Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer not me.
Author/Note 1: For the ones who know my previous stories, you'll understand everything quite rapidly, since Our Dawn 5 is the sequel from Our Dawn 4. For the ones who don't know anything about Our Dawn Series, you can always read Our Dawn 1, 2, 3 and 4 but if you don't want to bother read the resume I wrote on my profile page.
A/Note 2: A huge thank you for everyone who reviewed Our Dawn Series so far.
A/Note 3: I'm not a native English speaker so I'm sorry for my grammar and spelling. Thank you for reading.
Alert: the characters in this story curse a lot. Some chapters are rated M.
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Our Dawn
Part V
Epilogue
Leah Clearwater
37. The Final Judgment (Dies Irae) – Part Five
"Wake up, babe. It's time."
I turned around and put my pillow over my head. It was way too early. I needed more sleep. I was tired and it was seventh day in a row we were getting up at sunrise.
"Leah." Jacob called again. "We're going to be late and you know Old Quil hates when we're late."
"That's because he's an old fart and he hasn't been helping around in the Reservation like us. I'm tired. I want to sleep."
"You were all energy last night." He laughed mischievously and I threw the pillow at him. "Come on. I'll make you breakfast."
"I'll be right there."
I dragged myself to the bathroom while listening to Jacob's steps down the stairs on his way to the kitchen. I looked up to be sure it was safe for me to step into the shower. Jacob didn't have the time to fix our roof yet. Ever since the Bellingham Tornado we were busy helping other families and didn't have time to take care of our own house that was also the reason why the children weren't with us. Isaac and Sarah were living with my mother and Charlie and the twins were staying at Billy's until it was safe from all of them to return home.
And that was three months ago. The tornado, formed over the northwest corner of Bellingham, followed an unusual path. First in went south causing a few damages all the way until Everett and Seattle. Then the F2 tornado turned west going through Puget Sound and crossed Richmond Highlands, hitting Forks and La Push a few hours later. It dissipated in the ocean, many hours later, leaving behind a path of destruction and chaos. Compared to some people, who had lost everything they had, we were quite fortunate.
There were ten deaths confirmed but more than thirty people were still missing in Everett and Seattle. No one believed they could be alive after three months. In Forks and La Push there were no casualties but many people had ended up injured and homeless.
Eighty per cent of La Push's houses had been damaged. The population of Forks weren't affected that much but the power and water supplies had been cut for almost a month.
The Cullens, namely Carlisle, managed to keep the Hospital running and paid for food and water supplies that were brought over to Forks and La Push in huge trucks. And three months after the tornado Carlisle was still working with the Fire Department and the local authorities on a shelter project for both communities in order to prevent a similar situation in the future.
A few residents in Forks were slightly suspicious about Carlisle and his family. After all many years had passed and they still looked the same but no one dared to mention it since he was actually helping the community. His money was more than welcome and I wouldn't be surprised if in a few months they turned Carlisle into a local hero and build him a statue or something.
In La Push, we managed to fix most of the houses that had been damaged by the tornado during the last three months, except for the ones that had been consumed by the fire. Those were still being rebuilt by a group of volunteers which included Jacob and the rest of the pack.
Sometimes, during the night, the pack allowed Emmett, Jasper and Edward to come and help while the rest of the volunteers were resting. But there was still a lot to do.
Since the school building wasn't safe for our children, they were attending classes in Forks. It was probably the first time in history that children from the Reservation were attending a public school. Some kids enjoyed it, some didn't but we didn't have a choice.
However that Friday morning we had more important things to do. Old Quil's living room was packed with people when Jacob and I arrived. All the pack was there, including my mother and Billy. Decisions had to be made. A week ago we had begun to discuss Gwen's presence in La Push. She had been helping just like everyone else and no one seemed to dislike her. She was nice, easy going, polite and helpful. No one doubted she'd be a good asset to our community.
However she was not one of us. In our first meeting the pack was divided. Half of us were against her joining our pack, the other half didn't see anything wrong with it since it had happened before.
We wanted to have a decision by the end of the day but even the elders weren't sure about it.
"Josh is half-Quileute." Billy said. "Gwen isn't."
Joshua Spears was another bastard son of Joshua Uley, Sam's father. That made him Sam and Embry's half-brother and everyone knew there could be more bastard Uleys all over the country. In La Push only the Tribal Council and the pack knew about this. For the rest of the resident population Josh was just someone from the Makah Reservation, who much like Emily and Claire's parents, had moved to La Push.
Gwen's case was more complicated. Unlike Josh, who didn't have a family, she did. Her father, Sean Valens, was a drunken idiot but he was still her father. Plus she had three siblings: a younger sister named Glenda, an older sister named Gina and an older brother, Dominic who was a member of the White pack.
We didn't fear the White pack. They were only five but we didn't want to start a battle between us since they had proved on several occasions to be good allies. Lance was a good leader and as far as we knew, they were all doing a great job keeping their reservation safe from vampires.
In the last month Dominic had called regularly to know about Gwen. She had told him she would go home soon but it was clear to us that she had no intention to keep her word. She was just trying to buy some time and appease her brother.
In the meanwhile, we all noticed she and Seth were becoming closer. In the beginning I shared Jacob's opinion that Seth was being an idiot. I had even warned my brother not to fall in love with that girl but deep inside I knew it was too late for that. I could see in his eyes that he loved her and would not let her go so easily even though he kept denying his own feelings.
"Her brother will get tired of calling and one day he will come here with his pack to take her home." Old Quil said. "So it's important for us to decide what we're going to do with the girl."
"It's pretty obvious she won't be able to join our pack like Josh did." Sam stated. "I mean she's a female and we're sure she's Lance's rightful mate."
"If she phased it means she needs to rejoin her pack. It means they need her to have a stronger pack with pure wolves." Billy added. "We have to send her back."
"What if she doesn't want that?" Seth asked. "She's not a test subject."
"It's not about what she wants son." My mother said.
"Would you say that if it were Leah?"
"I don't know…I guess so…" My mother admitted.
"So if Leah didn't want to be with Jake you would force her to be with him and have his children just because they're the alpha pair?"
My mother diverted her eyes from Seth and didn't answer.
"This is about doing the right thing Seth. Her pack depends on her just like yours depended on Leah and Jake." Billy tried again.
"To force someone to do something she doesn't want to do is wrong." Seth stated. "I would never let my sister be some breeding subject for anyone to use. If she didn't love Jake I would never let her ruin her happiness just because of an old legend or because it would be better for the pack."
He was right. I had become Jacob's mate out of free will but things could've happened differently had my heart chosen the solitary road. Fortunately, I had fallen in love with him before I had reached sexual maturity as a wolf and fortunately he also had feelings for me. That was the reason why we were together. The alpha pair bond and the magic of the legends were strong but I would've never allowed Jacob to claim me as his female if I didn't have true feelings for him. So I did agree with my brother. It was wrong to force Gwen to go back home if she didn't want to be the alpha female of her pack.
"Look, I don't want to force Gwen to go home and become Lance's mate…I'm just saying she can't stay here."
"It's the same, Jake. She doesn't have anywhere to go." Seth told him.
"What do you want me to do?" Jacob asked.
"Let her stay here, please."
"If she stays all the non-imprinted wolves will fight over her. Our pack has a hierarchy and if she stays everything will change. We'll have two alpha females…"
"No, we'll have two female wolves. Leah's the alpha female and Gwen won't steal her position because in our pack she would be a low ranked wolf." Seth looked at me searching for support but I didn't know what to say.
"We had two alpha males before and nothing bad happened." Quil recalled, helping Seth's cause. "And no one ever felt compelled to mate with Leah."
"That's because she was mine already. I hadn't claimed her yet but Leah was branded. You all knew she was mine." Jacob said. "Plus Sam had already imprinted on Emily and he was never the rightful alpha."
"Gwen will only reach sexual maturity in two years…maybe we should let her stay just for a while and in the meantime we can think about a solution." I suggested.
"That will confuse her even more." Sam said. "Besides she broke our laws. She killed a human."
"He was more of a monster than a vampire." Seth spat.
"I'm with Seth on this one." I stated. And many others agreed too.
"To take a human life is not her decision. Even if he was a piece of scum." My mother said. "She acted on revenge."
"She acted on instinct." Seth corrected.
"If someone did that to me or my daughter I would kill him too." I confessed. "I don't hold that against her."
"But she lied to her pack and ran away. She must be taken to justice." Old Quil announced.
"If she had told them the truth from the beginning they might have helped her." My mother added.
"She doesn't want them to know." Seth explained. "She's ashamed."
"We can't lie for her too. Her pack needs to know and I do realise it's probably hard for her to talk about it but…she can't expect the problem to go away just like that. Maybe with the Cullen's help she won't even have to serve time." My mother looked at me.
"We can try to ask them…" I told Seth and he shrugged. "They know influent people."
"I understand you want to protect her but it's too late for that son." Billy stated.
My brother was becoming more impatient and desperate by the minute. I could feel he was about to explode.
"Maybe we can help her." I said facing Jacob and the elders. "Gwen did things she's probably not proud of and she made some bad decisions but we can't just order her to leave without telling her everything she needs to know."
"Like what?" Jacob questioned.
"Like how important she is to her pack, how she can make up for all the lies and what she can expect of her future as a wolf. When I phased for the first time I didn't understand what was going on and I wish someone had helped me. We can help Gwen with that."
"I guess we can do that." Old Quil nodded. "You talk to the girl, Leah. Make sure she understands what's at stake."
I was about to say that I wanted to have some rest before but my brother's hopeful face changed my mind.
"Is she at your place?" I asked him. I guess I would have to spend the morning with Gwen.
"Yes."
"Okay…I'm going." I groaned. "You owe me one little brother."
Seth just smiled.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Wake up, babe. It's time."
I sat down on the bed and looked around feeling a weird sense of déjà vu.
"Are you okay?" Jacob asked opening the door to leave.
"I'm fine."
"You look tired." He said. "We shouldn't have gone to Charlie's last night."
I yawned and fell back again. I would kill to have a few more minutes in bed.
"Are you kidding? Last night was awesome. It was the best birthday ever."
Jacob shook his head, disapprovingly.
"Come on Jacob, you have to admit it was funny. Bella's going to have a little sister or brother in six months."
Jacob rolled his eyes at me and left the bedroom.
"I don't think she's very happy." I heard him say.
Last night we had dinner at Charlie's to celebrate his birthday. After the latest events, Bella thought it would be nice to invite her mother and stepfather too since they didn't see each other for quite a while. Renée accepted the invitation only because Bella told her it would be strictly family. Only Edward would be there. Ever since she had learned her daughter was a vampire Renée was afraid of the Cullens and she didn't like the pack much either. In her opinion we were all monsters.
The poor woman was a bit nervous when she walked through the door and saw me and Jacob in the kitchen helping my mother. It was supposed to be a quiet night but it turned out to be a riot.
Bella had always mentioned her mother was irresponsible and unpredictable but only then I realised how right she was. The look on Bella's face when her mother told her she was going to have a baby sister or brother was absolutely priceless. After that the men left the table and went to the living room to discuss baseball tactics and Bella had a fit.
"I don't know if she's ever going to forgive her mother." I told Jacob when I joined him for breakfast. Renée knew vampires couldn't have children and yet she had come to flaunt her pregnancy in her daughter's face on her ex-husband's birthday. Either she was just a clueless idiot or she was actually doing on purpose to hurt her daughter. The first option was more viable.
"Renée has a point though… Now that she lost her only child to the dark side, we can't blame her for wanting another kid, right? Someone she can hold on to in the future. Someone normal." I added.
Jacob shrugged again.
"It's none of our business. Renée is old enough to make her own choices." He said. "But I do think it's a bit irresponsible to get pregnant at her age. Besides, as far as I remember she was never a good mother to Bella. Of course she loved Bella but she was always so…clumsy. I remember Charlie saying she accidentally left Bella in a library when Bella was only four years old…and sometimes she forgot to pick her up at school."
"It's in their genes I guess…I mean Bella was also clumsy and a moron too before turning into a leech." I recalled Bella tripping in her own feet several times when she was human. And I still thought Bella was a moron for giving up a normal life but that was in the past and to be honest I was used to the new Bella now. "Maybe Renée wants to be a better mother. You know…it's a second chance for her to redeem herself for the past. With this baby she can be a better person."
"Maybe. But if I remember correctly she has a lot to learn." Jacob said.
We both laughed.
"So…" Jacob began. "Have you considered?"
"About what?" I knew what he was talking about. I was just trying to avoid that conversation.
"Talking to Carlisle. You said you'd think about it." He sighed.
"I don't think I'm ready yet."
"What are you afraid of? It's just a few tests…"
After my miscarriage I was supposed to have an appointment with Carlisle to see if I could still have children. The last time I had a check-up he told me something didn't seem quite right and I was afraid this time he'd say I would never be able to have a baby again.
Since I was already a mother of four, the problem wasn't that serious but it was still hard to face the fact that I wouldn't be able to have more children and I was only in my mid-thirties. What if I suddenly felt the need to become a mother again like Renée? I wanted to be able to have that option.
"It's not the tests I'm afraid of, it's the results."
"Okay…I'm sorry. I won't force you to go if you don't want to." Jacob said when he noticed my tears.
"I'll go when I'm ready. I promise."
Jacob kissed my forehead before leaving. Today he was going to start repairing his garage with Quil and Embry. He wanted to have his own business running by the end of the year and only the gods knew how much we really needed the money. I was about to go out to buy some groceries when Seth arrived.
"Good morning…Can we talk?" He asked coming inside and closing the door behind him.
"Sure. What's up?"
"What did you tell Gwen yesterday?"
"Everything." And by that I really meant everything. I had spent the whole morning answering her questions and I left my brother's house knowing for a fact that I couldn't do anything else for Gwen Valens. "I told her everything about wolves, about protecting our people, making sacrifices, doing patrols, having imprints, the mating season, the pack's hierarchy…I practically told her the story of my life. Why do you ask?"
"She's not talking to me." He confessed. "I don't know if we made the right thing. I think she's scared about what she learned."
With all the information I told her I wouldn't blame her for being scared. Actually I was surprised she took it so well. A normal person would freak out.
"Seth…now it's up to her. Let her decide. She's old enough, okay? I believe she needs some time to think and put her thoughts in order."
"What if…" He hesitated for a moment.
"Why are you so afraid?"
"It's nothing…" He tried to make it sound he didn't care but I knew better. Seth was my brother, we had always been close, especially after phasing into giant wolves. I knew he was lying to me.
"Do you like her?" It was a simple and innocent question.
"No." He stated immediately and it was another lie. Did my brother really think he could fool me?
"Listen to me Seth. You should never ignore your own feelings. You need to be honest with yourself and with Gwen. So if you want this to work you need to make your own decisions because there's only one way you can be with this girl."
"I…I…don't want to be with her…I mean I…" He blushed profusely and I suddenly thought I had never seen my brother in love. This girl had to be special.
"Tell her you're in love with her. No matter what she decides, she needs to know." I encouraged him.
"I'm not in love with her!" He denied again. I always thought I was the stubborn child, but Seth was proving he had also taken after our mother.
"What about the kiss?"
Seth was a pro hiding his thoughts but sometimes he let little things slip so I knew about the kiss and I knew how he felt when he kissed Gwen.
"It was a mistake!" He was fuming now. "Just drop the subject, okay?"
"You shouldn't have said that." I told him.
"Why not?"
"Because she was outside just now."
Seth turned around and opened the door. We both saw Gwen running down the street. She didn't turn around when Seth called out her name. It was now more than obvious that she had feelings for my brother too otherwise she wouldn't be running away like that.
"Shit." He cursed. "I need to talk to her…explain that…"
Before he could go after Gwen I held Seth's wrist.
"You know what you have to do to keep her safe, right?" I questioned.
Seth looked at me puzzled at first but then he understood what I meant. If he wanted to have a chance with that girl, he would have to claim her before another wolf could. Of course that could complicate things even more but if he truly loved her she would worth the risk.
"Don't mess up Seth."
"I won't."
xxxxxxxxxx
"It was just for a minute. My mother overreacted. It's just stress. I have a million things to do. I started working last week and everything is a chaos…We're trying to organize the papers and there are things missing, files and shit…and my boss is acting crazy…" My little rant didn't work because Carlisle kept staring at me quietly.
"You passed out while driving Leah." He said calmly. "I understand you might be a little stressed out but I'm not going to let you go until I'm sure everything's fine with you. I promised Sue I would look after you."
"I'm not a damn kid." I rolled my eyes.
"Let's focus on the incident again, shall we?" He ignored my last words. Damn leech was good and that was why I respected him so much. But he knew how to piss me off.
"You blacked out suddenly right?"
"It was only for a few seconds and my mother was in the car with me."
"Along with Isaac and Sarah."
"Nothing happened. They're fine, my mum is fine, I'm fine even the car is fine. End of story."
"I'm sorry but I have to call Jacob. I'm sure he'll want to know about this."
"Okay fine. Just run the damn tests first and then if there's something wrong with me, you can call Jacob."
"Good call Leah." Carlisle smiled.
I regretted suggesting that as soon as the tests started. Carlisle ran thousands of tests on me and none was conclusive enough for him to draw a theory of why I had blacked out for a couple of seconds while driving my kids and my mother back to Forks.
"Your CAT scan is normal, your blood pressure is alright, your temperature is a bit high even though that's normal, and your ECG looks fine too. I don't understand."
I gave the leech doctor an I-told-you-so look.
"Look, my mother thinks I can develop a brain tumour like she did years ago but I'm a wolf, I don't get sick. She's being paranoid. I'm just tired that's all."
"Besides your job is there something upsetting you at home?" He asked.
Lack of sex. I thought to myself, but I wasn't going to tell him that.
"Jacob's working extra hours and Seth's still angry at everyone since Gwen left a week ago but the rest is fine."
"Okay…I guess there's no need to call Jacob then."
I sighed in relief. The last thing I needed was Jacob all worried about me when he had so much on his mind right now.
"Let's just see if you have no concussion so I can send you home."
"Fine." I conceded.
As I was lying down I heard Rosalie, Emmett, Alice and Jasper leaving the house. They were going to the airport and Edward and Bella were in Florida, checking out on Renée.
"So they're really going, huh?" I commented. The four Cullens were going to Volterra for a few days.
"Aro was nice to invite us." Carlisle said but I knew he wasn't being completely honest. Esme had told me Aro had sent a letter to Forks inviting the Cullens to go to Italy to attend Joham's final judgment and Scarlett's graduation. The vampire child was going to officially enter the Volturi Guard much to Jane's dismay and Joham would most likely be sentenced to die. He had been caught by Alistair and a group of the Volturi Guard three weeks ago in Russia. It was game over for him.
Carlisle wrote back to his friend saying he was glad for the gesture but he was going to decline the offer. Esme, Bella and Edward were going to stay but the others had accepted the invitation.
"I've never enjoyed trials anyway." He added. "I know what will happen. I was a jury myself when I lived there. I've never liked it much though…I've always despised violence. To sentence someone to die…it's not my thing."
"You think Joham is going to be executed?"
"Yes. Aro wouldn't make the same mistake twice."
"Good. I don't like violence either but Joham is way too dangerous." I confessed. "Anyways I'm sure Rosalie and the others are going because they want to see the little girl not because they want to attend Joham's execution."
Carlisle nodded. No one knew how but Rosalie had created a bond with Scarlett.
"Can I go now?" I asked when Carlisle put down the stethoscope.
"Not yet."
The doctor's cold hands made some pressure on my abdomen and suddenly I felt a sharp pain when he touched me on the left side.
"I guess you have a broken rib." He warned me not to move while turning on the ultrasound machine. "You might have an internal bleeding. I want to be sure."
I winced in pain when he put the gel over my lower stomach.
"I don't understand. I didn't feel any pain before you touched me."
Carlisle frowned when he observed the monitor.
"There's no bleeding."
I sighed.
"But…there's no broken rib either. Your kidneys are fine, your liver is normal…I don't understand why you felt pain in the first place."
"I have no idea either."
"Turn on your left side."
I did what he asked and when he touched me again the pain came back but not as much as the first time.
"Does it hurt?"
"A little bit."
He put more gel on my skin and then started to move the sensor back and forth searching for something. He froze the image on the screen and gave me a weird look.
"I think we need to call Jacob after all." He announced.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"Look at the screen Leah." He said.
I sat down and tried to understand what I was looking at. And then I blinked once, twice and my heart beat increased.
"Is that…a baby?"
"Yes."
"But it can't be."
"Yes, it can. You're five months along."
"Five months?" I gasped. "Look at me. Do I look pregnant to you?"
My stomach was flat. I didn't gain any weight in the last few months, I didn't have any symptoms despite the fatigue.
"There's an explanation for that."
"Well then you better start talking."
"You didn't have a miscarriage when Lasya attacked you. You had a hemorrhage but you didn't lose the baby and he's been growing outside your uterus."
To say I was shocked was an understatement.
"How?"
"I guess the baby found a way to protect himself whenever your body changes when you phase. A defense mechanism. But as a result we're now dealing with an ectopic pregnancy which is quite rare."
"A what?"
"An ectopic pregnancy. It's when the baby is developing outside the uterus. We'll have to do a caesarean section or a laparotomy."
"Wait a sec doctor…Is the baby going to survive?"
"Well he's alive now and even though he's a bit small I think he's pretty well formed for a normal five-month baby. I guess he's been getting all the nutrients and blood he needs so far but a normal delivery is out of the question."
I was still too shocked to know what to do. I had been worried about not being able to have more children and now I was suddenly five months pregnant. The problem was I hadn't been careful for five months and my baby could be in danger.
"I didn't have prenatal care…" I told Carlisle. "I've been drinking, I didn't take any vitamins, I've been phasing and working…Is the baby really okay?"
"If you've been feeling well until now, I guess the baby is fine. Your metabolism burns the alcohol so fast I doubt it has affected the baby. But I can run more tests to be sure."
"Okay. Do the tests."
"I think I should speak to Jacob first. He needs to know, especially because your pregnancy is a high risk pregnancy."
"Even with my healing abilities?"
"Yes. When you had Harry and William you almost bleed out to death. There are complications we can't predict and an ectopic pregnancy is usually fatal to the child, the mother or both."
"What exactly are my chances?"
"It depends."
"On what?"
"On where the baby is located, on how your body will respond to your baby's needs, on the baby's blood supply and the placenta."
"How many cases of success are there?"
"Only a hand full. I'm not going to lie to you. Usually an ectopic pregnancy is not viable. Women tend to miscarriage early in the pregnancy because the fetus can't develop normally. As soon as it's diagnosed a doctor should advise the patient to abort because there's a high risk of severe hemorrhage for the mother."
"But that's not my case, is it?"
"Not exactly. You're already too advanced in the pregnancy. You've carried that child for five months without complications and there are rare cases in which both mother and child survive."
"That's good to know. To beat the odds has always been my thing."
Carlisle smiled.
"I think you should deliver the baby as soon as possible due to the risks. Two more months and the baby will be ready. Then I'll perform a caesarean section. Your body will heal as soon as the baby is out."
"So I have two months to get ready, right?"
"Yes. From now on you can't phase or work. I'm going to talk to Sue and Jacob and they'll be in charge of everything. You have to rest because if you have a hemorrhage, you and your baby can die."
"Okay. I'll do whatever you say but let me be the one to tell Jacob."
If Carlisle told Jacob about this, he would freak out and would probably force me to stay at the vampire's mansion under close surveillance.
"Fine. Let me run a few more tests and then I'll let you go home to talk to Jacob. Deal?"
"Deal."
xxxxxxxxxx
"You're overreacting mum." I said on the phone.
Leah, you have to tell him. This is not something you want to hide from your husband.
"I need some time to figure out a way to tell him."
Just tell him! It's been a week…I'm sure he must've noticed something's wrong by now.
My mother was right. Jacob wasn't that clueless. He had realised something wasn't right even before I turned him down for the second time that week. Not that I didn't want to be with him that way but Carlisle had advised me to be careful so I was only following his orders.
What about work? Have you told them you're not going anymore?
"Sort of." I tried.
Leah! You can't keep going, Carlisle said…
"I know what he said. But I need the money and I'm fine."
For now. She sighed heavily. I didn't want to do this Leah but if you don't tell Jake tonight, I'm going to tell him first thing tomorrow. Do you understand?
Jacob entered the room in that moment wearing only a towel around his waist.
"Fine… I'll talk to you in the morning, okay? Bye mum." I hung up quickly, hoping Jacob didn't hear anything.
I placed my cell phone on the bedside table and was about to get up when I felt his hands around my waist and his lips on my neck. I automatically jumped out of his reach.
"So what's the excuse tonight?" He asked in a bad humour. "Last night you had a headache and the night before you were tired. Is there anything you want to tell me? Why are you avoiding me like this?"
"I'm not avoiding you."
Jacob got up and walked towards me. He grabbed the hem of my shirt and proceeded to take it off. I placed a hand on his to stop him and Jacob narrowed his eyes.
"Not avoiding me?" He questioned.
"Jacob…I…don't…"
"If you're not avoiding me why do you flee every time I go near you? Did I do anything wrong?" He asked. "Just tell me what's wrong…Are you going to leave me? Is that why you and Sue talk everyday on the phone? Is that why you're hiding things from me?"
"No. You got it all wrong, Jacob."
"Really? Right now I feel like I'm just a rock in your shoe."
"Jacob…"
"Just cut the crap and tell me!" He ordered.
"Fine. I'm pregnant."
Jacob blinked. The silence filled the room and I decided to rephrase my words.
"I'm still pregnant. I didn't have a miscarriage when Lasya attacked me. So I'm five months…"
"No, you're not." Jacob cut me off.
"Carlisle confirmed it last week."
"Leah…You're probably in denial or something. You can't be five months pregnant."
Truth to be told, I didn't look five months pregnant at all. I hardly had a belly though I had been putting on some weight recently.
"Sit down and let me finish." I asked. Jacob did what he was told. "Carlisle says I'm experiencing an ectopic pregnancy. That's why I'm not showing, that's why I didn't have any symptoms, and that's why I blacked out a week ago when I was taking my mother, Isaac and Sarah back to Forks."
"You blacked out while you were driving?"
"Yes."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I was…scared?" I tried. "Anyways…I'm going to have this baby in two months. Carlisle advised me to have a C-section as soon as possible."
"So…You're really pregnant?" He was still unsure.
I nodded and handed him the ultrasound Carlisle had given me.
"I'm going to find out the sex tomorrow, you want to come?"
Jacob was watching the image of our child in the ultrasound. I could tell he was fighting back his tears. I knew the feeling. A week ago I had been in that same place. After coming back home I cried for the rest of the day until Jacob arrived. I cried of happiness and fear.
I was going to give Jacob another son or daughter and I was happy about it. I was going to be a mother again but childbirth had never seemed so scary. I knew Carlisle would be there and my body could easily recover but there was still a chance of something going wrong. Besides I didn't know if the baby was alright. What if he suffered from mental or physical problems because of me?
"You should've told me." Jacob hugged me tightly. "And yes, I want to go with you tomorrow."
"I'm sorry I waited so long to tell you. And I'm sorry I kind of pushed you away these last few days."
He kissed my forehead and forced me to sit down on his lap. Then he put his right hand over my belly.
"All that matters to me is that you and the baby are okay." He said. I placed my own hand on top of his. "I need to prepare the house. The baby will need a bedroom. I'm going to call the guys first thing tomorrow. They'll be glad to help."
"We have two months Jacob. You don't need to rush anything."
"And I can't wait to tell the kids." He said ignoring my words. "It's going to be perfect, Leah. I promise."
I smiled trying to look reassuring when I was quite scared actually.
"Have you thought about names?" He asked me.
"Not yet."
"Liam or Simon? Which one do you prefer?"
"Liam. But what if it's a girl?"
"I'm sure it's a boy. Trust me." He grinned. "A perfect little boy."
I just shook my head. He was always so sure of himself. I wanted to believe in him because I wanted everything to be perfect too. Only I had a bad feeling about this.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Where's Carlisle?" I asked Edward as I walked inside the Cullen's mansion. I immediately felt the sweet smell of brownies. Esme was a kitchen diva and lately I had been craving chocolate.
"I'll tell Esme to bring you some as soon as it's ready." Edward smiled.
"I was supposed to have a check-up today."
"Carlisle had a small emergency but he's on his way now."
I narrowed my eyes. It had been a month since I had told Jacob I was pregnant and it had taken me three whole weeks to get him to trust me enough to let me do things alone.
"I can't be late or Jacob will never let me come here alone again."
"He'll be here, don't worry."
"He better."
"So I've heard you've been having trouble with Sarah."
"She's afraid we won't like her when the baby is born. I felt the same when my mother was pregnant with Seth."
"There will always be some rivalry between siblings but she'll love to be a big sister in a few years."
"Talking about siblings…how long will the others stay in Italy?"
"I don't know. They're Aro's guests of honour. It would be rude to leave suddenly."
"But Joham was executed weeks ago. Are they still celebrating that?"
"The Volturi can celebrate things for months."
"I think you're hiding something from us."
"I'll be able to tell you more when Alice comes back, okay?"
"Should we be worried?"
"Not for now. You just need to take care of your baby."
I put a hand on the top of my belly. Usually the baby didn't move much but today that was the second time I was feeling him.
"Liam, Lowell, Lucien or Lorenzo…" Edward read the names on my mind when I was thinking about how my son would be called. "Jacob prefers Liam, right?"
"Yes. But I haven't decided yet."
"You're still angry about losing the bet with him, aren't you?"
"No." I lied. Of course I was angry. A mother should know these things and yet Jacob was the one who had a bet on me having a boy. I wanted to murder Carlisle when he said Jacob had won. I was so sure it was a girl.
"It was only twenty bucks." Edward laughed.
"Where's your wife, Edward? She's always after you like a shadow."
"She's with Carlisle."
"But I thought Carlisle…"
"It was an emergency." He cut me off. "With Renée."
"They went to Florida?" I gasped.
"No. She moved back to Phoenix. Didn't you know?"
I nodded negatively. I had more importante things to do than follow Renée's life.
"Bella's been worried sick about her. She went to see her today and found her unconscious."
"I could come later."
"It's okay. They're already coming home. A few more minutes and they'll be here."
It was only normal for Bella to be worried about her mother. Not only she was pregnant but she was also being pressured by Phil to reconnect old bonds with her daughter. Renée's husband was completely oblivious to the reasons why his wife wanted to keep a certain distance between her and Bella.
People usually fear what they can't understand and Renée didn't understand us.
"She's afraid of us." Edward stated. "Once upon a time she loved our family and loved the idea that Bella would be a Cullen. And then…when she realised what we are, she started to avoid us and Bella is sad and upset about that…"
"I would be scared too if I were Renée." I confessed. "But I understand Bella as well. I guess it's hard to know that her own mother is afraid of her."
"They were so close when Bella was human and now Renée acts as if we carry the plague."
"I was scared too when I first phased. I never thought the legends could be real. Vampires and werewolves were creatures I only saw in films. When I realised I was part of that I wished it never happened. I wished it was all a nightmare but it wasn't."
"But you and the others ended up accepting it. Renée didn't."
"Cut her some slack, Edward. She's only human and her daughter became a vampire. How would you feel if you knew your child was going to live forever amongst vampires and other dangerous creatures? Until now Bella was Renée's only family. If she hadn't married Phil, she'd be all alone. I actually think she's reacting quite well to the situation. I don't understand why Bella is so worried."
"Bella was an only child." Esme said joining us with a plate full of brownies. "Now she's going to have a sister. It's only normal that she wants to be a part of her sister's life but Renée told her she doesn't want that to happen."
I blinked. That was a little extreme even for Renée. To be scared of vampires and wolves was one thing, to cut all ties with Bella because she was pregnant was another.
"Seriously? She said that?"
Esme and Edward nodded.
"Well…Bella's not an only child anymore. She has Alice, Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper. "Though I would rather be an only child than having those idiots for brothers and sisters." I joked and Edward rolled his eyes.
"It's not the same. A blood sibling is different. You of all people should know." He said. "You did things for Seth that you would never do for anyone else."
I shrugged. He did have a point. Even now I was worried about Seth and he was not a child anymore. After Gwen's disappearance we had contacted Dominic to let him know his sister was no longer with us. Since Gwen was one of them, Lance ordered Dominic and Cody to search for the girl. We offered our help too but they declined. They knew that if they couldn't find her it was because she didn't want to be found and we'd be wasting time.
So when they returned home empty handed, Seth decided to act and left La Push to find her on his own.
"We could help him." Edward offered.
"I know but I think he wants to find her alone. I don't think he wants our help at all."
"People in love can do stupid things, right?"
"You're the one to talk." I said. "You did some pretty stupid things too, you know?"
"Back at you Leah." He replied.
"Do you want more?" Esme asked me. Without realising I had eaten all the brownies that Esme had in the plate. I was about to accept Esme's offer when a car pulled over outside.
"I'm fine Bella. I can go home, there's no need to trouble Dr. Cullen."
"It's no trouble at all Renée. If Dr. Ash is on holidays I'm more than happy to be your doctor."
"He'll be back the next month."
"But you fainted mum. You need to be seen by a doctor just to be sure."
"But Phil doesn't know I'm here."
"I left him a message."
"Okay…but I'm sure everything's fine."
Renée walked inside reluctantly and stopped when she saw me.
"It's okay, it's not a monster convention or anything." I commented unable to keep quiet. Edward laughed slightly; his personality had somehow changed after his recent fake death. He laughed more and was not so gloomy.
Bella tried to burn me with her eyes but I ignored her.
"I'm sorry." I told her. "So…I guess you can't see me now…" I turned to Carlisle.
"I just need ten minutes to check on Renée."
Renée had a high blood pressure and since she had fainted earlier, Carlisle told her to have some rest in one of the guest's bedrooms.
My check-up showed no problems with the baby which was a relief because in the last half an hour I had been feeling a light pain in my abdomen but it could be just the anxiety. Carlisle had told me I could experience that any moment so I didn't give it much thought.
"The next month the baby will be ready."
I nodded.
"You've put on some weight which is good. For the next couple of weeks you need to rest, alright?"
"I've been resting since I found out I was pregnant."
"That's not what Sue's been telling me."
I rolled my eyes.
"She's overreacting, again."
"I hope so."
Downstairs, Bella was trying to convince Edward to talk to Renée but he didn't seem interested.
"I've tried when we went to Florida, remember? She's afraid of me. I don't want to cause her more stress."
"She's not afraid of you." Bella said. "She was alone with Carlisle and…"
"He's a doctor." Edward cut her off. "And I can read minds, Bella. I know she's afraid of us."
"Okay, so maybe she's a little scared of you…but she needs to understand you and your family are good people."
"Vampires." I corrected. I had no intention to join their conversation but my big mouth betrayed me.
Bella faced me and suddenly her yellowish eyes were shinning bright.
"I have an idea." She said excitedly. "You could talk to her. Try to tell her we're not monsters."
"Didn't you try that already?" I asked.
"Sort of, but she's too stubborn."
"Do you actually think I can convince her to accept you?"
"You can try. You have something in common, maybe she'll understand if she actually sees your human part."Bella was reffering to my pregnancy.
"Renée is scared of me, Bella. She won't listen to me."
"You don't know that. Please Leah…just try. I won't ask you anything else ever."
I sighed.
"Okay. Deal. I'll talk to her."
"Great. She's upstairs."
"She's resting. I'll call her later."
"No, she's pretending she's asleep. You can go talk to her now." Bella smiled.
"Fine."
She shooed me like someone who wants to get rid of something and I dragged myself upstairs again, thinking of what to say to Renée.
I knocked on the door calmly and when she didn't answer I walked inside. She was watching the ceiling quietly. I had no idea of what to say. I didn't know Renée that well. I had seen her only a few times in the past and all I knew about her was that she had never been a very good mother and never cared much about responsibilities.
Like most of people, Renée had always wanted to travel and have an exciting life and she couldn't have all of that in Forks with Charlie so when Bella was just a child she left. Despite all of her flaws she did try her best for Bella and I was sure she wanted the best for her new baby as well.
"I know we hardly know each other but I just want to…" I hesitated trying to decide what to say next. "I want to congratulate you…I'm expecting a baby too."
Renée sat down on the large bed.
"Bella told me. It's your sixth?"
"Fifth."
"Oh…"
"I've heard you had some sort of an accident today."
"I felt dizzy, I fell and blacked out. Nothing serious. It happened before when I was pregnant with Bella."
Well that said a lot about Bella. Renée must have fallen many times. Downstairs I heard Edward's clearing his throat, warning me to restrain my thoughts about his perfect wife.
"Your daughter is trying really hard to reconnect with you."
"I know."
"What's the problem then?"
"She's not my Bella anymore."
"She's not that different either. She's paler, stronger and she's not so clumsy but she's still Bella inside."
Renée began to cry silently.
"We're not monsters. We just have a different life from what we were supposed to have. Bella should have gone to the University, have a degree and maybe she would be married to some great guy and have a couple of kids. I would probably live in Seattle studying to be an archeologist and working a part-time job in a restaurant or in a strip club. I never thought I would say this but I'm glad things didn't turn out that way." Renée looked at me but didn't speak. "I'm sorry for you though. I'm sorry that you lost Bella…I'm sure it wasn't easy."
"You don't know what it's like to know that your daughter will live forever and one day will forget about us. Her own parents."
"Bella will never forget about you, Charlie, Phil…She loves you too much, but if you don't let her meet her own sister, she might forget about her."
Downstairs I heard Edward saying 'Nice one shewolf'.
"For once I think Bella is doing the right thing. Shouldn't you do the same? Do you really want to lose your daughter like that? Look, Charlie's been living among us and nothing bad happened to him. I'm positive no one will ever try to hurt your baby. I have four of my own and they're fine. Actually if it weren't for Carlisle I would've probably lost this baby."
"So you're saying I should trust them and a bunch of werewolves?"
"No, I'm saying you should trust your family."
Lying back down, Renée put both her hands on her face and wiped off her tears.
"Maybe you're right. I shouldn't push Bella away like this. I love her, she's my daughter." She said a few seconds later.
"Exactly."
"I guess I could let her chose her sister's name and maybe they could see each other on their birthdays or something."
"Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Of course she is." Bella walked inside the room without warning smiling brightly. "What do you think about Carlie or Renesmee?"
"Spirits have mercy…Renesmee? What's with you and that name?"
"Renesmee isn't weird it's…" Suddenly Bella went silent. "What the hell? Leah, I think your water just broke."
I felt an excruciating pain in my lower abdomen that made me double over and throw up whatever contents I had in my stomach. Something wasn't right. I wasn't supposed to have the baby now. Carlisle had told me everything was fine.
Bella was next to me in a flash and Renée got up from the bed so her daughter could take me there.
"I'll call Carlisle." Renée announced.
"He went hunting with Esme."
I cursed my luck.
"I'm on it." We heard Edward yelled from downstairs and moments later he had left the house to get the doctor.
"How far along are you?" Renée asked.
"Six months." Bella answered for me since the pain was too much for me to talk.
"But she hardly shows. Is it because she's a werewolf?"
"No. It's an ectopic pregnancy. It's complicated." Bella stated. "Mum can you pull her dress up? I need to see what's wrong."
"I'll wait for Carlisle." I said.
"I smell blood. Your water broke but there's something else and I need to see what's wrong." Bella informed. "If it makes you feel better, I was an A-student in Biology."
It didn't make me feel better at all but I still let Renée pull my dress up. The instant she did that I could smell the blood too and I panicked.
"Where's Carlisle?" I yelled.
"Calm down. You need to stay focused for your baby." Renée said in a soothing voice.
"It hurts." I complained. And it was true. It hurt a lot more than in my previous deliveries. Compared to this one, they were a piece of cake. I felt like someone was pulling my internal organs out in cold blood. I was supposed to have a C-section in a month. Why was this happening?
"Mum, go outside and call Jake and Sue. They need to come here now."
The urgency in Bella's voice made me realise something was terribly wrong. Renée took Bella's cell phone and left immediately.
"What's going on?" I demanded.
"I don't know what happened but I think your baby was trying to find some room to get into the right position. Your body tried to accommodate the baby the best way it could but something raptured and now you're bleeding."
An internal bleeding in this situation was not good for me or the baby.
"Your body knows it will heal sooner or later, which means you need to deliver this baby now."
"I can't. He's too small."
"Harry and Will were six months too. He'll be fine."
"But Carlisle said he's smaller than the twins and he doesn't know if his organs are all formed…"
It was becoming hard to breathe.
"The sac is broken which means the baby can suffocate with all the blood and fluid. You're not dilated so I'm going to have to cut you, okay?"
I never realised I was crying until that moment and I had no idea if I was crying with fear or pain.
"I would wait for Carlisle but it might be too late."
"Okay. Just do what you have to do and save my baby."
I felt Bella leave the room but she came back in just a few seconds. Outside the room Renée was talking to someone on the phone.
Everything doctors and therapists teach women so they can keep calm when their having their babies is bullshit. It hurts too much to think of anything else. And all the people who say that this is the most beautiful moment in one's life are liars.
I felt Bella cutting me with a scalpel and I cried out in pain. For what it felt like hours all I could do was scream and hold on to the sheets which I probably ripped in shreds. I hadn't realised Renée was back in the room until I heard her voice.
"Wasn't she supposed to have a delivery by C-section?"
"There's no time. I can feel the baby's head right there…I just have to pull him out."
As my bones stretched I felt all the air leaving my lungs and then Bella pulled the baby and when he was out the pain subsided and I was able to breathe again. Since I couldn't hear the baby crying I thought I had given birth to a still-born. He was too small and too weak.
"Is he alive?" I was able to form the words even though I had my eyes closed and I was feeling really tired.
"Yes. The umbilical cord was around his neck."
"I'm tired."
"Carlisle is coming. Hang in there." Bella's voice sounded like a whisper.
"Good…Make sure he saves my baby."
I never saw Carlisle walking inside the room and I didn't feel anything else after that. I just let my mind wander into a deep slumber as the numbness entered my body.
When I opened my eyes again there was only my mum in the bedroom with me. The smell of blood and sweat was gone and there was an IV tube attached to my right arm.
"Hey there. How are you feeling?" My mum asked.
"Thirsty."
She gave me a glass of water.
"I had Isaac in this very room." I said.
"Yeah, I remember honey. You screamed a lot that day."
"And so did Isaac. But…this baby…I didn't hear him cry."
"Well, he had his lungs with fluid and he couldn't breathe at first but now he's okay."
"He's alive?" I tried to sit up but she made me lay down again.
"He's still in the Hospital. Jake's with him and Carlisle too. You have to heal first and then you can go see him."
"He needs me. I'm his mother."
"He needs his mother to be okay. A couple of hours and you'll be able to walk."
I took a deep breath. If Jacob was with him, I guess he'd be alright and I was feeling sleepy again.
"You were lucky for your wolf genes otherwise you would never make it. When the baby started to move, the amniotic sac broke and he began to suffocate. Your body tried to save the baby by pushing him out but he got stuck causing you an internal bleeding. If Bella hadn't been here to take him out, you would both be dead."
"I never thought I would be grateful to have her around." I confessed.
"She did a good job."
"Yes, she did."
I fell asleep again after that, happy to know that my baby was alive and I would see him soon.
The second time I woke up, my mother was gone but Jacob was in the room with me. He smiled when he saw I was awake. I noticed it was already dark outside. I had slept too many hours.
"Don't do that again, Leah." He held my hand. I was feeling much better now so I took the IV out of my arm and sat down on the bed. The pain and the numbness were gone. "You scared the hell out of me."
"Where is he?" I questioned anxiously.
"He's fine. He's the smallest baby I held in my arms. He's only four pounds. For a couple of hours he had to breathe through a machine at the Hospital but he got better. Carlisle said he needs to be under constant observation for a few weeks just to be sure."
"Okay. Can I see him now?"
"Sure."
Jacob opened the bedroom door and my mother came inside carrying the smallest baby I had ever seen in my life. His face was still reddish but other than that he was fine. It was such a relief to have him in my arms knowing that he could've died.
"He's perfect." I whispered.
"Of course he is. He's my son." Jacob grinned proudly.
"So, what name did you pick?" I asked him.
"Well…Since Bella did all the work and since we hadn't reached an agreement, she got to choose the name."
"Please tell me she didn't name him Jedward or Edjacob?" I begged.
"His name is Jacob Black Junior. I call him JJ." My mum smiled.
"The best name ever." Jacob kissed the top of our child's head. "He's going to be awesome just like his dad."
"You don't like the name?" My mother asked me.
"Oddly enough, I do. It's a good name. I can't wait to take him home."
Jacob nodded.
"Let's go then. Let's take our baby home."
On October 1st JJ joined our family. Harry, Will, Isaac and Sarah had a new baby brother. We were going to protect our children and make sure they had a good and long life. This was the future I'd always wanted. A never ending story of love, friendship and courage.
The End (?)
Preview:
Alpha
Book I – The Third
Isaac Black
That was my seventh therapy session since classes had started. Two months ago the nightmares had started. My therapist's opinion was that I was too stressed because in a few weeks the exams were going to start and I was always worried about keeping my good grades.
I didn't share her opinion. Yes, I was worried about the exams but I was quite sure that it weren't the exams that were causing me to dream about being attacked by a huge werewolf, saved by a giant russet wolf and taken to the woods by a woman I had never seen in my life.
"Isaac? Did you hear me?" Doctor Townsend called me.
"I did." I replied. She was looking at me with doubts. "Next session we'll talk about how I feel about my family and my home." I repeated.
"Exactly."
As if that would actually solve anything.
I left Doctor Townsend's office and images of my nightmares plagued my mind. I'd been having this nightmare since I had entered Arizona University almost three years ago when I was fifteen years old but now it was getting worse.
My mum used to say I was lucky. Unlike most of the people who lived in La Push, I was able to go to a prestigious university and I would be able to have a good job in the future.
My high IQ allowed me to have two degrees already. My first degree was Nuclear Engineering and my second one was Anthropology. Currently I was taking Biochemistry and was doing some research to finish my thesis in Biomechanics.
I was the typical nerd. I'd turn eighteen in a couple of months but some of my professors had already invited me to be their assistant. Since I was still a minor I couldn't take on the offer yet. If I said yes, it was possible that I would never come back to La Push and I didn't know how my family would react.
I was about to go inside the room I shared with Bob "Marley" Green in the male dorm in the campus when I heard a familiar voice calling me.
"Sarah?" I questioned turning back. I was surprised to see my sister there.
Sarah was almost seventeen years old. She was a year younger than me, actually she was ten months younger than me but a lot of people thought we were twins. She shared my mother's beauty and my father's easy-going personality.
"Did you miss me, Boo?" Only my brothers, my sister and my cousins called be "Boo". I used to watch Boo's Adventures in Space a lot when I was a kid. It was about a kid that wanted to go to the moon.
"What are you doing here?" I asked. "Are you alone?"
"I'm with Uncle Seth. He's parking. This place is huge." Sarah hugged me and then she took an envelope from her pocket and handed it over to me. "We came to take you home." She informed.
"Take me home? Why?"
When Sarah lowered her eyes and didn't answer my question I knew something had happened. The answer was inside that envelope. I took a deep breath and opened it.
To be continued...
Rachel – Hi. Yes, Scarlett is able to absorb any kind of power from other vampires and she would definitely be able to use Jane and Alec's powers against them if she had absorbed them, only she didn't. Scarlett only met Jane and Alec when she arrived to Volterra because the twins stayed behind to help capturing Joham. By then, there was no point on attacking the Volturi. Besides, the little vampire girl feels safe with the Italians. They're her kind and they worship her. I hope I didn't confuse you. ;)
Yes, well I was expecting a little bit more from Steph too. Breaking Dawn was predictable…actually it was awful. I'm really glad you liked the 5 stories I wrote.
Dies Irae means "Day of Wrath" in Latin and it describes the day of judgment. I thought it fit the last chapters of this story :)
Thanks for the reviews
A/Note: Finally. Our Dawn is officially over though it will have a sequel called Alpha. I'm not sure when I'll start posting because let's face it…it's been a difficult year and I still have a lot of ideas on my mind. So first I'm going to have some rest, put my ideas in order, write down a few notes about this new story and only then I'll start posting. In the meantime, you can ask me whatever you want about Our Dawn or the new story. Just PM me and I'll reply.
Thank you all for reading and reviewing this. It meant a lot to me. For more than two years you were my inspiration. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone. Take care.
Karisan