything between us'. Jacob choked back a sob. `She loved you too much to ever notice me'.
Edward heard the ring of truth in his words, and risked a glance at him. He was shocked by what he saw. Jacob's face was swollen and discoloured, and he must have been in a lot of pain, but only truth shone from his eyes. Edward felt a spark of hope, then angrily squashed it.
`Go away' he said through clenched teeth. `Go, before I do something we'd both regret'.
`We've got two weeks left on tour. When we're done, I'm leaving the band. We're going to have to work together for the next two weeks, so this is the last time I'll mention her. You're a damn fool, Edward. How you believed me over Bella, I'll never know. Has she ever lied to you? Or given you any reason not to trust her? She's the sweetest, most honest girl I've ever met in my life, which is probably why I fell for her so hard. I'm sorry, Edward, I'm sorry for what I did. I never wanted her to leave. But you broke your relationship up, not me. You humiliated her, you didn't trust her and you broke her heart. You don't deserve her, and now you've lost her, and it serves you right'. With that, Jacob went back inside, leaving Edward to sit there, while tears fell unchecked, yet again.
Dared he believe Jacob? If he did, that meant he had wronged Bella terribly. As he sat there, he worked himself up thinking about all those times she had put her complete faith in him, and he hadn't believed her about something so obviously untrue. He recalled the things he'd said to her last night, and he became increasingly angry at himself. He put his head in his hands, groaning.
`Shit, shit, shit!' he moaned. What had he done? Even the alcohol he'd consumed at the club was no excuse for the way he'd treated her. Why didn't he just pull her heart out of her chest and stamp on it? Oh, my God! He thought, What have I done? She must be so hurt, and so furious. She'd never have gone the way she had, if she wasn't serious. He'd lost her. He'd lost the best thing in his life, because he was stupid and blinded by jealousy. He frantically reached for his mobile phone and dialled hers. It rang several times before he realised he could hear her ring tone and followed the sound to the bedroom. He picked up her phone from under the bed where she'd obviously dropped it in her rush to pack. Shit! She could be anywhere in the world and he had no way of getting hold of her, of talking to her, of knowing that she was okay. He grimaced, knowing she was far from okay and her temper was probably at volcanic proportions by now. He was tied to this tour for the next two weeks. As much as every inch of him itched to chase after her, he couldn't let down his fans and the record company would string him up for even considering it. He'd give her time to cool off. Just to the end of the tour, then he'd go and find her. Beg her forgiveness, on his knees if he had to. He had to get her back.
You could have cut the tension between Edward and Jacob with a knife over the following fortnight, until they finished the tour. They had once been the best of friends, but there was no way Edward could forgive Jacob for what he'd done. Oh, he'd apologised, but Edward couldn't forget his betrayal. They avoided each other and never spoke unless they absolutely had to, until the tour was over.
Just before Jacob left to catch the flight that would forever take him from the band, he said, `Go find her, Edward. Beg if you have to. Don't lose her over my stupidity. Or yours. I've lost everything. My job, your friendship, Bella's friendship, and my dignity. Don't do the same'. Then he was gone.
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A/N: Please don't shoot me lovely readers! I wouldn't leave the story there but we're in for a bumpy couple of chapters! It's not my fault Edward is a jealous idiot! LOL! I'll update in a few days probably, but as always if I get plenty of reviews demanding a faster update, then I might just do that! (I love bribery lol!).
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Couple of fic rec's for you:
Beyond Time by Tkegl – One of my all time favourite AU reads. I read this originally as she posted it and was holding my breath for every chapter! "After the Cullens leave Forks, a twist of fate lands Bella in Chicago in 1918. She thinks it's her second chance... a chance to build a life with a human Edward. But when she finds him, he's not quite what she expected... and Bella has some hurdles to overcome to create the future she's hoping for."
EverClear by Chandler – Another all time fave AU story, combining an amazing story, a fabulous Bella and Edward and weaving in the incredible music from one of my all time fave bands! Not your usual New Moon AU! "It's been almost 5 years since that terrible day in the woods. Bella and Edward have both struggled with the devastating aftermath of their last conversation. Both have found solice in music, only in ways neither of them could have imagined. Can they find their way back to one another or is there just too much that time will not erase?"