Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight Saga.

A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys! Here's the next chapter! Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite if you feel I deserve it! Those kinds of things make me a very happy person! lol Enjoy, love you all. xxx

CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE: BAD DREAM

My stomach plunged to my bare feet. "That's not a funny joke, Bella!" I said loudly. Billy couldn't be dead, he was a vampire…vampires didn't just die…

Bella broke down again. "I wish I was joking!" she cried.

I jumped to my feet, not sure what to do. My head was spinning, and I felt hot tears flood down my cheeks. "You're lying!" I refused to believe it. I refused to acknowledge that my only living parent might not be around anymore. Billy was invincible.

"I'm not, Jacob! He was rip—He was killed! I found him in the woods this morning!" She was becoming hysterical again, and hard to understand through her sobbing.

I felt the cell phone slip through my fingers. The ground came rushing up towards my face, and darkness enveloped me.

Nessie screamed.

"Jacob? Jacob, can you hear me?" a voice asked. Someone was patting my cheek, trying to get me to come to.

I groaned, opening my eyes and putting a hand on my pounding temple. I saw Nessie standing over me, holding the dropped phone in her hand, a horrified expression on her face.

"He's awake," she said in relief, some of the stress melting when I met her eyes. "Okay. Jacob, Mom wants you to lay down somewhere and rest. Daddy's on his way right now to come get us. He'll be here in a few hours. Can you get up, Jake?"

I tried to stand, but my legs felt like jello. I made it into a kneeling position, but the minute I put weight on my feet I just felt like I was going to get sick. I closed my eyes, shaking my head. Horrible dreams…there was no way my dad was dead, right?

"Mom, he won't get up," Nessie said in a strained tone. She listened for a moment, then looked at me firmly. "If I help, do you think you can make it to the couch?" She asked.

I didn't get a chance to decide. She grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me to my feet, grunting. I felt like a newborn fawn, the way my legs were shaking underneath me, but I managed to support most of my weight so as not to hurt her, then took shuffled steps forward to the couch miserably. It was a good thing this girl was half vampire. I flopped onto the cushion numbly, moaning. Horrible dreams…Jasper had taught me well enough to deal with physical pain. Emotional pain was what he should've helped me with.

Panting, Nessie picked up the phone again. "He's on the couch. Now what?" Silence. "Okay." Running out of the room, Nessie came back with a damp washrag. She set it on my forehead. "Hey, Jake? Mom wants to talk to you. Do you feel up to it?"

I nodded, feeling in a daze as I reached for the phone and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?" I whispered.

"Jake? Oh, I'm so glad you're okay. I heard a thud, and…oh, never mind. Edward just left for the airport. He's on his way to come get you guys…he knew you wouldn't feel up to driving a car. He—"

I cut her off. "Is Billy really dead?" I asked quietly.

The silence was enough for me.

"I'm so sorry, Jacob," Bella said quietly. I could hear that she was dangerously close to crying again.

"Do Rachel and Rebecca know?" I asked, surprising myself with how calm I was behaving.

"Um, Rachel does, because Seth told Paul and Paul told her, and Carlisle's trying to get a hold of Rebecca right now. It was difficult, because when Rachel told him the number, her husband picked up the phone and refused to let Carlisle talk to her because he thought Carlisle was a stalker…well, Carlisle's still arguing with him. Hopefully, we'll get to talk to her in a few minutes."

"Is Rachel with you guys?" I murmured, glancing up at my crying wife and squeezing her hand comfortingly.

"Yeah, and she's crying really hard. Leah, Paul, and Alice are trying to comfort her."

"Can I talk to her?"

"Um, yeah, sure," she replied gently. "Hold on."

There was silence, and then a new choked voice sounded on the phone. "Hello?"

It's Jake, Rache," I said quietly.

Abruptly, Rachel was sobbing. "First Mom, now Dad, too? Jake! We're orphans!"

I swallowed. Often, it felt like I was the older sibling. "Dad's with Mom now, remember? They'll be happy this way."

"Then why does it hurt so much?" Rachel whimpered.

Fresh tears poured down my face. "I-I don't know," I said quietly.

"We're all so tore up about this, Jake. We called Bella's father, Charlie. He's pretty messed up too. And all the Cullens are crying, no joke. I think I even saw that Rosalie getting emotional in a corner. Edward, Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett. All the guys. Dad was a big influence on them all."

I closed my eyes. "Has Carlisle gotten a hold of Rebecca yet?" I asked softly.

Rachel sniffed. "Yes. He just did. He's hanging up now. She's coming down for his fu-fu-funeralll!"

I sucked in a ragged breath. "We should be home by late tonight. I gotta go. Can you put Bella back on?" I knew that if I didn't get off now, I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears.

"Okay. Love you, Jake," she mumbled.

"Love you too, Rachel."

There was a few seconds of silence, and then Bella was back on. "We'll help you through this, Jacob," she said softly.

It's just like Rachel said. I'm an orphan," I replied dully.

"Oh, Jake, we're your family too, you know that! You'll never be an orphan."

"Can I have Rebecca's number?" I asked dully.

"Jake, do you really think it's a good idea to talk to her?" Bella whispered.

"She's my big sister, Bella," I said emotionlessly.

Bella gave me no more trouble after that, and she told me Rebecca's number. As soon as I hung up with her, I felt the tears break free. I couldn't hold them back any longer. It was an unreal thing to me that my father wouldn't be there when I got home to hug me, and it was like nothing I'd ever felt. I propped myself up on the couch and pulled Nessie down next to me from where she'd been standing by in tears. "Hey, hey, why are you crying?" I whispered softly.

"Because you're hurting! Jacob, I can't stand to see you in pain! I love you so much, and it hurts me more than you know to watch you cry when I know you're trying to be brave and-"

I pressed my lips urgently against hers. "Nessie, seeing you cry is only making things worse for me," I whispered. "I need you to stop so that I can stop too. We have to be brave together, okay?"

"Okay," Nessie said softly, reaching up to wipe my cheek as I wiped hers. I kissed her again.
"That's my brave girl. Thank you, Ness. Thank you. That will make this so much easier on me."

I called Rebecca, and a man picked up the phone. I assumed it was her husband, though I'd never actually met him. "Hello?"

"Is Rebecca…Finau there?" I asked. I actually had to think hard to remember her married last name. I'd known she'd married some Hawaiian surfer, but I'd never exactly shown up with a housewarming present.

"Maybe. Who is this?"

"Her brother Jacob," I said in a monotone. I had nothing left in me to pick a fight with my sister's husband.

"Hold on."

He put Rebecca on. "Hello?"

"Hey, Becca, it's Jake," I said.

"Oh, Jacob, Darling, I haven't spoken to you in ages! I take it you just heard about the unfortunate mishap with Daddy," she replied.

"Yeah, I have," I said, my eyes stinging. I had to be brave for Nessie. I'd promised.

"Oh, Jacob, you sound horribly upset!"

"Aren't you?" I asked, taken aback.

"Well, it's not like it wasn't to be expected, what with him hanging out with-" She lowered her voice "—All those vampires. We must pick up and move on."

"Rebecca, he was our father! How can we just pick up and move on?" I yelled in disbelief.

"There's no need to raise your voice, little brother," Rebecca said. There had never ever been a time in my childhood when I had gotten along with Becca. Ever. We were always fighting as kids, and I could see it wasn't going to end now.

"You could at least act like you care!" I said heatedly.

"Am I yelling at you?" Rebecca asked quietly.

"You might as well be! I'd rather be yelled at than have to sit and listen to you act like nothing's wrong!"

"First of all, you called me. Secondly, I never said nothing was wrong. I can just be an adult about this."

"Uh huh, yeah. Well we're all adults now, Becca. I'm married with a kid! When a parent dies, you shouldn't have to act like an adult! You should be able to get pissed, and sad, and not act like absolutely nothing went wrong!"

"Jacob, I refuse to sit and be screamed at," Rebecca said.

"Well, good. You don't have to any longer. I'm done," I said, hanging up. I slumped back. "Rebecca is such a…a…diva!" I spat.

Nessie smiled sadly. "I think that's her way of dealing with things. She tries blowing it off."

I moaned. "He's actually dead," I managed to choke out. But I refused to let any more tears escape.

Nessie kissed my forehead, and then stood. "I'm going to start packing. You can rest if you want," she said. She walked off into the big bedroom to pack things.

I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling for a second. Then, slowly, I got up and went to help Nessie. My lying around wasn't going to change anything. I had to get this honeymoon packed up.

After everything was back in the suitcases, Nessie and I simply sat and held hands. For the five hours it took Edward to arrive, we sat in mostly silence. The television was turned on at one point, but turned back off soon afterwards. I couldn't bear to see how everyone else's lives were just picking up and going on, when my own life felt so off the rails.

When Edward finally got there, it was about six p.m. He greeted Nessie with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then turned to look at me. Pity and sadness burned in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jacob," he murmured.

I swallowed hard, nodding. The last thing I needed was to break down right there, with Edward watching. Silently, he and Nessie loaded the suitcases back in the boat. When they were done, Edward gestured for me to come on.

And that officially ended our honeymoon.

Once we were on the plane back to Forks, Edward spoke. "We talked with Rachel…she wanted the…service to take place tomorrow. We would've asked you, but…you seemed the most attached to Billy. We were afraid it'd hurt you."

"I'm hurt already, Edward," I said in a dead voice.

Edward winced. "I'll be quiet now."

"Oh, Daddy, you were just trying to help," Nessie said.

"I'm not doing much good."

I listened to their conversation, resting my pounding head against the cool plane window. I just wanted to wake up. Wake up from the nightmare.

When we arrived on Forks, it was about one or two in the morning. Emmett was at the airport to take us back to the Cullens' house. The ride was spent in silence, with Edward and Emmett up front, and Ness and I holding each other in the back. Tears started silently streaming down my face once, and, glancing over at Nessie, saw that she, too, was crying. She kissed me and squeezed my hand comfortingly, and it gave me a dose of reality. I still had Nessie. I still had my angel.

Emmett kept looking at me in the rearview mirror while he and Edward conversed in too low and fast a tone for me to catch. I knew it was about me, because I managed to catch my name a few times.

"I'm sitting right here, you know," I said finally.

They shut up, after that.

The second the jeep pulled to a stop, I jumped out and sprinted headlong for the woods, to our cottage. I had to get to the seclusion of my home. I had to get away from the chaos that seemed to follow me everywhere I went.

"Jacob, Rachel's here!" I heard Edward call.

"She can come to me!" I yelled back, running inside.

Nessie was close on my tail, coming in just seconds after I did. She and I both noticed Bella sitting in a rocking chair at the same time.

"Why are you in here?" I asked. It sounded rude.

"Because Seth fell asleep in here, and I wasn't leaving him alone." She held up a worn book. "I was reading WutheringHeights." She hesitated, and then smiled sadly. "Again."

I sat heavily on the couch, and Nessie came down beside me. "Bells…was there anything…anything that could've been done to save him?" I asked.

"No, Jake. I'm sorry. He was little more than…" she trailed off.

"Little more than what?" I insisted, gritting my teeth.

"Jacob, don't make me say it."

"I need to hear it out loud. Maybe it will make it more real."

She took a quavering breath, closing her book. "He was little more than a pile of ashes when I found him. Some…small parts left. We managed to salvage a piece of material off his shirt and a lock of his hair for you and your sisters."

I stifled a sob, swallowing hard. "Thanks. I needed to hear that. Maybe now I'll quit thinking it was all a bad dream."

Bella's face twisted in sorrow, and she looked down.

Seth Masen came padding out of his bedroom, hair ruffled. He yawned massively, then blinked. "Mommy! Daddy!"

"Hey, buddy," I said, letting him crawl into my lap. "Were you good while we were gone?"

"For the most part," Seth said. "Me and Mickey fought a little, but Aunt Rose made us stand in the corner until we apologized. And Daddy! Guess what! I have another aunt! Your sister! I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah," I said. He hadn't mentioned Billy…

"But something bad happened while you were gone, Daddy," Seth said suddenly, face solemn.

Rachel came in the door, sitting down on the other side of me and grasping my hand. "Hey, Jacob," she said, voice husky from crying.

"Rache," I whispered. "It's been forever. Too bad we meet again on such horrible circumstances."

Rachel nodded. "The rest wanted to come out with me…but I thought…it would be best for them to stay."

I nodded. "I'll see them in a few minutes. I need the time to get collected."

"Have you talked to Rebecca?" Bella asked gently.

My expression hardened. "Yep."

"Is she okay?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "She's more than okay. In fact, she probably could care less either way. It's not her problem."

"Oh, Jake, you don't mean that," Bella scolded.

Rachel looked up. "Yes he does. Becca's never shown any pity or sadness. When Mom died, she didn't shed a tear, and she was only thirteen. I haven't talked to her in years, but I'll guarantee she's still the same way. She's ashamed of our family, and the sooner we're all gone, the better. When she found Jake was a shape shifter, she was disgusted. When Dad landed himself in a wheelchair, she was embarrassed. Her exact words were, 'Oh, joy. Now not only is our mom rotting in the ground, our dad is a lame cripple who won't be able to work. I feel sorry for Jacob living back home. Poor kid's got a bum for a father, don't you agree, Rache?' She acted like he wasn't even her father anymore."

Bella winced. "Some sister."

Seth was staring, mouth open. "I have another aunt?" he demanded.

"You'll never have to call Rebecca your aunt," I said firmly.

"You never even mentioned her or Aunt Rachel! Ever!"

"Seth, lower your voice," Nessie said.

Seth turned on her. "What about you? Do you have any sisters or brothers you've never told me about? Do I have an Uncle Bob Cullen floating around out there somewhere?"

"I truly am an only child. Trust me. There was no one else in there with me, Seth. I would've remembered."

"I'm going back to bed," Seth said, disgusted. "Wake me up if there's another aunt you wanna tell me about."

He walked back to his bedroom, shaking his head.

That was exactly what I wanted to do, as well. But I wasn't a child anymore. I had to face the music.