26.
Since it was Spring Break, Bella was staying at the house with the Cullens and was therefore protected at all times. Alice had not seen any decisions made by either Victoria, her army or the Volturi, so we knew we were relatively safe for now, but the vampires were still making strange forays into the territory, seeming to test our defenses. The alliance was tenuous at best, but I could see that the pack was actually more relaxed about it than they let on. They would never admit it, but they really liked the wrestling matches with Emmett and Jasper, and I could tell the feeling was mutual, especially on Emmett's part. Embry even went so far as to admit that Rosalie would be hot if she didn't smell so bad.
It was Esme, however, who made the real breakthrough. Her gift, for lack of a better word, was nurturing, and she loved taking care of us. She quickly figured out that the way to win them over was to feed them, and that she did. She turned her kitchen into a never-ending buffet and told them that she would have anything they wanted. Seth and Jared figured out she was serious when they described some obscure dish they thought they'd made up; the next time they came through the kitchen there it was, and they had to eat it, because Esme was so excited about having found it for them and they didn't want to hurt her feelings. They still played the game with her, but everything requested was definitely edible.
Soon, we had a routine of sorts. I had split the wolves into two groups that alternated between patrolling and training/rest. Guys would come in from patrol, stuff themselves, nap for a bit and then train. Back to the kitchen for a "snack," head home to sleep, and then come back to have breakfast before heading out on patrol. The Cullens divided their time between patrolling, training and hunting.
Friday, all hell broke loose. I was at home, helping Billy with some chores before heading back to start my patrol shift when my phone rang. "Hello?"
"Jake, this is Rosalie. There is a situation at the house, you have to get there NOW."
"Victoria?"
"No. I can't explain. Just come. I'm headed there now. We all are. Come quickly." She hung up. Leave it to Rose to be her usual abrupt self. I figured that Emmett and Paul probably got into it and someone got hurt. I let my dad know I had to leave and headed to the woods to phase, upon which I immediately sensed unease in the pack.
Get a grip Paul. We cannot attack him. He's got her.
Exactly. He's got her. We have to get her away from him.
Where's Jake? He's going to freak. We have to get her back before he gets here.
Rosalie called him. He's on the way but she didn't tell him.
It took me less than a heartbeat to realize the "her" they were talking about had to be Bella and I almost roared in rage at the thought of an enemy vampire holding her hostage. How did he get through the defenses? He sure had balls to attack her at the house. I also realized that everyone had been instructed not to tell me anything, and while I could have used my Alpha voice, I didn't like ordering the pack around like that. I kept quiet and listened as I ran faster. Maybe the wolves at the house would accidentally slip...
Apparently no wolves were in phase at the house because I got nothing. I wondered at that, because surely in the presence of a leech they would phase immediately, right? (Among the pack we had taken to calling the enemy leeches, as we called the Cullens either by name or vampire.) My mind raced through all of the possibilities as I ran as fast as I could, listening to the rest as they ran.
Rose says we have to phase back before we get to the field.
Why? We are stronger and faster this way. We can fight this way.
Right, but Jasper says we can't just attack; she might get hurt if she isn't already. I hate to say this but we need to trust Jasper right now. (THAT coming from Paul surprised me.)
I could tell I was the furthest away, so by the time I broke through the trees, I was the only wolf in phase and what I saw brought me up short:
At the foot of the observation platform, holding an unconscious Bella, crouched a vampire, who appeared not to notice the 13 snarling and growling humans and vampires surrounding him, ready to attack. Carlisle signaled for them to be quiet, but nobody really did, they just crouched ready to spring and you could feel the growling, more than hear it. He then attempted to get the vampire's attention, and I could just feel the edge of the wave of calm that Jasper was attempting to send out to help diffuse the situation.
The vampire holding Bella looked up at Carlisle, and growled, holding her more tightly. A howl of rage escaped me when I saw his face.
EDWARD. Edward had Bella.
The situation went from bad to worse in less than a second. I locked eyes with him and began moving forward, ready to spring, snarling and growling, and Edward only tightened his grip on her, snarling back just as fiercely.
"Jake! No!" Alice cried, jumping between us, holding her hands out as if that would hold us back. "Edward, put her down. You have to put her down."
Neither of us moved, but the snarling continued.
"Carlisle, you're the Alpha of this family, do something," said Sam urgently. "Make him stand down. He has to put her down."
"Edward," Carlisle said sharply, and Edward's head whipped toward him. "Put Bella down and step back."
I remembered that he could hear thoughts. You are so dead. I don't care if you ARE a Cullen, You. Are. Dead. Get your hands off her NOW, and I'll make it quick and burn your head first. Otherwise you'll watch as the rest of you burns, one. piece. at. a. time.
Edward looked at me and then back to Carlisle. "I don't think so. He plans to kill me. He can't as long as I have her."
I gave a long low growl and sent a stream of obscenities in his direction that only managed to make him chuckle. I wanted to STRANGLE him.
Carlisle tried again. "Edward, she fell from the platform—"
WHAT? You are so dead. Dead. Dead. DEAD.
—I need to look at her to see if she's injured."
He looked back down at the girl in his arms. "She's fine, Carlisle. I checked her over when I caught her. I think she fell because she passed out." Edward finally looked around and noticed that he was surrounded. Emmett had been trying to approach from the rear but Edward turned and snarled at him, holding Bella closer to him. "You seem to have forgotten that I can hear your thoughts, Emmett..."
Emmett held up his hands to show he meant no more harm at the moment. "You need to put Bella down, man, or Jake WILL tear you apart." He looked at the group and then me. "Somebody has to talk him down or we won't get anywhere."
Edward scoffed. "Why do I care what that mutt thinks?"
"Because she's his mate, Edward," said Carlisle, gently.
Edward's head whipped around and looked at Bella, Carlisle, and then me. "She's his MATE?" He snarled.
"Jake, you need to back down," said Sam. "I don't think he'll hurt her, but we aren't going to get her from him until you back down."
I did NOT like this. I shook my head and stood my ground.
"Jake, we won't let him hurt her," said Emmett. "He may be my brother, but if he harms one hair on her head, I will personally rip him apart for you."
I looked at him, agape.
"So will I," said Rosalie, still crouched to spring and aid her mate.
I looked around and all of the Cullens nodded in agreement. Edward would go down if Bella were hurt. I nodded and Sam signaled to Jared, Embry and Quil to stand beside him, allowing me some privacy to phase. He knew I wouldn't take my eyes off my enemy or Bella. I put my hand on his shoulder and nodded my thanks and strode around them to stand in front of Edward. I could hear Bella's heartbeat; it was strong. I didn't smell any blood so she was probably fine.
"You've changed," said Edward.
"You could say that."
"So she's with you?"
"You're surprised?" I scoffed. "What? Did you think she would just wait for you to come back to her, jump into your arms and forgive you?"
"To be honest, yes," Edward replied.
I was speechless, my mouth dropped open and I started to vibrate. "Oh crap, he's gonna pop!" said Paul. "Somebody do something."
"Edward," said Sam, quietly.
Edward turned to look at him, and his eyes widened in shock. Sam said nothing, but stood, staring intently at him. "THAT was what I found in the woods after you left her. Jacob, it's your turn. Show him. Show him what he did to her." Go Sam! He, too, remembered what I said about Edward reading minds.
I smiled as I realized I could do more damage by showing him my memories than by actually killing him. "Edward!" I called and the vampire locked eyes with me. I showed him EVERYTHING:
...Charlie's frantic phone calls and descriptions of the few times I'd stopped by to see her, while she sat, unseeing, unknowing, empty...
...Charlie's descriptions of her waking every night, screaming, and being unable to calm or reach her, but having to hold her until she was spent with exhaustion...
...of the day she arrived at my garage with the motorcycles...
...of watching her slowly come back to us, and but yet still empty inside, always holding herself together...
...of helping her search for a meadow she never told me the significance of, but knew deep down what it meant...
...of seeing her leap off the cliff, jumping in after her and pulling her out of the water, terrified because she had no heartbeat...
...of breathing and pounding life back into her, begging her to come back to me...
...her kisses that night in the kitchen...
There was a cry of anguish and several things happened at once. He let go of Bella and put his hands on his head as if to block out my thoughts. Jasper caught Bella even before she started really falling and watched as Edward fell backward into Emmett's vice-like grip. Jasper rose and walked to me, placing her into my waiting arms, before turning to join Emmett in restraining Edward.
I crumpled to the ground, supported by Quil and Embry. Carlisle was beside us instantly. He turned to Esme. "Bring my bag." Esme was gone less than three seconds, and placed a black bag next to him. He gently assessed her as I held her, whispering to her. "Bells? Please wake up," Nothing. "Come on, honey. I've got you now. It's okay. It's me. Jake. I'm here." I looked at Carlisle, frantic.
"I think she passed out from the shock of seeing him, Jake. I don't find any injuries." He looked to the rest of them. "Who saw it happen?"
Alice spoke. "Bella and I were on the platform watching the practice session and we both saw Edward step out of the trees at the same time. The next thing I knew, Bella cried out and collapsed." She caught a sob and Rose moved to put an arm around her. "Jake, I tried to catch her but I wasn't fast enough. I'm a vampire, and I wasn't fast enough! Oh Bella! She fell...Edward caught her before she hit the ground." Alice sobbed tearlessly into Rose's shoulder.
Esme placed a cool cloth on Bella's forehead and crooned to her. "Come on dear, time to wake up. Jake's here now and we're all with you."
Carlisle pulled a packet of smelling salts from his bag and waved the capsule under her nose. Bella gasped and her eyes flew open as the fumes hit, bringing her back with a start. She saw me and cried out, "Jake! I thought..." she furrowed her brow in confusion. "Ed—..."
"Shh. I know. It's okay now."
She moved to sit up, so I helped her. Carlisle put a hand on her arm. "Bella, you were out for quite a while, so you need to stay down for a few more minutes until you get your bearings." She nodded, looking around. She saw Alice, who was now weeping for joy, and smiled at her. She squinted as she tried to see past Alice, who was pulled out of the way by Rose, and then she saw Edward being restrained by both Emmett and Jasper, and her eyes locked on his.
"I did see you," she said quietly. She looked up at the platform. "I saw you, and everything went black."
"You fainted and fell. I caught you," he said.
"If you prefer the short version..."
"Shut up, Jared!" said Seth.
Bella stared at Edward for a full minute, and nobody moved or said a word. She pushed out of my arms and stood, and walked over to him. He didn't move a muscle, but Jasper and Emmett tightened their hold on him. I could feel, as I am sure everyone else could, the waves of calm that Jasper was sending out, trying to diffuse the situation, but nobody knew what to expect.
"Why?" she asked.
"I got the message that you were in danger."
"Why should that matter to you? You left me. You said you never loved me. I was merely a distraction."
"I lied."
"Excuse me?"
Edward sighed. "I lied. I never stopped loving you. Leaving you was the hardest thing I have ever done, and I've regretted it every day."
"Then why did you do it?"
"Because you being around me was too dangerous."
Jasper snorted.
"Me being around you?" she asked incredulously, and pointed to Jasper. "He's the one who tried to kill me over a DROP OF BLOOD." She looked over at Jasper. "No offense, Jazz."
"None taken."
Edward began shaking with emotion. "He may have attacked you, but I'm the one who, in an attempt to push you out of the way, overdid it, and tossed you across the room like a rag doll. It is MY fault you fell onto the table and the vases, causing you to slice your arm open on the broken glass. I was trying to protect you and yet nearly KILLED you. I told you time and again I was too dangerous. I left to protect you. To keep you alive."
She started shaking, and I started to move to her, but Carlisle put a hand on my arm. "Give her this," he said quietly. "She's fine. Angry, but fine." He looked to Jasper who nodded in affirmation.
She continued to stare at him for another long minute, and then without warning, she raised her hand and slapped him hard on the face. I thought she'd broken her hand, but apparently Edward saw it coming and was able to move with her to take the blow and not hurt her. I'll give him kudos for that one.
"I DIED inside that day!" she shouted at him. "From what they tell me, I was catatonic except for nightmares for four months, and I only snapped out of it when Charlie threatened to send me to a hospital, but then was only 'up' for his benefit when he was around. Don't get me started on the nightmares. Thank GOD he insisted I start living again, because I found my best friend, Jake, who had the patience, love, and understanding to know what I needed, even if it meant I could never love him back the way he wanted me to."
Tears were streaming down her face, and Edward looked tortured as her words gave my memories voice. "I even explained to him that I was broken, unable to love him back, but he never wavered, and only promised he would never, ever leave me." She sobbed quietly for a minute, and then raised her head and looked at me. "Then, in a stupid, desperate attempt to get to you one last time, I jumped off a cliff." Edward narrowed his eyes trying to understand, and she sighed and said, "Don't ask. It was what it was. Jake saved me, and begged me to live. He begged me to live for him, for Charlie, but mostly for myself. That's when I realized I could live, and I could love. I could love him completely."
She reached up to touch his face and he closed his eyes and leaned into her touch. "I did love you, Edward; with all my heart and all of my being. Some part of me still does love you, in a way, but I am not IN LOVE with you any more. I love Jake. I am with Jake. He's my now and my future and my always. Nothing will change that. Your family has accepted that and accepts him as my choice. Can you accept that?"
He looked at me. "You love her?"
"Absolutely." I answered his question even though he had no say in the matter.
You will never hurt her?"
"NEVER."
"You will never leave her?"
"NEVER."
"You will always protect her?"
"ALWAYS." was the resounding answer, in unison, from not only me, but also the entire pack, and much to my shock, the rest of the Cullens.
Edward looked around at the group of us, and then smiled sadly at Bella. "I will always love you. I was wrong to leave you, and will regret it for the rest of my existence, and hope that someday you will find it in your heart to forgive me. I did mean what I said, about wanting you to live your life and be happy. You are happy with him, and that is all I could ever ask for. Not that it is up to me, but you have my blessing."
Bella flew forward and wrapped her arms around him, and Jasper and Emmett released him. He gently hugged her, and then kissed her forehead when she looked up at him. He let go, and she stepped back, and moved to my side, and took my hand in hers, and smiled up at me. I bent to kiss her gently, cupping her face in my hands.
"I take it you won't be ripping him apart, Jake?" asked Emmett?
"Not at the moment."
"Jacob, I'd like to stay for a while if that is okay," he said, sensing the unasked question on everyone's mind. "The whole reason I came back was because I heard your message for Carlisle about Victoria."
Several of the pack growled, and I wasn't sure if they didn't want him, or were angered at the mention of the leech's name.
"He can see what an opponent plans to do before they make a move," said Alice. We could use that to our advantage."
"It makes sense, Jake," said Jasper. "We still have no idea how many of them are coming. It can't hurt to have one more fighting for us from a numbers standpoint. He can also translate for the pack."
I looked at Carlisle. "What is your opinion?"
Carlisle was silent for several long moments. "The decision is yours, Jake. He's my son, and I have missed him, but if you decide he can't stay, he goes. We will meet up with him again another time."
I was still thinking when Rosalie stepped forward and addressed Edward. "Here's the deal: Victoria has created an army of who knows how many newborns, and plans to attack sometime in the near future. They are wreaking havoc in Seattle and the surrounding area, and are sure to be noticed by the Volturi. We have all sworn to protect Bella and the entire pack from Victoria, her army, and, if necessary, the Volturi with our lives if ot comes to that. Are you able to promise the same?"
Edward looked at her intently. "Yes." He looked at me and repeated it. "Yes. I swear to you, the pack, and my family that I will fight beside you, and defend you from any and all danger with my very life."
I looked down at Bella. "Is it okay with you?" She nodded. "Okay then, you can stay."
"Well I am glad THAT'S settled. Esme? What do you have in that kitchen of yours?" asked Paul. "I'm STARVED."