Thank you for reading and reviewing, beautiful people. Enjoy (: Important note at the end concerning Book 3.
Some things were easy about moving back in with my family. Some things were hard.
I had to explain to my parents what patrolling involved and how I'd be gone for long hours and how I'll be low on sleep but how it was for the greater good and my responsibility. Mom didn't like it, but she consented.
She had also given me the yelling at of a lifetime once the initial joy and shock had passed. About how I was never to go so long without so much as calling home ever again and how if I did, I would literally be in the doghouse.
I still spent a lot of time in La Push although they complained about the smell. A lot. I didn't really notice it. After a while of complete immersion in it, it doesn't affect me so much.
One thing hasn't changed. Edward is a prick and a jerk.
When I woke up in my house for the first time since I reunited with my family again, I went down and was very unhappy to see Edward just walking in the door.
"Where were you?" I asked, angrily.
"Bella's house," he said evenly.
"I told you to stay away from her!"
"She wanted me to come. And I saw you from her kitchen window. You were too late to stop me, anyway. I had come to tell her about the tragedy that was your death. Otherwise, I may have stayed away."
"You're just going to destroy her again!" I said, "Do you know how broken she was? She was crying and losing weight and sitting in the dark. I was fixing her, and you ruined everything!"
"The choice is up to Bella about who she wants to be with. And she has made it clear to me that she wants me in her life," Edward said. I hated his cool tone. My hands started shaking. I wanted a fight.
"Control yourself, Jacob. No one would want to see us fighting," he said.
"You took her back!" I accused, "You don't deserve her!"
"I know," he said, with a bit of a growl. Good, I was getting him mad, "But Bella wants me so I will stay with her."
"You don't think she wanted you before?" I cried, sending him memories from the first night I saw her again where she was crying in her car.
"I was stupid," he said quietly.
"You still are. Leave her alone!"
"It's too late. I'm here as long as she wants me," Edward said.
"I'm going to go talk to her," I told him. He stepped out of my way. I ran on two legs so I wouldn't be tempted to turn around and bite his throat out.
I was on her street quickly enough. Good, the cruiser is gone. It will be just us.
I knocked on the door, chipping the wood a few times. I breathed deeply and tried to calm down. I loved Bella. I didn't want her to be hurt like Emily.
She opened the door. She looked worried but not surprised.
"Hi, Jacob," she said. She used to brighten up whenever she saw me.
"You look less excited to see me than you were last time," I pointed out, walking in. Edward hadn't stolen that light; he'd killed it and replaced it with one that didn't glow but burned. He was no good for her.
"Jacob, all I've wanted for months is for Edward to come back. Now he is. A lot of people don't get that lucky."
"He isn't good for you, Bella. Did you hit your head and forget all that pain?"
"I wrecked myself. But I'm not broken anymore. Only he can remind me how to be whole again."
"But I was actually trying!" I yell, "He wasn't! He left you here, to pick up the pieces all by yourself! I came back for you, Bella!"
"Jacob, I owe you my life, and I love you, but Edward holds my heart. That never changed. I didn't know you felt that way."
"Cut the crap, Bella! It was so obvious! You knew! I wouldn't have worked around my family or have spent every free moment with you if I didn't love you! And where was he, Bella?"
"He was suffering too, Jacob. He was hurting as much I was. He thought it was best. People make mistakes."
"If he was hurting like you, why didn't he choose to come back? He could have Bella, but he didn't. Every painful moment you had these last few months was because of his choice to leave. He knew you would be hurt, and he still left!"
Tears were filling her eyes. "Leave, Jacob," she said quietly.
Almost every part of me wanted to take back my words so she would stop crying. I had never hurt her, not like this. I was always the security blanket. Somewhere along I started wanting more. That isn't my fault-is it hers for raising my expectations and not fulfilling them? Could I have chosen to be her friend despite my true feelings, and to stand by when she went back to Edward? A better man, an imprint certainly, may have, but I can't. I wanted to fight for her, and I don't know what that means about my love for her.
I turned around and walked out the door. This time I phased when I reached the woods.
Hey, Jacob, Embry greeted.
He saw what happened in my head. That just sucks, man, sorry.
It completely sucks, I agreed bitterly.
Where are you going?
I'm weighing the pros and cons of attacking him.
Don't do it, Jake, Embry told me. I wonder what the other wolves would say. Sam would agree with Embry definitely, but I bet Paul would say go for it.
You'll regret it, and it'll make her upset.
I huffed, You're right. She'll never forgive me.
So I phased back and put my clothes on. Edward was waiting for me on the front porch.
He looked so arrogant in his serenity.
So I punched that serenity in the face.
One of my fingers broke on his cheekbone. His head fell back a little, but there was no satisfactory damage. I swore and set my finger so it wouldn't heal wrong.
"I thought you said you weren't going to attack me," he said.
"Did that even hurt?" I growled at him.
"No, but it was a pretty hard punch. Kind of impressed with you."
"If it didn't hurt, it doesn't count."
"Alright then. Did you see her?"
"Would I have punched you if I hadn't. You brainwashed her."
"You made her cry?" he said, frowning at me.
"These shitty circumstances made her cry. And you made her cry a lot more."
"Please stop shoving those memories at me. They're so loud."
"Why? Can't handle the truth?"
My mother came out of the house. "What's going on? Are you bleeding?" She was looking at my hand with thankfully topaz eyes.
I wiped the blood on my shirt. The place where my skin had cut had already healed. I held up my hand. "It's fine."
"Fascinating," Edward said, looking at my healed wound.
"How did you hurt it?" Mom asked.
"Punching my face," Edward answered coolly.
"What? Why?"
"He took her back! He can't have her!" I yelled, as if my mom could solve our dispute. At least she could take my side.
"Oh my, not this again," Mom said tiredly, "We're in the exact same place we were last year. We just went in a giant circle."
"Get out," I growled at Edward, "Leave. Now."
Edward held up his hands. "Fine. You obviously don't want to see me."
Grandma came out. "Edward, please don't go again."
"I'll stay close, Mom. Promise," Edward said, smiling reassuringly at her. Then he got into his stupid silver car and most definitely drove to Bella's house. Mom took me inside and made Grandpa look at my hand. He said I had set it right and asked a bunch of medical questions about how the healing process works. He was so excited to learn about it.
Edward came back a few hours later, Bella with him. He looked sour. The members of my family who had missed her greeted her warmly with lots of hugs and smiling. Dad waved, but didn't do anything after Mom and I glared at him. She smiled at me, and I turned my head. She asked everyone to assemble in the redone dining room. I rarely saw everyone gathered around a table. They were mostly for my use.
Mom sat next to me, leaning over the table so that I was nearly blocked from Bella's view. She was on the receiving end of one of my mother's vicious stink eyes as well.
"Hello, everyone," she said, " Edward and I are here to settle one of our arguments that we can't leave in the air any longer. It's the subject of my mortality. Edward wants me to remain human for a life he sees as very long. I think that idea is gross and highly unappealing. So the obvious solution is to become a vampire like you. Since you'll be putting up with me as long as he would be, I want to put it to a vote."
I looked at her straight-on for the first time. She caught my eye and smiled. My mouth was hanging open. Was she serious? This isn't like choosing a pizza topping. This was her life we were talking about.
She took her eyes off of me and gestured to Edward. "We can start with you, Edward." she said, "Would you like me to be a Cullen?"
"Not like this. No."
"Alright. Alice?"
"Of course," my aunt said cheerily. Bella smiled appreciatively.
"Jasper?" she asked. I leaned in to hear what my uncle would say.
"I think the past few months have shown that you two should not be separated again. Yes." Of course, he said yes. The emotions he felt from Edward had nearly driven him bonkers.
Bella tried to hide her pleasure at this surprisingvote. She turned to Dad.
"If you want it then yes," he said, trying to be neutral to both Mom, Bella, and I. It was no secret he wanted Bella as a sister or that he saw no problem with a vampire lifestyle.
"Rosalie?" Bella asked, looking at my Mom who had placed a hand on my arm that was both comforting and restraining.
"No. Although I have been far luckier than most women of my kind, this isn't what I would have chosen if I had been given the opportunity."
Bella nodded and locked her big, brown eyes on me. "Jake? I know you're planning to stick around."
"No, Bella. You're eighteen. You're way too young to think about this. There's nothing wrong with a long and perfectly happy human life."
Bella just turned to Grandma who said yes before she finished the question.
"Carlisle?" Bella asked. He was our leader. His answer was what really mattered.
"Yes," he said. Edward snarled at him. But if he had seen how sad Grandpa was when he left, he would understand.
"Alright, let's do this thing," Bella said.
"Now?" Edward and I yelled together. Our eyes connected. As much as I hated it, we had a common goal-keep Bella human. In that look, we both knew it too.
"Are you completely idiotic?" I yelled at Bella.
She frowned and snapped, "You were out-voted, Jacob."
"And you're irrational. What about your parents and Leah and your friends?"
"You don't want Charlie to wake up and find you gone, right? Never to see you again?" Edward added.
Bella hung her head.
"Give them a breaking-off point," I suggested, "Like graduation."
"Or college," Edward suggested. I nodded at that.
Bella mulled it over and said stubbornly, "Fine. Not until graduation. But don't delay it anymore."
"I wouldn't dream of it," Edward muttered. He scooped up Bella and looked at me again as if to say, "We're together on this. Agreed?"
I nodded. I was with him, but I still didn't like him.
Poor Jacob, always getting his heart broken. This is the end of Book 2. I didn't know it was coming; it happened so quickly. Yes, there will be four books, but the next one is where things are just going to get completely different and crazy and fun. I have started it, and when I was outlining the series, this book especially had all these great scenes playing in my head like "man I can't wait until I get to write that! They're going to love this part!" I have a short prologue that will be up soon so stay tuned and have a beautiful day!